*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/

*Place unlit candles in drawers, dressers, baskets, closets, and linen closets. Good-quality scented candles exude a gentle scent, even unlit. Consider placing a group of scented candles in a pretty basket on top of a table or tuck unlit candles among your clothes or linens. Just remember where your candles are so that you know where to look when you need them!

*Dine by candlelight, especially if you dine in the kitchen. This will help you get rid of some of the food-cooking odors that can accumulate while you prepare your meals. Cinnamon scented candles and citrus scented candles are especially good for dining, because they can actually pique your taste buds.

*Place scented candles in the kitchen, where food odors can linger. While you clean the kitchen or tidy up after a meal, try to light the candles. This will help eliminate odors.

*Coordinate scents in your rooms using candles. If you notice, for example, that you use brightly-scented flowers, citrus potpourri and citrus-scented cleaning products in a specific room, opt for citrusy candles or for candle scents – such as vanilla or earthy scents – that would complement the scent. This would create a lovely layering of scents that can actually last quite a lot longer than just one candle in a room.

*Choose good quality scented candles for your home. They will produce more scent and will last longer than less expensive candles. The better quality scents also often have more noticeable and richer scents than inexpensive candles. Inexpensive scented candles often contain only a layer of scent. Some are just lightly scented from the outside! This means that their fragrance fades fast and that little fragrance is released while the candles burn. Good quality scented candles, on the other hand, use lasting perfumes and are made so that the fragrance is released slowly and for a long time. It truly pays to buy the best.

*Try floating some scented votive or tea light candles in water mixed with a few drops of a scented oil. For example, if you are burning candles with a lavender scent, float them in a bowl filled with water that has been scented with a few drops of lavender essential oil. As the candles burn and gently heat the water, the fragrance of the water will also be released, adding to the scent in a room.

*Place candles at different heights around a room, including floor level (if you don’t have pets and children) and higher levels. This will ensure that the fragrance reaches your nose no matter where in the room you are.

*Don’t be stingy with candles. Candles are quite inexpensive, so don’t just leave them in a drawer for years. Use your scented candles fairly promptly, while their fragrance is at a peak. Also, consider lighting a few candles of the same scent in a room. In a larger room, especially, a few candles will better fragrance the air.

Article source: http://richlyscentedcandles.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/scented-candles/