When I was a teen, I liked buying incense from the alternative/hippie stores downtown. I burned it in my room, with the windows closed, and never gave a thought to what I was inhaling or what it might be doing to my lungs.
As a middle-aged person, I've given up on incense, but I have many, many scented candles. Some of these have a story: they were gifts, or were acquired on a trip or other memorable occasion.
Most are without provenance: I have utterly no recollection of how or when they were acquired. I suspect many households have this problem with coffee mugs. I seem to attract candles.
In late 2024, I got COVID, for the first (and so far only) time. It was pretty bad. It took me many, many months to feel better, and around 9 months for my lungs to feel normal again. During that time, I was hypersensitive to anything in the air. Humidity, the slightest chill, and especially smoke. There were no candles lit during this time. If the air quality was anything worse than "good", I was inside. It was a real bummer, but it woke me up to the fact that lighting fires (even small ones, like candles) inside my house might not be the best idea.
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Earlier this year I was at a music program put on by our local high school. The program included a silent auction. You know the deal: families or companies donate items or services, and attendees can walk around and place bids. Proceeds benefit the school.
My winning bid netted me something that I didn't know existed prior to that evening: a candle warmer lamp. It's basically just a downward facing heat lamp with a small tray for setting a candle on. You turn on the heat lamp, and the candle slowly melts. Nicer ones have adjustable heat settings and a timer for auto-shutoff. All of the scented candle goodness, none of the smoke.
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