How to Use Coffee Warmer for Candles

Coffee warmers, often called mug warmers, help make the mornings and long evenings easier by keeping your coffee or tea hot. While they are a game-changer for slow coffee drinkers, the benefits of coffee warmers don't stop there. If you need a candle warmer, you can use a coffee warmer with candles instead.

You use candle warmers to melt candle wax without a flame. Many people choose to use candle warmers because warm wax emits a more potent scent than room-temperature candles.

There are many types of candle warmers, but most will include a heat source such as a warmer plate or light. When the candle is placed on the plate or under the light, the heat melts the wax.

Mug warmers operate similarly, if not identically, to certain candle warmers. Mug warmers are essentially small hot plates that sit on a surface and heat a mug from the bottom.

Using a coffee warmer for a candle might seem redundant since candles have a wick that melts the wax. However, there are many occasions when warming a candle with a candle or coffee warmer is useful.

Some people are sensitive to the smell of a burning flame, especially after blowing out a candle. Often the candle smoke can overpower the fragrance, defeating the candle's purpose. When heated over a coffee or candle warmer, the wax melts without a flame, eliminating the candle smoke.

Warmers also make an effective remedy for candle tunneling. When a candle cannot fully melt the top layer of wax, it starts to form a tunnel that deepens with each use, shortening the useful life of the candle. Using a coffee warmer for candles helps the wax melt evenly by warming the vessel, melting the wax that the flame cannot reach. Especially when the candle is almost finished and the wick cannot hold a flame, a coffee warmer can use up the last of the wax.

When debating the pros and cons of using a candle warmer versus a mug warmer, it is typically best to choose the option designed with the intended purpose in mind. However, if you have a mug warmer on hand and wish to warm a candle, you already have all you need. Despite their differences in design and intended purpose, a coffee warmer can be used as a candle warmer, with a few exceptions. Some coffee warmers have an indentation or a ring in the warmer plate for the mug to fit in, which could be too small for the candle.

Depending on the size of the candle, it might not fit within the indentation and will be unstable, preventing the candle from warming evenly. It may even topple over and spill hot wax, making a mess and posing a safety hazard.

If the candle and the coffee warmer fit together, place the candle on the warmer plate. Make sure the warmer is plugged in and switch it on. As the warmer heats, the candle wax will melt, releasing the fragrance without the need for a flame. Keep an eye on the candle to ensure the vessel doesn't get too warm.