Operating a Candle Warmer with Liquid Potpourri

Tea light is used in some candle warmers to heat the aromatic oil or wax.

Candle warmers are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, allowing you to match your aromatherapy device with your home's decor. Typically, a candle warmer is built as a bowl positioned above either an electrical heating element or a small tea light candle. This heat source warms whichever option you choose—wax tarts, aromatic oils, or other liquid potpourri—so that your preferred fragrances spread through the room.

Step 1

Choose candle wax tarts, aromatic oil, or liquid potpourri to use in your candle warmer. Tarts are scented candles made without a wick. When melted over low heat, they last for many additional hours. On average, a wax tart provides between 10 and 12 hours of use. Because tarts solidify as they cool, they are simpler to work with, making cleanup and switching scents easier. Aromatic oils and liquid potpourri share a similarity: both are liquids that give off scent when heated. Liquid potpourri can be water-based or oil-based, but oil-based products, including aromatic oils, generally last longer, with a typical lifespan of about eight to ten hours. Water-based liquid potpourri typically lasts around four to six hours.

Step 2

Check whether your candle warmer relies on electricity or a tea light to warm the candle wax tart, aromatic oils, or liquid potpourri. If the device has no electrical cord, power button, or battery compartment, then a tea light is needed to warm the candle.

Step 3

Put the aromatic oil, scented wax tart, or other liquid potpourri into the dish or bowl located at the top of the candle warmer.

Step 4

For an electric candle warmer, plug its cord into an electrical outlet and move the switch to the "On" position. If it is not electric, find the opening at the bottom of the candle warmer where the tea light goes. Some warmers include a small door at this spot. Set a tea light in the bottom of the candle warmer and light it.