Candles are beautiful, powerful, hypnotic and riveting. They can entrance, enhance and bring ambiance to any home. They are the centerpiece of many decorations, have been used in spirituality and religious worship, for thousands of years. They bring romance to many a dinner and touch our sense of the enchanted. Because of the key element of fire, as well as the melted wax itself they can present dangers despite their multicolored beauty.
First and foremost, we should look at candle safety in general. Never leave a candle burning unattended. There are safety feature for some devotional candles, such as glass casings, however these can crack and still result in spills of wax or dangerous fires. Putting candles in buckets of sand or in bowls of water is a good precaution, even if one is monitoring the candle. There are some floating candles that go on the surface of large water basins that can be very safe. One should always consider the aspect of fire safety. Leaving an unattended candle can be very dangerous. Despite precautions one should also consider pets and children when lighting candles. This may mean that basic precautions are not enough. Take this into consideration. Consider the unexpected.
Candlewax, whether it be in carpeting or in candleholders, presents a problem for cleaning. First and foremost, if candlewax is on a candleholder or other implement, boiling water will quickly and easily re-melt the wax and provide for easy cleaning. However one must be careful not to be scalded and should wear gloves, if at all possible. Boiling water is not always necessary, but, high temperatures are important for helping with candle wax. Many implements, ranging from glass to metal, are easily cleaned. Candlewax in carpeting presents more of a problem however the boiling water method and soaking up the wax can still be used, although one might have to resort to cutting carpeting out.
Good luck and have fun with candles and fire, but safely.