BurtsBees Candles?

[Boyd75]

BUrts Bees makes "natural" candles. Does anyone know how natural, or safe they may be for birds?
I Use Doterra Essential oils In a diffuser, I'm just not sure about the candles.

 

[weco]

Do their candles work by burning a wick? Do burning wicks emit soot that can be inhaled & coat air sacs & lungs?

Just wondering ! ! !

 

[Boyd75]

Im not really sure what wicks they used i saw them in walmart but couldnt find any information on them and bird safety online.

 

[weco]

Im not really sure what wicks they used i saw them in walmart but couldnt find any information on them and bird safety online.

Boyd, I was being facetious in my first post, the wicks are probably cotton, but the problem is that any burning wick is going to give off an amount of soot, that you really don't want burning around your birds.....like many things relevant to living with companion birds, candle lovers often find excuses to use this brand or that brand, but the fact remains that if it has a burning wick, it generates soot which can coat a bird's air sacs & lungs...then there's the burning bee's wax and the scents used.....you'll find "all natural" or "organic" used, but will the manufacturer certify (in writing) that their product is safe for use around caged/companion birds.....?

When it comes to scents, you'll hear this essential oil or that essential oil is safe, but here again, you need to get that in writing, that their product is safe for use around caged/companion birds.....you want to get all these documents from the manufacturer, not a vendor.....often you will be referred to one of their sales brochures that claims their products have been tested...tested by whom and what are the credentials of this laboratory and can you get a copy of their test & test procedures.....when they claim their product is pure to what standard?

We are a society of advertising junkies and believe too much of the sales spin ad writers write.....the few times a year (very few) I think the house needs to smell better is usually to coincide with some occasion or holiday and I usually bring in pine, fir or other fresh evergreen boughs inside or take an old quart or larger pan and simmer some citrus rinds, cloves or even flowers in water on low for several hours

 

[Dinosrawr]

As a general rule, I'd stay away from burning candles near birds. I've seen the candles you're talking about (BB's is a favourite of mine), and while they are natural and I'd say safe scent wise while non-burning, the combustion of most things is just generally bad news for our feathered friends when they're close by.

I think the best way to freshen a house up is like Weco suggested - bringing in natural, fresh greens or simmering citrus fruit or herbs on the stove. I know I've certainly developed a sensitivity to strong chemical smells from air fresheners and cleaners after owning birds for a couple of years. And I used to wear perfume, burn candles, and use air fresheners every day, too!

 

[Scott]

A realtor once taught me the joys of boiling water mixed with vanilla extract. Nice household aroma; just be sure to follow protocols of non-Teflon coated pots!

 

[Boyd75]

If cooking the citrus and flowers for aroma is considered safe. Then 100% organic essential oils shouldnt be an issue in a diffuser, correct? Unless itd be a plant known to be toxic to birds.

 

[weco]

If cooking the citrus and flowers for aroma is considered safe. Then 100% organic essential oils shouldnt be an issue in a diffuser, correct? Unless itd be a plant known to be toxic to birds.

The concern with "essential oils" is the purity of these oils because the term "organic" can mean virtually anything, depending on who is using the term and in what context.....if you think it equates to "safe", sorry, but it does not, it's general definition is " relating to, or derived from living matter."

Here's the FDA definition: Does FDA have a definition for the term "organic" on food labels?

And from the medical community, a more complete answer: Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious? - Mayo Clinic

For quality & safety of essential oils, you have to go elsewhere & do further research, but, although there is no real truth in advertising in the U.S., advertising claims are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission.....

Now, if you are in Europe, there has, in the past few years, been a tightening of the laws about what lies companies and advertising agencies can and cannot tell to get you to buy a manufacturer's products, but in the U.S. we consumers are left to believe what we want to and diffusing essential oils of proprietary formulas is like playing Russian Roulette...the luck of the spin ! ! !

We weren't suggesting cooking citrus rinds and flowers, we were talking about boiling/simmering them in a pan/pot of water, which is a way of diffusing the various oils/scents, but not the same as using a hot plate diffuser, which can cause burning/scorching.....

If an “essential oil” or other fragrance is “natural” or “organic,” doesn’t that mean it’s safe?

Sometimes people think that if an “essential oil” or other ingredient comes from a plant, it must be safe. But many plants contain materials that are toxic, irritating, or likely to cause allergic reactions when applied to the skin.

For example, cumin oil is safe in food, but can cause the skin to blister. Certain citrus oils used safely in food can also be harmful in cosmetics, particularly when applied to skin exposed to the sun.

FDA doesn't have regulations defining “natural” or “organic” for cosmetics. All cosmetic products and ingredients must meet the same safety requirement, regardless of their source. To learn more, see “’Organic’ Cosmetics” and “FDA’s Poisonous Plant Database.” The problem is that "essential oils" are not cosmetics, and if you read all of the advertising propaganda on these types of products, you will find, somewhere in the manufacturer's literature, disclaimers, that the various ingredients and/or products have not been approved by or even tested by any government agency.....

Unless there is something specific that can be attacked in a product, there is often little that can be done to get garbage off the market, simply because it is not marketed as something that falls under the purview of a regulatory agency and we "believers" are left to waste our $$$.....

Back around the turn of the century, (always wanted to use that saying) I was involved with helping shut down a junk supplement peddler.....some of you older parronts and/or other specie lovers, may remember "Avian Medicine Chest," a company with a mailbox in the little town of Logan, Iowa, but were really based in Hong Kong.....

Because federal authorities were not really interested, actually they could not be enticed, but the Iowa Attorney General was convinced to investigate this outfit's claims, the company was finally forced to close shop in the U.S.

Here's a couple of links that show how naive many of us are:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.pets.birds/AXnuXdC_ytM

https://mysmelly.com/Archive/AvianMedicineChestMedicine-Chest/cdvpc/post.htm

Important information about a online store!! | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

Avian Medicine Chest

The thread in the above forum mentioned an owner's death and closure of the business for reorganization.....not so, the U.S. contact for the HongKong owners was an Iowa resident who ended up taking the fall for the whole thing...to the extent they were able to sue her. I had a had copy of the trial proceedings, but it must have gone the way my house went when Mother Nature huffed, puffed & blew it away with one of her tornadoes back in 2011, as I can't seem to find it, but if anyone is interested in reading it, I'm pretty sure it could be found in the Iowa Supreme Court's case archives.....