# Why should I snuff my candles, rather than blow them out? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899 "2005-12-31T23:27:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/1 "2005-12-31T23:27:40Z")
The question is pretty simple. Snuffing, of course, is more elegant and refined-looking, but is there another advantage for me to use my snuffer? If it means anything, I’m a frequent candle-user, so I’m regularly extinguishing flames. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/2 "2005-12-31T23:32:57Z")
Well, it reduces the chance of blowing hot melted wax everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/3 "2005-12-31T23:47:22Z")
Also, I hate that smell, the smoke that billows from the dying ember of a blown out candle. You don’t get that when you snuff. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/4 "2006-01-01T00:05:55Z")
The stink is the main thing, for me. Horrible acrid smoke that runs for thirty seconds or so is a complete drag. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/5 "2006-01-01T00:10:20Z")
And if you have a camcorder, you can make a snuff film to sell for big bucks on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/6 "2006-01-01T00:24:43Z")
This is only my personal experience, but part of my episcopal school education included serving as an acolyte at chapel every morning for a week. So we’d go out, light the candles on the altar(making sure to bow to the giant tapestry o’ Christ) before chapel, then after chapel was over, we’d go out and use the giant snuffers to put the candles out(Again bowing to the tapestry). Even using the snuffers, you could smell that the candles had been extinguished. It was obviously stronger where we sat behind the pulpit, but even in the pews you could smell it. Still I have an abnormal sense of smell so maybe that’s just me. -Lil ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/7 "2006-01-01T00:31:42Z")
I thought the obvious answer was, besides that you spread the smell, that you reduce the risk of reviving the fire if you remove the surrounding oxygen than just give it a puff of oxygen. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/8 "2006-01-01T01:45:07Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > And if you have a camcorder, you can make a snuff film to sell for big bucks on the internet. Heh, OK, now I have to go do that. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/9 "2006-01-01T01:51:09Z")
Why should I snuff my candles, rather than blow them out? > [@Speaker for the Dead](#): > > The question is pretty simple. Snuffing, of course, is more elegant and refined-looking, but is there another advantage for me to use my snuffer? Reduces the smoke and soot as well as splashed wax/parafin. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/10 "2006-01-01T02:52:13Z")
A better method than snuffing is dunking the wick in the melted wax. No smoke, no smell and the candle is easier to light next time. You can even buy wick dunkers, they are about 8 inches long with a small two pronged fork at one end, place the wick in the forked part and give it a quick turn to dunk the wick. Straighten and the candle is ready to use again. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/11 "2006-01-01T07:49:47Z")
Interesting, I think that technically, the candle goes out for different reasons in these cases. “Snuffing” extinguishes the flame by depriving it of oxygen; the snuffer fills with smoke & combustion products, and there isn’t enough oxygen available to keep the flame going. “Blowing it out” extinguishes the flame by cooling it below the ignition point; the sudden blast of air cools it so much the flame goes out. (Which is why it sometimes re-ignites: part of the wick stays hot enough to restart the flame.) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/12 "2006-01-01T23:51:02Z")
I spent a good half hour this morning scraping droplets of wax off a table after I’d blown out the candles the night before. ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/13 "2006-01-02T00:06:15Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I spent a good half hour this morning scraping droplets of wax off a table after I’d blown out the candles the night before. And I’ve had to try cleaning blown candle wax off the plastered wall of a nice historical home. White wall. Red wax. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/14 "2006-01-02T14:05:43Z")
Have you last two posters ever heard of a blow dryer? Blow dry wax, wipe off. ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/15 "2006-01-02T15:08:52Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Have you last two posters ever heard of a blow dryer? Blow dry wax, wipe off. Plastered wall + flat white paint+ red candle wax+ heat and wiping=pinkish waxy/shiny spot. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/16 "2006-01-02T15:51:57Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I spent a good half hour this morning scraping droplets of wax off a table after I’d blown out the candles the night before. Sit a plastic bag of ice on it for a few minutes and you should be able to pop it off with the edge of a knife almost instantly. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/17 "2006-01-02T16:20:10Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > “Blowing it out” extinguishes the flame by cooling it below the ignition point; the sudden blast of air cools it so much the flame goes out. (Which is why it sometimes re-ignites: part of the wick stays hot enough to restart the flame.) You got a cite for that? I would think that blowing it out deprives the flame of oxygen. There’s a significant amount of carbon dioxide in your breath. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/18 "2006-01-02T17:00:52Z")
I was taught to cup one of my hands around the back of the candle, close but not touching, covering the last inch or so of the wax and on up higher than the flame, before blowing out the candle: a much softer puff will extinquish the flame, less chance of blowing the wax around, and at worse the molten wax lands on your palm instead of that priceless 16th century tapesty. Yes, the molten wax hurts when that happens. :eek: Just for a second, though, so don’t be such a coward. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/19 "2006-01-02T17:38:23Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > I was taught to cup one of my hands around the back of the candle, close but not touching, covering the last inch or so of the wax and on up higher than the flame, before blowing out the candle: a much softer puff will extinquish the flame, less chance of blowing the wax around, and at worse the molten wax lands on your palm instead of that priceless 16th century tapesty. > Yes, the molten wax hurts when that happens. :eek: Just for a second, though, so don’t be such a coward. I’ve always done it that way, and I don’t recall that I’ve ever got wax splashed on my hand. ---
**Author:** ![Kuizelemartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19b73/32.png) [@Kuizelemartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuizelemartz)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899/20 "2006-01-02T17:44:19Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > A better method than snuffing is dunking the wick in the melted wax. No smoke, no smell and the candle is easier to light next time. You can even buy wick dunkers, they are about 8 inches long with a small two pronged fork at one end, place the wick in the forked part and give it a quick turn to dunk the wick. Straighten and the candle is ready to use again. This is the winning answer. I’m 39 years old and never knew this. I’m sure I’ve dunked a wick before, but never put 2 and 2 together. I did it last night and whoa! No stinky, no smoke. I will dunk my wicks now until the day I die. Thank you **racer72**. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-snuff-my-candles-rather-than-blow-them-out/337899.md?page=2)