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How to use citronella candles

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are about to light a citronella candle on a garden table or beside an open door, and the risky part is the flame, the hot glass and the smoke, not the scent name on the tin. This is how to use citronella candles without treating a bullet that says “indoors and outdoors” as permission to burn one in a small kitchen. The listings themselves are in the [anti-mosquito candle comparison](/hub/pest-control/anti-mosquito-candle). Peter F., editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk, used London Fire Brigade, Scottish Fire and Rescue, NICE and the amazon.co.uk files, and did not burn these candles in a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are about to light a citronella candle on a garden table or beside an open door, and the risky part is the flame, the hot glass and the smoke, not the scent name on the tin.

Our top picks

Price's Price's citronella tealights, 25 pack

Best overall

Price's Price's citronella tealights, 25 pack
8.6/10about £3.01
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Zuvo Zuvo citronella tea lights, 25 pack

Best value

Zuvo Zuvo citronella tea lights, 25 pack
8.1/10about £4.90
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Price's Price's citronella garden candles, pack of 4

Alternative

Price's Price's citronella garden candles, pack of 4
7.4/10about £11.95
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On this page
  1. 1.Before you light it
  2. 2.On the table
  3. 3.Indoors
  4. 4.Putting it out

Before you light it

Check the container before you look for a lighter. On Price’s four-jar pack, smashed glass on arrival is a repeated complaint, including cuts. A cracked jar is not a candle you just try. Tea lights need a proper holder. London Fire Brigade warns that tea lights can melt plastic, including a television or the edge of a bath. A heat-resistant plate or a metal cup is the surface. A plastic tray is not. Trim the wick to about 6 mm, the quarter-inch length Scottish Fire and Rescue gives, and clear debris out of the wax pool. Pest strike’s listing already says to trim the wick and not to leave the candle lit. That is ordinary candle care, not evidence of a repellent effect. Do not light a candle if you are sleepy or have been drinking.

On the table

Put the candle where a sleeve, a paper napkin or a parasol cannot lean into it. Stay with the flame, keep it away from children, pets and anything that burns, and use a holder that can take the heat. A Tower Hamlets Trading Standards note puts neighbouring candles about 8 to 10 cm apart and prefers a snuffer to a blast of air that throws wax. That spacing is a fire gap, not a map of how far a scent travels. One tea light in the middle of a long table is the usual disappointment. Zuvo’s own text says to cluster the cups, and reviews of several together have still reported bites and no smell. Glass and metal tins shield the wick better than an open tea light. They do not hold the vapour once a breeze crosses the patio.
Price's Price's citronella tealights, 25 pack

Testsieger

Price's Price's citronella tealights, 25 pack
8.6/10about £3.01
View offer

Indoors

Do not move the patio job into the kitchen because a bullet says the candle is for indoors and outdoors. Fit for Travel says repellent candles should not be used indoors. NICE guidance on indoor air (NG149) treats candle smoke as something that can worsen the air you breathe: ventilate, and cut candle use if you are pregnant or looking after a baby under 12 months. An open door does not make a small room into a patio. Zuvo’s bullets say both, and the specification says outdoor. TTRWIN’s specification says outdoor, and the bullets talk about indoor aroma. Price’s tea lights and jars are outdoor on the file. Follow the stricter line. Pet safety and baby safety are not answered on these pages. Do not invent a yes from a picture of a garden table.

Putting it out

Snuff the flame. Do not tip water into hot wax or onto hot glass. Water in a hot jar can crack it, and it spatters wax. Let the container cool before you pick it up or put a lid on a tin that is still hot. TTRWIN’s lids are useful once the metal has cooled. Scottish Fire and Rescue also says not to burn the candle down into the base of the container. Stop while there is still a shallow pool. A candle that is still lit when you go inside is a candle you have left. The skin-repellent choice sits on citronella candle or insect repellent.

Common questions

Can I burn one in the kitchen with the door open?
No. Fit for Travel says not to use repellent candles indoors, and NICE treats candle smoke as an indoor-air problem, with extra caution in pregnancy and around babies under 12 months. An open door does not cancel that. Use the candle outside, or do not use it.
How do I put it out?
Use a snuffer or another cover that starves the flame, then leave the glass or tin to cool. Do not use water. Do not carry it while the wax is liquid. A lidded tin can be closed after the metal is cool enough to touch, not while the rim is still hot.
What if the glass arrived cracked?
Do not light it. Price’s jar reviews include smashed glass and cuts, so this is a known failure, not bad luck you should work around. Set the broken jar aside for a return, and use an intact spare or skip the candle that night.
How many candles for a medium table?
More than one tea light if the table seats several people, clustered rather than a single cup in the centre. There is no UK standard that turns two candles into a six-foot zone. If the evening is windy, extra cups do not fix the plume. They only give you more flames to watch.
What if clothing catches fire?
Stop, drop and roll, then cool the burn. Do not go looking for the candle while fabric is alight. Afterwards, treat it as a fire incident. An unattended candle is the failure London Fire Brigade tells you to avoid in the first place, including the “I only went inside for a minute” version.

Related pages

Citronella candle buying guide

Citronella candles for the patio

Anti-mosquito candle

Best citronella candles UK: spare pack, tin or jar

Citronella candle or insect repellent for UK bites

Sources

Public UK and study sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured for these eight listings. Last checked 22 October 2026.

  1. Lindsay and others, 1996, citronella candles (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Müller and others, 2008, indoor citronella candle (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK bite prevention for travellers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Fit for Travel mosquito bite avoidance (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. NHS malaria (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK native mosquitoes (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. HSE regulated biocides (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. London Fire Brigade candle safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)