Trader Joe’s recently issued a recall for their Mango Tangerine scented candles due to “an unexpected burn pattern”. I buy this candle every summer so I was definitely paying attention when I saw the notice posted at my local TJ’s. Here’s why this happened and what to do with the candle if you bought one:
What is wrong with the Trader Joe’s recalled Mango Tangerine candles?
This can happen to candles that are made with too much fragrance oil. The fragrance oil doesn’t fully combine with the wax so it sits on the top of the candle and makes the surface flammable. As stated in the recall notice – “The candle flame can spread from the wick to the wax, causing a larger than expected flame, posing a safety risk”.
Apparently, this batch of candles caused ‘three reports of minor property damage and two reports of minor burns‘. It is very fortunate that the property damage and the burns were only minor and that there were only a few incidents considering how many thousands of candles were probably sold.
Any candle can be a fire hazard. Poorly made candles are even more risky. This kind of thing can easily happen to a batch of candles and the important thing is that a recall notice was issued to avoid any further harm.
What should you do if you bought a recalled Trader Joe’s Mango Tangerine candle?
The best thing to do is to return the candle to Trader Joe’s. They have a great return policy. If you don’t feel like doing this, just throw the candle away. These candles are only $3.99 so this is not a huge loss.
If for some reason you do not want to do this, I would either recommend using this candle under a candle warmer or scooping out the wax and popping it in a wax warmer. Since the issue is caused by the flame moving from the wick to the wax, the only way that I would use it is with a flame-free method like a candle warmer or wax warmer.
Should I avoid buying Trader Joe’s candles in the future?
This recall is not going to stop me from buying Trader Joe’s candles in the future and I don’t think you should avoid them either. I love their candle line and I stock up on Mango Tangerine every summer because it smells like the budget version of the Capri Blue Volcano candle to me.
This is a good reminder to be careful whenever you burn candles. Trim your wick, never leave a candle unattended, and don’t burn small candles like this for longer than 2 hours (or larger candles for longer than 4 hours max).
