HOT HOME PRODUCTS
Satisfy that burning desire for candlelight
October 31, 2009
Vicky Sanderson
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
After Saturday night's riot of candy and costume ends, the season of long nights begins.
Although I accept that daylight will be in short supply for several months, I'll still thumb my nose at the dark by lighting candles every evening.
Apparently, I'm not alone. About $2 billion is spent annually on candles in the U.S., according to the National Candle Association.
I couldn't find comparable figures for Canada, but Erica Kirkland, editor of Retail News, the magazine of the Canadian Gift and Tableware Association, says candles are among the most popular items sold by its member merchants.
Kirkand says 600 CGTA giftware retailers surveyed in March ranked candles as their fifth most important product, and she adds that the category is rapidly expanding.
"There's a lot of interest in scented candles, as well as odour-eliminating products, flameless candles and reed diffusers," she says.
As an aside, my favourite odour-eliminating product is the Lampe Berger, which burns plain or scented alcohol. New this season is the Stries model, which has a design of raised bands circling either clear or frosted glass, and costs about $70. For more information, go to en.lampeberger.ca, where there's also a contest to give away a designer series lamp valued at $2,500.
Back to candles. Several new products are worth noting, including Chace candles – aluminum candle-shaped rods into which slim wax candles are held in place by a spring-loaded base that moves the burning candle up the rod. The idea is that the candle doesn't drip, always looks new and stays cool to the touch.
I have to admit that when Megan Bentley, the Aurora-based owner of Chace Candles first told me about her product, I suspected they wouldn't burn well and/or would look phony. I was pleasantly surprised. Chase candles look amazingly natural, and I love having "fresh" candles every evening.
I also appreciate the fact that my 14-year-old son, James, who really ought to know better, can't fool with them and cause wax to pool on the table and the candlesticks.
If you want to purchase Chase candles, it's probably best to start with a gift pack, which includes two eight- or 12-inch candles, 12 wax refills, and two styles of adapters (used to keep the candles secure in holders) for $33.95 and $39.95, respectively.
Currently, Chace candles are only available online at www.chacecandles.com.
You can't talk about candle trends without mentioning the environmental issues regarding some materials. Paraffin candles are petroleum-based, which puts them on a no-buy list for some consumers. The Asthma Society of Canada cautions that candles can add to indoor air pollution, and advises using soy or beeswax candles, which it says burn cleaner and do not emit petrol-carbon soot.
If paraffin-free candles are your desire, confirm the soy or beeswax content of a product by reading the label or contacting a customer service line, as some soy or beeswax "blends" have paraffin added.
Kirkland suggests buying from an independent gift retailer. She believes most Canadian manufacturers have already made the switch to soy or beeswax and says that CGTA retailers get about 85 per cent of their product from Canadian manufacturers.
Grassroots, which sells eco-friendly housewares at two retail locations in Toronto and online at www.grassrootsstore.com, has an extensive selection of beeswax candles.
I especially like the birthday candles, which cast a lovely, smokeless yellow glow. A package of 18 sells for $5.99.
Febreze has added a soy-blend candle with aromatic oils to its home collection. (A call to the customer service line revealed that there is some paraffin used in this product.)
This new item, which comes in a glass jar with a pretty wooden base, burns for about 30 to 40 hours.
In the past, I've found some of the fragrances in this line to be cloying, but the green tea citrus sample I tried was fresh and pleasant. Other scents include pomegranate mango and cranberry pear.
The candles sell nationally for about $12 at general retailers.
For spots where you don't want to leave a candle burning, there's the flameless Luminaire – a small base that lights up, on which a scented paper shade sits. A starter kit sells for about $18, and a refill of the two sleeve shades sell for about $7.
The Body Shop has several new candles for the holiday season, each of which is made from organically grown soy oil under the company's community trade program, which builds sustainable trading relationships with disadvantaged communities. There are three new scents: apricot, vanilla-nutmeg and cranberry. Each comes in a glass container with a base, and sells for $22.
For tips on using candles safely, and ideas on how to use them in your decor, go to my blog at www.thestar.blogs.com/onthehouse
Email Vicky at vswriter@sympatico.ca.
Vicky Sanderson's Hot Home Products appears Saturdays in New in Homes & Condos.
Toronto Star