USING OIL BURNERS SAFELY Oil Burners are a really good way of dispersing various fragrances locally or throughout you home. In aromatherapy applications they can be used to vaporise essential oils or pre-mixed blends (of which there are many and of course you can develop your own).
Anatomy of a burner There are essentially 3 parts to an oil burner (or more correctly - Oil Warmer):
- A supporting structure which is ornate and comes in many different styles to meet every taste See our range so they don't look out of place anywhere (our solid pewter burners are magnificent).
- The burner structure either incorporates a well or bowl which can hold a variety of fragrancing products or oil/water mixes. I've already mentioned oil blends but you can also use simmering granules and fragrance oils.
- Finally, since we need a means of heating the contents of well or bowl, the main structure incorporates a safe area in which to place a T.light (often called a night light). This is a small candle in a small metal container which will burn for about 4 hours and supplies a gentle heat source.
Usage To use an oil burner simply place the material which needs to be warmed in the well/bowl of the burner, insert a T.light in the holder area, light it and let it get on with its work.
SAFETY
- Safety must be a primary consideration when deciding where to place your burner while it is in operation. It goes without saying that you should never leave it anywhere it can be reached by a child.
- It would also be sensible to have a smoke detector (but that is something every home should have anyway and they are so cheap now there is no excuse).
- Never leave a burner unattended when in operation. That's not to say you need to sit and watch till your bored and then extinguish it, but you should NEVER leave your home without first extinguishing it.
- Since there is a naked flame involved you should make sure there is nothing flammable in the vicinity when it is burning. So don't leave paper, fabrics, cotton wool etc. close by. Also be very careful of volatile liquids (perfumes, solvents such as nail polish remover etc. - don't leave these anywhere close.
- Finally - we cannot recommend that you leave oil burners operating while you sleep (nevertheless, we our selves have done for years without a problem - the candle only burns for about 4 hours so by using a deep well oil burner and topping up with water before retiring we can enjoy the restful sleep of Witches Brew and the candle goes out long before the water evaporates - even if it doesn't it usually a messy situation rather than a dangerous one)
By following these simple and sensible precautions, you will stay safe and be able to enjoy what oil burners can do for you.