With so many people now choosing to keep their homes smelling lovely with the use of wax melts, I find it the perfect time to share my experiences by answering some of the questions that are frequently asked.
One of the questions I hear quite often is,
“How long do wax melts last”
It’s a valid question, we pay good money for wax melts and you want to get the maximum scent from it for the maximum amount of time.
So with that in mind this article is going to be about an experiment I did to find out on average how long a wax melt lasts.
How long does a wax melt last?
First off I want to to give you the quick answer to the question, later on I will go over a few conditions that could change the results. I will also give you some tips to keep your wax melts full of scent until you are ready to use them.
So how long does a wax melt last? I found that a typical heart shaped wax melt weighing an average of 8 grams lasted around 9-10 hours before the scent throw was significantly reduced. This was with a fragrance oil to wax ratio of 10%. Factors such as wax burner heat and fragrance quality will effect these times.
Those were the results of my own testing using my own brand wax melts.
For the testing I had my wax burner set on its medium setting which infind gives off a great scent throw.
I would like to now talk about some of the things that you can do which will increase or decrease the amount of time a wax melt will last.
Things that will effect how long a wax melt lasts.
If you want to get the beautiful scent from your wax melt for as long as possible you are going to love this next section.
I am going to give you some tips to keep your wax melts fresh, full of scent and make sure they last as long as possible when in the wax burner.
Wax type.
The type of wax that is used to make your wax melts can have an impact on how long they last.
The three main types of wax that are used are Paraffin wax, Soy wax and beeswax. Personally I prefer to use Soy wax melts as I find they are better at holding and evenly distributing the fragrance oil.
Each type of wax has a different melting temperature and also fragrance holding capacity.
Wax burner temperature.
The temperature of your wax burner will have a huge impact on how long the scent from your wax melt lasts.
If you set your burner to the maximum it will melt and evaporate all of the fragrance oil very quickly. Whereas if you set it too low you will find that there is not enough scent throw to fill your room with Aroma.
For these reasons I always recommend to set your wax burner to the middle setting. This way you will get good scent throw and a longer lasting wax melt.
Poor quality fragrance oils.
From my experience of buying wax melts and making my own I have noticed that there is a huge difference in fragrance oil quality between brands.
I have used some before where the scent throw was terrible even on a high wax melt setting.
Unfortunately getting this right is just a case of trying different brands until you find one that offers good fragrance oil quality with a great scent throw.
Try these ones that are available on Amazon if you want some good quality wax melts with delicious scents.
Fragrance oil to wax percentage.
Before you next purchase some wax melts have a read of the description on the packaging or depending on location the CPL sticker.
If you are buying from a reputable dealer there should be a fragrance oil to wax percentage shown.
The limit is 10% fragrance oil to wax usually and this is what you are looking for. I have seen some wax melts that use as little as 4% fragrance oil to wax. The higher the percentage the more fragrance their is in the wax melt to evaporate and fill your room with Aroma.
If you need help to calculate the perfect amount of fragrance oil and wax for your wax melts then please use my free fragrance and wax calculator. It will tell you how much wax and fragrance to use for perfect results.
Storage of your wax melts.
Believe it or not how you store your wax melts can have a detrimental impact on how long they will last.
Ideally wax melts should be kept in an airtight container or packaging to lock in the fragrance.
Keeping them in a cool and shaded area will also help to them full of fragrance oil ready for when you want to use them.
For more information on expiration of wax melts and how to store them have a look at the detailed guide I wrote.
Position in your room.
Ok this last one will not make your wax melt last any longer but I though I would throw it in as a bonus tip.
I have found that getting my wax burner as central as possible in the room and also keeping it downstairs gives off the best scent throw.
By keeping the wax burner central it helps to evenly distribute the fragrance around the room. Also by keeping the wax burner downstairs the warmed and evaporated fragrance oil will rise up around your home. This gives you the biggest bang for your buck.
Final thoughts.
Wax melts are one of the best ways to add beautiful fragrance to your home, they are cheaper and much more effective than scented candles.
When it comes to how long a wax melt last it really does depend on a number of factors such as brand, temperature and even storage of the wax melt.
From my experience anywhere between 7-11 hours of scent from a single wax melt is a good target to achieve. If you find that you are not getting this from your current wax melts it may be time to look for a new brand.
If you enjoyed reading this article why not check our some more that I have written about using wax melts.
I started Scents and Aroma as a way to share my knowledge from owning a candle, wax melt, diffuser and bath bomb business so that you can make your home smell lovely too.
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