We asked our Keapers how they use the little preview tealight that comes with their subscriber shipment. The responses were at once interesting, surprising, and uplifting!
Each month, our candle subscribers receive a preview tealight of next month’s seasonal scent with their delivery. Prompted by a conversation with long-time subscriber Jeff in New York, we wanted to learn more about how our community actually uses that tealight.
We received 83 responses to the short survey, which brought up so many interesting questions and ideas. Here is the upshot from the responses. If you want to put a smile on your face, be sure to read all the way to the end!
What do subscribers do with their preview tealight?
Here, we allowed respondents to pick multiple responses from a list of options, as well as write in their own answers.
Since our primary goal was always to give you a taste of what was coming next, it was a bit of a relief to see that using the tealight as a preview was the most cited use. Still, the fact that this number was only 50% did make us pause. However, some of the write-in comments highlighted the fact that many longtime subscribers are now familiar enough with our scents that they no longer need that sneak-peek.
After that, what kind of life can a Keap tealight expect in 2023?
The three most cited uses, in order, were:
- Burning in the bathroom (both to enhance bath time and to cover unpleasant odors)
- Gifting to a friend (thanks for helping spread the word!)
- Using as a travel candle
These responses didn’t come as much of a surprise (in fact, they align well with my own usage!). Perhaps more surprising was just how many of us have a growing stash of candles tucked away in our closets. I definitely fit this profile too, though it may be an inevitable consequence of working for a candle company!
As is often the case, the write-in comments are full of interesting gems and creative ideas, including:
- Using the tealight in the kitchen
- Using it at a home office desk to provide a jolt of brightness during the workday
- Sticking the tealights in linen cupboards, a bit like a lavender sachet. Brilliant!
- When a Keap candle is needed but there’s not enough time to do a full burn on a regular size candle
- This delightful comment: “I have one tealight "lamp" on my nightstand that has star cutouts for the light to shine through; when my partner is out for a late evening, I light it and spend a little more time reading in bed before sleep. I guess it's just my solo candle time.”
Note: respondents could choose multiple answers; six other answers not shown, all below 5%.
9 respondents (7%) included an ‘Other’ response.
“I have one tealight "lamp" on my nightstand that has star cutouts for the light to shine through; when my partner is out for a late evening, I light it and spend a little more time reading in bed before sleep. I guess it's just my solo candle time.”
What do people do with the finished tealight?
Since we left this question open-ended, I don’t have a quantitative chart to share with you. The answers were varied, with many folks recycling the tins, others holding onto them until inspiration (or this blog post!) strikes, some throwing them away. And many of you offered up with ingenious ways to re-use them.
During the survey, many questions came up— here are some answers :)
Are the tins recyclable?
Yes!
Tin is, like many metals, infinitely recyclable. However, It is highly recommended to clean out the tin before recycling.
In places with cutting-edge recycling centers, like New York City, a tin with residue will likely still get recycled, but will create more work for the recycling station. But many places in the U.S. don’t have the ability to recycle soiled containers of any kind.
Click here for a full mapping of our packaging lifecycle (recyclable, compostable, reusable, etc.)
How do I clean the remaining candle residue?
The simplest method is to scratch out what’s left with a spoon, butter knife or other dull implement. If you’re finding it a struggle, follow the freezer technique used for full-size candles.
What can I re-use the tin for?
We received so many interesting responses in the survey that I will just let the community speak for itself!
Here were the most common re-uses:
-
Travel container
- For pills: some folks mentioned it was handy to keep in a purse, others mentioned how handy it was to keep 2 Tylenol in it in the car!
- For favorite lotion/body butter to keep in a purse
- For travel lip balm, or other lip products
- As a vitamin box
- Or a Jewelry case!
- Seed Saving
- Storing saffron threads or small amounts of spices
- One more really creative use is mentioned at the bottom of this post!
“I love these for a quick scent in the bathroom without worrying to blow it out. Sometimes I just smell them to get a great hit of scent when I need a lift. I also like to gift them to let others know about Keap candles.”
Miscellaneous and interesting other comments
There was a loud chorus of voices expressing love for the tealights. Here just one example of many:
“I love these for a quick scent in the bathroom without worrying to blow it out. Sometimes I just smell them to get a great hit of scent when I need a lift. I also like to gift them to let others know about Keap candles.”
Conversely, a handful of folks saw some appeal in the tealights but also felt they could do without them—primarily because of waste concerns.
“Although it's a nice travel candle and a little extra perk for subscribers, I do feel like it's a little wasteful.”
(We hear those concerns and are working on ways to continue to improve our footprint here.)
Several respondents brought up new product ideas including a travel size candle, a larger matchbox, and a return of the zine (!). We’ll be doing a larger Keaper survey this summer in order to provide more opportunities for this kind of feedback and then share more details on our product plans for the upcoming year.
One Keaper commented: “I desperately wish these were available to purchase in bulk! I have a lot of tea light holders in my home and would love to replace my current tea lights with yours.”
While we don’t sell tea lights in bulk on our website, we can offer over email to those interested! Send us a note at thelab@keapbk.com for more details.
“One time my fiance and I made a DIY chess set out of coins, cardboard, etc. For our kings, we each used a tealight--black sticker up for Black, white sticker up for White. If you're wondering, I won the match.”
Lovely Keapers
Finally, I have to include these responses that made me smile!
“Perfect size for keeping next to chopped onions to prevent tears.”
“One time my fiance and I made a DIY chess set out of coins, cardboard, etc. For our kings, we each used a tealight--black sticker up for Black, white sticker up for White. If you're wondering, I won the match.”
Thank you to everyone for taking the time and providing such thoughtful answers! If you have any follow-up questions or other comments you would like to share, please shoot us a note at thelab@keapbk.com.
Until next time,
– Harry from Keap, Steward-Owner
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