Bobby Berk's game-changing hack fixes candle tunnels and uneven wax in 5 simple steps

Bobby Berk's easy hack fixes candle tunnels and uneven wax in five simple steps

Bobby Berk at the BAFTA Tea Party held at The Maybourne Beverly Hills on January 13, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
(Image credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

I love a nice scented candle. In fact, I'm borderline obsessed with them. But the one thing that never ceases to amaze me is that even the best candles can burn unevenly or start to tunnel if you don't practice effective candle care

Thankfully, interior designer Bobby Berk took to Instagram earlier this month to share his game-changing hack to prevent uneven burning from ruining your favorite candles:

In the short clip, the famed interior designer revealed that hacking away at uneven candle wax with a butter knife is far from the best method of fixing candle tunnels. Not only is this method wasteful, but it's unsightly, too. 

Instead, Bobby revealed a simple 5-step trick to level your candles using affordable aluminum foil:

Step 1: Cut enough aluminum foil to wrap around the top of your candle.

Step 2: Light the wick.

Step 3: Wrap the foil around the top of the candle, leaving enough space for oxygen to get through to the flame. 

Step 4: Wait a few hours (ensuring you don't leave the candle unsupervised). 

Step 5: Unwrap your candle and blow out the flame. Once the wax has dried, your candles should be perfectly level again. 

Of course, you could also invest in a stylish candle warmer to keep your candle wax perfectly even. But when a roll of aluminum foil is only $1.42 at Walmart, I know which technique I'll be trying first...

3 spring scented candles


You can avoid the most common candle burning mistakes by trimming your wicks and ensuring that you allow your new candles to melt evenly across the entire surface before blowing them out. 

Gabriella Dyson
Contributor

Gabriella is a freelance contributor for Homes & Gardens. She is a DIY enthusiast and a lover of all things interior design, often found antiquing or browsing the aisles of her local hardware store. She has a particular passion for historic buildings and is in the process of renovating a Victorian coachhouse in the British countryside. 

For much of the past decade, Gabriella has worked as a freelance writer, crafting copy for national publications and renowned homeware brands. Most recently, she worked for Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine and is the former Head of Solved at Homes & Gardens, focusing on case studies for the magazine and website, as well as writing features about issues surrounding historic and listed building projects.