It’s Friday night — your favorite night of the week because it's time to relax. You're ready for your bubble bath, a thrilling TV show, and the soothing aroma of your floral scented candle.
However, all these dreams come crashing down when you realize you don't have a lighter.
Need to know how to light a candle without a lighter? Here are five ways to save your night.
1. Matches
Matches would be the obvious answer to lighting a candle if you don’t have a lighter. They are one of the most traditional methods of lighting a candle and are quick and easy to use.
The only downside to using a match is you run the risk of burning yourself. The wicks of candles tend to burn down quickly, meaning you have to turn your hand at an angle to light them. Matches make this pretty difficult, especially when the wick is very low and your hand can’t fit into the container.
Try turning the candle upside down and lighting it this way. Matches are convenient because they can be found at almost every convenience store or gas station. They’re also a common household object to have around, so chances are you already have some matches around the house.
2. Use The Stove
You can use any things in your house to light a candle instead of a match, but you just have to get a little creative. Your stove is great if you need to know how to light a candle without using a lighter.
You just have to turn on the burner and wait until they heat up. Then touch your candle wick to the stovetop, and it should catch fire immediately. This works best with long skinny candles as the wick usually won’t reach the stovetop on shorter candles. If you have one of these short candles, then you can still light it using a stovetop.
You’ll need another object that can catch fire without being a safety hazard. A dry spaghetti noodle or q-tip easily turns into a long wick when touched to a hot surface.
You can also use heaters, ovens, and toaster ovens for this method. After your makeshift wick is lit, you can then use it to light all the other candles you have.
3. Magnifying Lens
You can also use a magnifying lens to light a candle, but this method might require a little practice. Use a magnifying lens on a sunny day to focus the light on paper until it catches fire. It will take time to get the right angle for a spark to occur, but it will do so, eventually. It’s also important to note that this method does not work at night.
4. Flint
Strike flint against a metal that contains iron until it creates a spark. Flint is a kind of rock that you have to have beforehand. This method is definitely the least convenient out of them all but could be used if you were lost in the woods or camping, for example.
5. Battery and Foil
The last option when wondering how to light a candle without a lighter is battery and foil. This method can be difficult and dangerous, so it's really only recommended as a last resort.
An example of the last resort would be a power outage, and none of your electrical heating elements are working. If it comes to this, then the battery and foil method is great because you only need tools that most people have in every household.
You’ll need to gather a battery of any normal size like AAA, AA, C, or D and aluminum foil. Then you’ll want to cut the aluminum foil into a ¾-inch strip or twice as long as the battery, fold it in half, then finely pinch the middle into a crease. Place the ends on the strip to both ends of the battery. This allows a current to zip through the aluminum, causing it to heat up. The middle part of the strip should heat up enough to burn the wick.
Remember, this method can be dangerous, so be sure to use caution.
The Takeaway
No one wants to be missing a lighter when they need it most, but there are plenty of solutions to this problem. Hopefully, you now know how to light a candle without a lighter. Use matches, a magnifying glass, or a stovetop to get the job done. Our last two suggestions should be last resort options.
Need a new candle once you get your lighter back? Shop our natural soy candles to find the right candle that matches your mood!