Fragrance Lamp FAQs

FRAGRANCE LAMPS
REED DIFFUSERS
GENERAL

FRAGRANCE LAMPS

WHAT IS A FRAGRANCE LAMP?

Fragrance lamps (also referred to as effusion lamps), rather than providing a source of light, purify and scent the air by use of a special catalytic stone and wick assembly that burns an alcohol-based fragrance lamp oil (fuel) without a flame. Although this technology has been around for over 100 years and was originally used by hospitals and mortuaries, the more common application today is for home and office use. Fragrance lamps can effectively purify and scent the air of several rooms (depending on lamp size, placement and airflow) within an hour. Our effusion lamps range are 5-1/2" in height and will hold 4-6 ounces of fragrance lamp oil (fuel) that burns at the rate of approximately 1 ounce per hour. Made from clear glass, they are easy to fill and blend with any decor, and may be customized with your choice of engraved design, gold or silver crown, and even free personalization on the back. Our fragrance lamps are economically priced but work as well as styles costing many times more.

HOW DO I USE MY FRAGRANCE LAMP?

Our standard fragrance lamp (effusion lamp) kit includes the following:

• Lamp Bottle
• Tier Fitting
• Decorative Crown (vented cap)
• Snuffer Cap (solid cap)
• Wick Assembly (stone and cotton wick)
• Filling Funnel
• Fragrance Lamp Oil (scented)

Place the entire wick assembly in a small container with an airtight closure. Pour enough Neutral / Wick Cleaner or 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (available at any drugstore) over the assembly to completely cover it, and close the container. Allow the wick assembly to soak in the Neutral / Wick Cleaner for 10 minutes. Use care in filling your fragrance lamp and soaking your wick assembly. Fragrance lamp oil and wick cleaner can remove the finish on some surfaces. This is our recommended procedure and will provide the best results. An alternate method is described below that does not use Wick Cleaner or 91% IPA.

Pour the desired amount of Fragrance Lamp Oil into your lamp using the filling funnel. We recommend that you only fill your lamp with the amount you intend to use for the day, and never more than 2/3 full. Our fragrance lamp oil burns at the rate of approximately one ounce an hour so if you wish to burn your lamp for two hours, pour only two ounces into the lamp. Wipe away any excess spillage if necessary. Place the tier fitting on the neck of the lamp bottle.

Carefully remove the wick assembly from the airtight container and insert the moistened wick assembly into the tier fitting. Again, wipe away any excess spillage if necessary. Alternate Method: Insert the wick assembly into the tier fitting and place the snuffer cap on top of the stone for 20 minutes, allowing the fragrance lamp oil to absorb into the wick and stone. Remove the snuffer cap. If using a Platinum Wick, please follow manufacturer's directions.

Light the stone using a torch-style lighter. Let the flame burn 2-3 minutes and then blow it out. The flame must be blown out before placing the decorative crown on the lamp, over the stone. Your lamp is now dispersing fragrance. While the stone is dispersing, it will reach temperatures between 392-482 degrees Fahrenheit.

Never touch the stone while in use. Stone remains extremely hot even after flame is extinguished. Always keep the protective decorative crown covering the stone while in use. The decorative crown can also be hot to the touch and you should use care when removing it as it may be too hot for your bare hands.

Although your lamp kit includes a snuffer cap that you can use to extinguish the lamp, it will perform best if you allow your lamp to burn out all the fragrance lamp oil each time you use it. The stone will go out once the fragrance lamp oil has been used. When the stone has completely cooled, remove the wick assembly and return it to the airtight container to soak in Neutral / Wick Cleaner until the next time you use your lamp.

WHAT IS NEUTRAL / WICK CLEANER USED FOR?

Neutral/Wick Cleaner is an unscented fragrance lamp oil and, as the name implies, serves two purposes. It can be used to dilute strong fragrances, which will also decrease the occurrence of the white vapor mentioned above. You may add it to your regular scented fragrance lamp oil in whatever ratio suits your own personal taste. This product is also used to cleanse your stone and wick assembly, as described in the Wick Maintenance instructions above.

WHAT KIND OF FRAGRANCE LAMPS IS YOUR FRAGRANCE LAMP OIL COMPATIBLE WITH?

Our Fragrance Lamp Oil is an alcohol-based product and is compatible with any catalytic-type fragrance lamp, including Alexandria, La-Tee-Da, Lampe Avenue, Ne'Qwa, Redolere, and Scentier brands. It is not intended for use in regular oil lamps that operate with a continuous flame. As with all brands of catalytic fragrance lamp oil, some scents occasionally cause a white, barely-visible "vapor" as they burn. It will not harm your lamp and will not discolor your walls or draperies.

HOW CAN I AVOID OVERFILLING MY FRAGRANCE LAMP?

• You will need a glass measuring cup designated specifically for filling your fragrance lamp and some paper towels for spills.
• Fill your lamp with fragrance lamp oil or neutral/wick cleaner until you see that it is almost to the neck of the opening.
• Carefully pour the fragrance lamp oil from the lamp into the glass measuring cup.
• The amount that you should be filling your lamp with is 1/2 to no more than 2/3 the amount in the measuring cup.
• Make note of this amount and simply use the measuring cup to fill your lamp with the correct amount of fragrance lamp oil.
• Wipe the measuring cup dry with a paper towel and store it with your lamp accessories and fragrance lamp oil.

WICK MAINTENANCE

We recommend keeping several spare wicks on hand and using the following process for storage and cleaning. You will need:

A small glass or plastic storage container with an airtight lid. Neutral/Wick Cleaner or 91% isopropyl alcohol (70% won't work), available at the drugstore.

Store your spare wicks in the plastic container with enough Wick Cleaner or alcohol to cover the stones completely. They will be saturated and ready to light the next time you use your lamp.

