A student has revealed how she woke up to find her bedroom - and her nose - covered with a thick black smoke after falling asleep next to a scented candle.
Ashleigh Ann, from Edinburgh, warned others to 'please be careful' while burning wooden wick candles, after she and her boyfriend woke up 'coughing like hell' to find their bedroom was full of 'black soot'.
Sharing a picture of a burnt candle in a glass jar from B&M to a Facebook cleaning group, Hinch Army Cleaning Tips, and revealing it had set off her fire alarm, she was quickly advised by users to ditch paraffin candles.
The nursing student received a rush of comments advising her against any 'cheap' candle containing paraffin, and urged her to switch to soy or beeswax candles, which they said are better for your health.
B&M declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.
Ashleigh Ann, from Edinburgh, warned others to 'please be careful' while burning cheap scented candles, after she and her boyfriend woke up 'coughing like hell' to find their bedroom was full of 'black soot'
The student was urged to ditch 'toxic' paraffin candles after waking up to find her home plagued with a thick black smoke - caused by a wooden wick candle from B&M
Alongside the picture, Ashleigh penned: 'Please be careful with these candles.
'Last night, myself and my boyfriend were sitting watching TV in our living room with the lights off and this candle burning.
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Share 116 shares'Our smoke alarm went off but there was no fire in the house. We turned the living room light on to see that the room was filled with smoke.
'This morning we’ve both woken up with black soot in our noses and coughing like hell! Please be careful when burning these wood wicked candles!'.
The nursing student received a rush of comments advising her against any 'cheap' candle containing paraffin
Group members quickly started commenting, with one insisting: 'Wax candles will get black soot and smoke! To stop it being so bad you have to cut the wick really short. Soy or beeswax candles don’t do this.'
'Soy candles are safer and better for you.. candles made from paraffin wax leave a black residue, and smoke a lot', said another.
'I had one of these a few weeks ago and the glass exploded on me. Didn't even have it that long either', fumed another user.
Ashleigh and her boyfriend woke up to find her bedroom - and her nose - covered with a thick black smoke after falling asleep next to a scented candle
'I stopped burning candles like this years ago. I only homemade soy candle wax melts now,' a third said.
Candles have traditionally been made from paraffin wax, derived from petroleum, but a number of brands have now started using what they refer to as ‘natural’ alternatives — such as beeswax or soy wax — which the manufacturers say result in a cleaner burn.
In recent years it has been reported that paraffin candles have been shown to release an alarming range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), substances that can be problematic to health.
One concerned group member said: 'Paraffin candles are so bad! The wax is derived from gasoline, hence the soot. Soy candles are so popular now, very easy to find!'.
Another wrote: 'All cheap candles do this! Some even explode, best candles around are party light as they don't go black and don't have all those horrible toxins in them.'
A third added: 'See so many posts about cleaning the black soot off window frames etc from candles burning - they are so bad for you, imagine what you inhaling.'
Group members quickly started commenting sharing their similar experiences with cheap candles
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