Whether you light with olive oil or candles, you can avoid the soot buildup with these two tips.
One of the most common questions we get in our inboxes is whether we have a solution to the black marks people see on the wall or ceiling where they light their Shabbos candles. And at Chanukah time, there are at least double the amount of messages.
We discussed it amongst ourselves and didn’t have a definite solution so we turned it over to our readers.
The two tips that were most consistent are simplest:
- Use high quality olive oil that you would use to cook with. Some companies market olive oil composites as “candlelighting oil” also labeled “pomace” olive oil but they’re inferior and will cause excess smoke and leave marks.
- Trim your wicks. Extra long wicks will also cause too much smoke. Trim them to be ¼” long before each time you light and you should have minimal smoke. You can use regular scissors, but make sure to keep the trimmed piece from falling into the oil. Wick trimmers will hold onto that piece for you and make it easier to dispose of.
Oh, and if you do already have soot marks on your wall, try this soot sponge.
Need some other Chanukah cleaning tips? We have tips for cleaning the menorah glasses, cleaning wax off the menorah or the tablecloth, or even avoiding the drippy wax on the kids’ menorahs.
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