I am done with B&BW candles!!

If you don't mind shopping at Walmart, they have a nice line of inexpensive candles by Better Homes and Garden that have decent throw and burn nicely provided you let them burn all the way across on the first lighting.

They also have a house brand called Mainstays that has good throw.

You can also try melting tarts or using a candle warmer so there is no flame. I have given up on most candles for the time being and using reed diffusers. I found that no matter how cleanly a candle seemed to burn, it sooted up my house.

I didn't notice it until I moved a piece of wall art and saw the outline in my paint!

I stopped going to BB&W a while back when I noticed a heavy chemical smell in almost everything in the store. I'm still tempted at the holidays to go in to browse, but the blast of fumes in the store is overwhelming!

I agree with all that Witchy Woman said...and the Walmart Better homes and garden candles are nice as well as the melting tarts. B&BW candles give me a huge headache!

How are the newer Yankee candles that are in a straight cylinder (like B&BW) instead of the classic jar?

I used to love the Yankee scents, but gave up on them when they did a number on my walls and ceiling...so sooty. I switched to BBW candles and only buy them when they're on sale. The lower levels of my home are somewhat of an open concept so I get a good scent throw throughout. The only thing that bugs me is that sometimes I get a candle with bum wicks or something and the thing gives out with still half of the wax left. The few times that's happened, though, BBW stood behind them and gave me replacements. I'm still finishing up my fall scents this week, but Christmas and winter scents are ready and waiting.

They changed the brand of candles some years ago at B&BW. From the scents to the cheap ugly labels, these are not good candles anymore. I stopped buying them when they changed brands. They are certainly no comparison to the old ones.

I like my BBW "Fresh Balsam" candles but most other scents are just too strong and overpowering.

When I went online to order Fresh Balsam it was available under three different labels, but with the same description. Strange.

On 12/2/2014 BaileyandBella said:

I knew they changed about a year or two ago, but I thought they would be somewhat OK. I have one called Holiday that I bought last year but just used once when I bought it.

I burned it today......no scent at all, except a chemical smell.....UGH. My teenage son walked in from school and said ewww, what is that smell.

Sigh....maybe I will try Yankee again. I hate their jar candles though, they "tunnel" instead of burning down evenly.

I have found that if I put the jar within another holder it keeps it warm all around the jar and burns evenly. I always get a full wax pool this way. I also use an illumalid on it. I used to put the foil all around the jar to keep it warm but certainly didn't like the look.

I have been using Goose Creek candles a lot lately and there are 2 wicks in the jar and will get to a full wax pool sooner. They also have great sales of half off very often.

I also can't burn BBW candles any longer because of the chemical smell.