Candle Warmers and Wax Warmers: Do They Work and Are They Safer?

Yes, candle warmers work: a lamp or warming plate melts a jar candle so it releases its scent without a lit wick, and a wax warmer does the same with wax melts in a dish. That removes the open flame, the main fire risk. Warmers are still electric heaters, so look for a testing lab mark and check for recalls.

Lamps, plates and wax warmers compared

Everything sold as a candle or wax warmer heats wax gently so the fragrance oil evaporates into the room. The difference is where the heat comes from and what you put in it.

The first three plug into the wall. The tealight kind is a burner with a candle inside, so all the usual candle rules still apply to it.

How a candle warmer lamp works

A candle warmer lamp looks like a small desk lamp with an adjustable arm, set over a jar candle. Candle Warmers Etc., a maker of warmers, describes its lamps and lanterns as using a specially designed halogen bulb that melts the candle from the top down, where traditional warmers melt from the bottom. It says fragrance starts within minutes, and a full melt takes anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more depending on the candle.

The bulb matters. The same maker says a regular hardware store bulb will not do the job, because warmer bulbs have a narrow, focused beam aimed at the wax. Its replacement bulbs run from 15 watts for plug-in warmers to 35 and 40 watts for lamps, so match the bulb type and wattage printed on your lamp or in its manual rather than guessing.

Which candles work in a warmer

Warmers are built around jar candles. Candle Warmers Etc. says to use jar candles only on its warmers, and lists a range of about 4 to 26 ounces for most of its products, or 4 to 12 ounces for its warming plates. A pillar or taper has no jar to hold the melted wax, so it does not belong on a warmer.

Wax melts and tarts need a warmer with a dish. The maker warns that wax chips or tarts placed straight on a warming plate melt onto the warmer itself. Our guide to wax melt warmers compares plug-in, electric and tealight models for melts.

Are candle warmers safer than lighting a candle?

Candle warmers take away the open flame, and the flame is what starts candle fires. If you want a flame look for a whole room rather than a scent, an electric fireplace gives the glow with no flame at all, though it has its own placement rules. The U.S. Fire Administration says that on average 20 home candle fires are reported each day, citing the National Fire Protection Association. Its advice is to keep candles at least 12 inches from anything that can burn, blow them out before leaving the room or going to bed, and skip lit candles in bedrooms and sleeping areas altogether.

A warmer is not risk-free, though. It is an electric appliance that gets hot. In 2008, CPSC announced a recall of about 730,000 Candlsense electric candle warmers made by Provo Craft & Novelty, after reports that the heating element could detach and melt the plastic casing; there were 2 fires and 9 reports of scorching. Candle Warmers Etc. says its own products carry UL or ETL approval, which is the kind of mark to look for on any warmer.

Tealight wax warmers deserve the same care as candles. In December 2014, CPSC announced a recall of about 209,000 tealight wax warmer sets sold at Costco, because the included tealights could burn with an erratic or high flame. There were 22 reports, including 2 minor burns. If you want a warmer for a bedroom or a home with young children, choose a plug-in model rather than one with a tealight.

When to replace the candle

A warmer does not burn the wax away, so the jar never empties the way it does with a lit wick. What fades is the scent. Candle Warmers Etc. says the fragrance evaporates over time, and to swap the candle for a new one when the scent gets weak. Wax melts work the same way: once a cube stops smelling, lift out the cooled wax and add a fresh one.

Candle warmers as gifts

Lamp warmers come in desk-lamp, lantern and vintage-style shapes, so they double as decor. A warmer with a favorite jar candle makes an easy housewarming present, and our housewarming gift guide has more ideas in that spirit. For an older relative who forgets to blow candles out, a plug-in warmer on a timer, or a set of flameless candles from our gifts for parents and grandparents, avoids the flame entirely.

Where a candle warmer fits in a cozy room

A warmer is for scent; it is not much of a light source. Pair it with low, warm lamps and soft throws, as in our guide on how to make a room feel cozy, and put it where a real candle would be risky: a bedroom shelf, a desk by the curtains or a room you walk in and out of. Unplug it when you go out, the same way you would blow out a candle.