Expired Products: What You Need to Know

12. Candles

Duration: 6–12 months
Cost on average: $5–$40*
Everybody has a preferred aroma for candles. You'll probably burn through the wax on your beloved candle completely before it goes bad. Generally speaking, a really fragrant candle lasts between six months and a year. The components that go into making a candle can have a significant impact on its lifespan.

Candles copyright Shutterstock/New Africa
There's also the unlit candle rule of thumb to keep in mind. It is advisable to light your candle within a year or sixteen months of its purchase. A candle has "gone bad" if its color has faded, its texture has changed, or its smell is weak or strange.

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DriftParagon I test, tinker, learn—and publish the distilled version so you don’t have to.

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