Let the Tiki Torches Guide light your way

I’m about to reveal a big secret. Hold onto your hat. Tiki torch fuel is extremely flammable. I know. You’re shocked, but it’s true. I’m going to let you in on another secret. Simply pouring your tiki torch oil down the nearest storm drain to dispose of it isn’t healthy for the environment.

Ok, now that we’ve dispensed the world’s most obvious wisdom, let’s get serious. Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) includes many solvents, cleaners and flammables which your city or county doesn’t want seeping into its ground water and doesn’t want to inadvertently ignite as the hot muffler of a bulldozer passes over the ruptured container in which it was stored before being tossed in a heap at the city dump. If it is flammable, corrosive, reactive or toxic and you use it around the home, it probably qualifies as HHW. You might note that the oil from your tiki torches falls into at least one of those categories.

This, of course, begs the question of how to safely dispose of tiki torch oil. Tiki torch oil, often a kerosene based product, is generally accepted at any recycling and disposal center that accepts used motor-oil, kerosene and diesel fuel. Your local landfill likely has such a facility but be sure to check for hours of operation before heading out. Some facilities only accept drop-offs a few times a month. Your county website probably has information relating to safe disposal of HHWs. Look for a page devoted to waste management, disposal or recycling.

Another source may be your local gas station or mechanic. Any place where oil is changed is subject to very strict disposal regulations. It isn’t a given they’ll be willing to accept your oil, though, so best to call ahead and ask.

While we’re on the subject, you will have to drive the oil to your chosen disposal center and that brings up a concern of its own. Ensure that the container in which you are transporting your tiki torch fuel is tightly closed and secured against tipping or spilling. If you smell the oil as you’re driving, roll down your windows and, for the love of Pete, DON’T SMOKE! Finally, should your container tip over and spill (I did warn you to secure it) then you should visit our post with tips on cleaning up tiki torch oil spills.

For all the joy and beauty of tiki torches on a warm summer evening, remember that your fun comes with a tiny inconvenience. You are responsible for the world around you. Check your local disposal options and, please never EVER just dump your oil on the ground. Mother Nature thanks you.

A reader from out west (we’ll call him Rick) emailed me the question - why won’t my tiki torches light? Well, Rick, though your email was short on info, you might be surprised to know that you aren’t the first person to have asked me this.

The key elements in lighting a tiki torch are the fuel, the wick, air and the source of flame. I’m going to assume you already know this is an instance where you need fire to make fire and that you aren’t trying to light your torch in an oxygen-free environment. With that in mind we’re left with the wick, fuel or both to concern us.

If you’ve just filled a tiki torch with fuel and inserted the wick, it may not light because it hasn’t soaked up fuel yet. Give it a little bit of time to do so and try again. Also ensure the wick is long enough to take and hold a flame and make sure you’re using fuel designed for a tiki torch and not an alternative which may not absorb well into the wick.

Finally, and this is often the surprise reason for why a tiki torch won’t light - If you previously used one brand of fuel in your tiki torch and have since switched to a different fuel type or brand, your wick may clog (for lack of a better word) and not feed the fuel (and, hence, won’t light). Be sure, whenever you change fuels or fuel brands, also insert a new wick.

Hope that helps you with your tiki torch woes, Rick.

For all the delight of tiki torches, there’s one frustration I hear mentioned time and again - how do I clean up tiki torch oil spills? I hear you and sympathize. Lord knows I’ve been there. Worse, I’ve advised you to clean up spills promptly for safety reasons in a couple posts and only now realized I never really provided instructions on how to do so. Sorry about that, folks. Blame all those Lava Flows and Pina Coladas my wife and I have been enjoying around our tiki torches. Slows the brain down a bit.

The problem with tiki torch fuel spills is that, not only does the stuff do a great job of staining concrete, it does an even better job of leaving behind a horrid smell if spilled on upholstery. The more common lament is an outdoor spill but it’s more frustrating when the problem is a tip-over while transporting the stuff in a car. So to answer this question we’re going to tackle both indoor and outdoor tiki torch fuel spills.

Clean up tiki torch oil spills from concrete - If you’ve spilled oil-based tiki torch fuel on brick or concrete, promptly soak up as much of the oil as possible using paper towels. If you want to use cloth towels, be prepared to throw them away as they will be ruined. Rags, likewise, should be thrown away as they will be impregnated with a highly flammable oil and represent a tremendous fire hazard if stored in a closed environment. One more point - don’t step on the paper towels to compress them into the oil. While you may soak up oil more quickly, you’ll also leave your shoes reeking to high heaven of oil (particularly bad if you then track it into your house).

Once the puddle has been removed as much as possible, pour kitty litter over the entire spill area and allow it to soak up any remaining oil. Give it several hours in hopes that as much of the oil will leech into the litter from the concrete as possible. Use a broom to sweep up the litter and discard it.

If you’re left with a tiki torch oil stain, use a commercial driveway cleaner designed to clean up automotive oil in an effort to remove any remaining discoloration. Whatever product you purchase, ensure it is safe for the surface you wish to treat.

Clean up tiki torch oil from car upholstery - As with a concrete spill, use paper towels to soak up as much of the oil as soon as you possibly can. You may need to remove the upholstery and dab at the padding underneath as well.

No matter what conventional cleaner you try at this point, you’ll be left with the horrid lingering odor of tiki torch fuel. Two home remedies that people rave about are baking soda and coffee grounds (a trucker’s favorite solution).

For the baking soda solution, pour the product liberally over the area of the spill and leave it there. You may want to go as long as a week before vacuuming the baking soda up to let it fully absorb any remaining oil and odor. This is the best solution if you are concerned about stains from coffee grounds.

If you’re not worried about stains (and those who have tried this swear there are none) you can opt for the much lauded coffee ground solution. For this clean up, your next step is to dampen the entire area with water, then pour coffee grounds over the entire stain and let them soak for several hours (better yet, overnight). Next, vacuum the coffee grounds up and discard.

 And that’s how you clean up tiki torch fuel spills, folks. Of course those aren’t the only ways, I’m sure. If anybody out there has any other suggestions, please do leave a comment to let me know. Also, if you use any of the above methods, please let me know your results. Happy Torchin’!