Use a different wick in your lamp each time you burn it.

Replace the Wick Cleaner as necessary, when it becomes discolored. For stubborn or clogged wicks, allow to soak at least overnight before using.

WHY WON'T MY FRAGRANCE LAMP WICK STAY HOT?

Most problems with fragrance lamp wicks are caused by "overwicking". In other words, the wick absorbs too much lamp oil and when some of the alcohol evaporates from the stone, the remaining scented oil clogs the wick and makes it difficult to keep hot. Fortunately, this situation is simple and inexpensive to remedy.

Follow our recommended Wick Maintenance procedure. Keep a supply of spare wicks handy and store them in an airtight container filled with Neutral/Wick Cleaner or 91% Isopropyl Alcohol. Rotate your wicks, and use a "fresh" one from this container every time you use your lamp. It will be saturated and immediately ready to light without the necessity of letting it soak up fragrance lamp oil for 20 minutes before lighting (this is where most clogging issues start).

We recommend that you burn your lamp completely out each time you use it. If you only want to use it for an hour or two, only fill it with an ounce or two of fragrance lamp oil and let it burn out. When the stone is completely cold, remove it and store it in the airtight container of Wick Cleaner with the rest of your spare wicks.

If you encounter a particularly stubborn wick, try burning some wick cleaner or 91% Isopropyl Alcohol in your lamp just as you would regular lamp fuel. This will help to burn off any additional fragrance oil that may remain in the stone. Additionally, try holding the lighter flame directly on the stone for a minute or two rather than letting it burn on it's own for 2 minutes. Make sure you don't overfill your lamp and hold it in one hand at a very slight angle so that the lighter flame wraps around the stone and helps it to heat quickly and completely. You may need to repeat this process more than once.

Please be patient... these procedures really do work (our customers rave about them) and we rarely run across a wick that won't cooperate, regardless of wick style. Once you become familiar with the process, it's simple and quick to have your lamp burning successfully.

WILL YOUR FRAGRANCE LAMP OIL PURIFY THE AIR?

The air is actually purified by the catalytic process of the lamp, which moves air through the heat chamber of the lamp, eliminating odors and emitting a wonderful fragrance.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STANDARD BLEND AND EXTRA STRONG BLEND FRAGRANCE LAMP OILS?

Standard Blend - Tried and true favorite with our customers. Has a nice strong scent throw without being overwhelming. Extra Strong Blend - A stronger version of the Standard blend for those people who enjoy a very strong scent.

Want to blend your fragrance lamp oil to a strength that is just right for you? Try our Neutral/Wick Cleaner to tone down strong scents.

REED DIFFUSERS

HOW DO I USE MY REED DIFFUSER?

The standard reed diffuser kit includes the following:

• Reed Diffuser Bottle
• Diffuser Reeds
• Reed Diffuser Oil

Carefully pour reed diffuser oil into the reed diffuser bottle until desired level is reached. Fill level is your personal preference. We like to use just a couple ounces at a time so that the bottle can be refreshed with clean oil after it has completely evaporated.

Use care in filling your reed diffuser. Reed Diffuser Oil can remove the finish on some surfaces.

Insert the reeds in the bottle and separate them for an attractive arrangement and better air flow to disperse the fragrance. After one hour, carefully flip the reeds so that their entire length has absorbed oil. Flip the reeds daily, weekly, or as often as needed to refresh the fragrance. Remember that the scent throw for reed diffusers is subtle. If you are scenting a large area, you may need more than one reed diffuser for adequate results.

Reeds should be replaced when changing scents, or when they no longer provide adequate scent throw.

GENERAL

ARE SOME SCENTS STRONGER THAN OTHERS?

Sense of smell varies greatly between individuals. You may be particularly sensitive to certain fragrances and they will seem strong to you, while others do not seem as strong. In addition, when you use a new fragrance it may be very strong to you at first and weaker over time because you've become so accustomed to it (similar to wearing perfume). We carefully blend our fragrance lamp oil to ensure consistency as well as good burning results, and recommend that you sample our fragrance lamp oil in the 4 oz. size to determine which fragrances appeal to you the most before purchasing larger bottles. The 4 oz. size is just right for burning a lampful of fragrance. You may also want to consider changing scents periodically to give your nose a chance to enjoy something new!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FRAGRANCE LAMP OIL AND REED DIFFUSER OIL?

Fragrance Lamp Oil is an alcohol-based product for use only in catalytic fragrance lamps. Reed Diffuser Oil is an oil-based product, for use only in reed diffusers. These two products should only be used in their respective scent applications and are not for use in kerosene oil lamps, potpourri burners, or any other scented application.

HOW DOES THE SCENT THROW COMPARE BETWEEN A FRAGRANCE LAMP AND A REED DIFFUSER?

A regular sized fragrance lamp will easily scent several rooms within a couple hours, depending on air flow. The scent will linger as long as 2-3 days after just one use, although many of our customers enjoy burning their lamps every day. Mini sized fragrance lamps will scent a smaller area, such as one or two rooms. Reed diffusers will subtly scent smaller areas, such as bathrooms or bedrooms. Although the scent is not as strong as with a fragrance lamp, reed diffuser oil lasts for weeks and can be refreshed simply by flipping the reeds periodically.

WHAT'S WITH YOUR FUNKY LOOKING BOTTLES?

We love them... and you will too, when you consider the following:

We purchase them locally, directly from the manufacturer. There are no hidden costs and we pass the savings on to our customers.

We have always maintained focus on our products rather than their packaging. Periodically we've questioned our retail and wholesale customers regarding packaging... would they prefer fancier, more upscale packaging that would include a price increase? The answer was a resounding "No!". It just makes sense (pun intended) to keep our packaging as simple and eco-friendly as possible.