If you buy scented candles to enhance your home, you may as well spend a little bit of extra money to buy quality, richly scented candles. The price difference is not always huge, but buying quality candles gives you much nicer scents and much longer-lasting scents. If you have treated yourself and bought the best, though, make sure that you follow these tips for making the most of every bit of candle fragrance:

*Go ahead and use them. Some people save their luxurious scented candles for a “special occasion.” Too often, they tuck the candle away and forget about it while the fragrance evaporates. This is just silly. Candles are truly one of life’s most affordable indulgences, so go ahead and make every day a special day. Use your scented candles within a few weeks of purchase so that their fragrance is still strong.

*Make sure that scents in a room are not competing. Without realizing it, we sometimes scent our homes with many products. Some of these scents can drown out the fragrance of a candle. If you use a lot of scented cleaning products, room sprays, potpourri, satchels, and other home fragrances, remove most of the fragrances and air the room out before lighting your candles. You will be able to enjoy their true fragrance. Another alternative is to make sure that the scents in a room complement your candle scent. If all your room fragrances are the same note (for example, rose) then the candle will simple add a layer of scent. Keep in mind, too, that if you have smoke or pet odors in a room, you will want to get rid of these before lighting your scented candle if you wish to enjoy the candle’s true scent.

*Buy the best quality scented candles you can. In many cases, very high quality candles cost less than a book but can provide warmth and beauty for about as long as it would take you to read a novel. The higher the quality you buy, the more pleasant and lasting the fragrance will generally be. Don’t scrimp by buying lots of inexpensive candles that give off sickly, weak scents. Instead, buy fewer good-quality candles that bring you true sensual pleasure.

*Consider soy candles, which give off a purer scent. All natural soy wax candles don’t affect the perfume of a candle, so you get a truer scent. Many of these candles also produce less soot, which can create a subtle burning undertone of scent.

*Burn them for a while, rather than lighting and extinguishing them. When candles have some time to burn, they heat up correctly, allowing their true fragrance to emerge and waft into every corner of the room.

*Position them correctly. Have candles close by and on level with your nose or slightly below it so that the scent can rise to you. If you can’t smell your candle, try moving it to a better spot to experience its scent.

Article source: http://richlyscentedcandles.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/richly-scented-candles-%e2%80%93-make-the-most-of-them/