Indoor Air Quality: Candles and Your Health

So I know this is going to be, um, unpopular with a lot of you out there, but let's talk about candles and your indoor air quality and what you need to know. Of course, a lot of folks have candles. Candles are very popular, they smell good, they're efficient at achieving the smells you want or getting rid of the ones you don't want. The problem with candles is that today's homes— let's back up a little bit— today's homes are, are built tighter than they ever have. So the indoor air quality is critical because you have a tight-sealed home, energy-efficient home, which is good. At the same time, it doesn't allow the home to breathe. There is no fresh air coming into the home. We spend 90% of our time indoors, so the indoor air quality is critical to our health as well as, you know, our kids and our family. And we're collectively spending 90% of our time indoors, whether it be at home, at work, in the office, wherever it is. 90% of our time is there. And according to the EPA, indoor air is 2 to 5 times worse than outside air. 2 to 5 times worse than outside air. So So we're spending 10% of our time outside, 90% of our time inside. So indoor air quality becomes a challenge, becomes forefront. What are, what are we breathing? What are we doing every day, uh, to either make it worse or make it better? Candles are one of those things that can make it worse. Because first of all, if you're not using a natural candle, like a, um, like a natural wax, uh, like, like from bees or, um, something like that, you're using probably a synthetic material, uh, something like made with formaldehyde or benzene, uh, something that can cause the health problem, and you're burning that in your home or at your work or at your space, VOCs are being released— volatile organic compounds. Now, again, years ago, VOCs were not really worried about because homes were not built for energy efficiency. They were built to breathe. Um, if you've ever been to some of those older, older homes, um, you can even, you know, when it's a breeze outside, you even have a breeze in the house. Now we've tightened that up, gotten more energy efficient, which is good, but a lot of homes don't have fresh air coming in, don't have an energy recovery ventilator. Which is what is called ERV, coming into the home to bring in fresh air. So all these VOCs, volatile organic compounds, get trapped in the home and they have nowhere to go. Things like from paint, from carpet, from even this desk made of, you know, compressed wood and glues and all this stuff becomes a challenge and becomes off-gas. So now with candles You're actually lighting it on fire. It's actually burning in your house, uh, so it's emitting the VOCs that's making the candles— making it smell good. Uh, the good, good news is making it smell good in there. The bad news is, what are you breathing? We're not sure, uh, but it could lead to a respiratory problem. It could lead to illnesses, health problems, nausea. All this can happen because candles and fragrances made of synthetic material can cause long-term health issues. So when you get away from a natural wax and go through— go to a synthetic wax, which are, you know, some of these plugins and, and candles are made of you have to be careful. Um, that can cause health challenges. Um, so you're getting back to lighting it on fire. So when the candle was burning, when the candle was burning in your house, there's a flame. So anytime you have an open flame, you have what can cause soot. Um, went to a house one time and installed the system, and the lady was getting, um, was your old black stuff coming out of her vents. And, uh, went to home and checked it out, and she has a electric heat pump. She has no gas whatsoever, so nothing that we installed has an open flame or has a flame to it., because it has all street electricity. Well, you look around the house and there's quite a few candles, and she likes candles, she likes to burn candles, you know. And the challenge is all that soot is producing is now coming to the system and out the duct. It's more black pieces of kind of a waxy black material is coming from the candles, it's coming from the soot, it's coming from the open flames of the candles because it's burning. That soot again has to go somewhere. Um, those volatile organic compounds, uh, the fragrance, all that has to go somewhere. You have to breathe that into your lungs and it's affecting or could affect your health and could bring a challenge. So what's the solution? Well, there are several ways you can reduce the risk associated with burning candles indoors. First and foremost, first, opt for a natural candle. If you want to burn a candle, burn naturally. Candles made of Beeswax is a natural wax made from bee secretions and is less likely to emit harmful fumes than anything else. Additionally, unscented candles over those fake fragrances, um, since, you know, the— since the synthetic fragrances like You know, the, the smells of the candles, they have been linked to health challenges, asthma attacks, allergies. It's best, it's best to avoid them altogether. But only burn candles in well-ventilated areas. This will help disperse any fumes that may be released during combustion. Again, we have a flame something is burning, you have to have an act of combustion. A byproduct is fumes, soot from that open flame. So again, if you want— if you need to burn candles, make sure there's a well-ventilated space where that harmful soot, uh, combustion can, can be dissipated, can go away. Um, you know, candles are a great way to, to kind of add a warmth and, and a pleasant smell, but it's also important to remember that they can affect your indoor air quality if not used correctly. So, um, again, natural candles. If you need candles, a natural beeswax candle is good. But even then, make sure it's in a well-ventilated area because it's off-gassing. It's off-gassing. If it's got a scent, um, it's got fumes. They're not natural. It's off-gassing. So it may smell good, but it's not, not good for your health. So Candles, I know a lot of folks like them, and hey, I get it, I understand that. But, and it's one of those do it at your own risk, right? I mean, if you're obsessed with candles, you're obsessed. But it's not good for your health, it's not good for indoor air quality. Again, we're spending 90% of our time indoors, 90% of our time indoor. So we want it to be the cleanest, healthiest air possible that we can breathe. So the last thing we want to do to affect the health is add to the VOCs already in the house, add to the volatile organic compounds already in the home, coming from paints and, uh, carpets and desks and all this stuff put together, all this stuff is off-gassing. So let's not add to it, uh, with candles. Um, but I would definitely look at a well-ventilated area, or I would even look at something like an ERV, energy recovery ventilator, which brings in outside air. But they, they're made in a format where if the outside air is, is cold or hot, it's going to condition that air before it sends it into the home. So it's going to let the bad air out and bring in some good air and start getting a mix of, uh, and, and creating a healthier environment in the home. So candles, um, it's bad for indoor air, so be careful with the candles you get.