Leave No Trace

A couple of nights ago, I decided to burn one of the Warm Vanilla Crème tea light candles by Better Homes and Gardens in my UCO Mini Candle Lantern that I bought for travel preparedness.

Surprisingly, maybe because I don't usually burn tea light candles and this was the first one I've burned in what appears to be a plastic cup, the others being in aluminum cups, one side of the cup disappeared. I had set the lantern on top of the TV set and could see the flame from where I sat working, but couldn't see the candle itself until I went over to check on it a few hours after I lit it.

The flame was very low. All the wax was liquid and very low as well. Concerned that the liquefied wax had drained out the open side of the cup and had pooled below the holder, or worse, had leaked onto the TV, I blew out the flame.

After letting it cool, I examined it only to find... nothing! The remaining portion of the cup was still there along with the resolidified wax, of course. Other than that, there was no trace of what happened to the missing part of the cup or candle wax anywhere. It's as though however a dripless candle can burn and leave no trace was how the cup was made, too.

It elevates "Leave No Trace" to a whole new level.