On this sunny, very cold Tuesday, the twentieth of November, Mrs. Dashwood was glad to have scheduled someone to visit her home to clean the gas heater, an older wall model that still works fine. Mrs. Dashwood was just getting ready to light a sweet-smelling pumpkin spice-scented candle when the contractor arrived. In this day and age, with lots of allergies, etc., it seems polite to ask if burning the scented candle is a problem. The contractor answered no, but did mention that soot from candles can eat away at dry wall tape, that he had seen that happen in a church that burned candles a lot. At that moment, we both looked up at the ceiling, where the dry wall tape was beginning to show signs of coming apart.
Needless to say, Mrs. Dashwood, who loves burning candles, was shocked. She had never heard of such a thing. She promptly decided not to light the wonderfully-sweet smelling pumpkin spice candle. Later, after the furnace was clean and humming along fine, warming the living room, Mrs. Dashwood made a cup of steaming, stove-top espresso coffee, and sat down to research this situation online.
The contractor was not kidding. Candle soot can be a serious and expensive problem for homes.
Esurance gives this information on its webpage:
"Soot, which can be mistaken for mold or dirt, can cause irreparable damage and cost homeowners sometimes tens of thousands of dollars. Homeowners insurance may or may not cover damage resulting from this black substance.
Soot, chiefly made up of carbon, can coat your walls, television screens, and computer monitors, as well as your carpet, furniture, blinds, and drapes. It can even infest your ventilation system's ductwork."
Another source is Chimney Keepers:
"'Due to the lack of air exchange, burning a single candle a week in a tight, well-insulated home can cause very worrisome wall darkening,' according to Jeffrey C. May, a professional home inspector in Cambridge, MA."
Prevent Soot in the First Place
Most all sources advise against scented candles, unless they are in a ventilated area such as a fireplace. Other suggestions are to keep the wicks trimmed to 1/4 inch, and to keep burning candles out of drafts.
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