Fire starters are a combination of products that you can put together to build a fire.
Although camping might seem like the most obvious reason, fires are lit for various reasons. You might want to light up a fireplace in the winter, have a bonfire in the backyard, light a wooden cooking stove or burn some dry rubbish.
Fire keeps you warm, cooks your food, and keeps the wild animals away while camping! And even though multiple commercially made fire logs are specifically designed to light fires, you can always make one at home.
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What Are Fire Starters?
Lighter fluid and fire logs are commercial fire starters.
But if you are someone who likes to repurpose home products instead of purchasing new ones, then this blog is for you!
Fire starters can be bought online or made at home! That’s right; you can use a combination of things lying in your home and turn them into fire starters.
If you are going camping, you can take at least three different types of homemade fire starters. They are lightweight, affordable, and easy to make. Fire logs or cans of lighter fluid can be too heavy to carry to your campsite, which is why it is better to bring your homemade fire starter.
The prehistoric man initially used fire starters. Once he discovered fire, he learned how to keep it going or start a new one.
Of course, none of the modern material was available in those days. So, the man knew how to rub dried wood and use a shiny object to reflect sunlight on a dry piece of wood or a dry leaf.
Thankfully we don’t have to struggle so hard to start a fire. Matches, lighters, dry wood, dry leaves, and other DIY products are readily available.
Reasons to Make Your Own Fire Starter
Fires are often started in cold countries. They don’t just give you warmth, but they also give you a sense of joy!
- A friendly, warm fire keeps you cozy at night.
- Whether you are at an outdoor camp or need to light an indoor wood stove, a solid well-lit fire can keep you company.
- It helps cook food, warm tea, or get rid of a pile of dry leaves.
- Campers enjoy sitting around a campfire and sharing ghost stories!
- Most people have their best childhood memory around a warm campfire.
- Even music festivals use fires.
Whether you are on a three-day festival trip in a desert or on a cold mountain, a good fire provides excellent comfort and an excellent heat and light source!
Fire also keeps the bugs at bay. It protects you from lingering wild animals and lights up your campsite. Even though it is easier to purchase a fire starter online, it isn’t as economical or eco-friendly as a homemade fire starter.
Using excessive logs for fires increases the need for manufacturers to cut down perfect trees. It would be much better for the environment if you used products just lying around your house.
Commercial fire starters are pretty expensive. And since you will have to keep a fire running, you will have to keep purchasing more and more. It isn’t a viable, budget-friendly option.
Homemade fire starters can be made from egg cartons, used make-up cotton pads, Vaseline, wax saved up from used up candles, and other such products.
The whole idea of making your fire starter is to upcycle old products without spending too much. You can also use them as backup fire starters when you go camping. It is always better to carry extra fire starters if they did not work.
Ultimate Guide To Making A Fire Starter At Home
Making a fire starter at home is simpler than you think. All you need are a few products lying around in your house.
The trick is to know which combinations of products work well together. You wouldn’t believe how such simple day-to-day things work so well together.
A fire starter is a handy product, and knowing how to make one can get you out of some sticky situations.
Let’s start with a list of tools and equipment you will need to make your very own homemade fire starter! But before you pick out the products, make sure they are easy to ignite, easy to use, and maintain a flame.
And if you don’t know what these products are, the list given below will answer all your questions. So put your mind at ease and check for the following items in your home.
Required Tools And Equipment
You will need essential tools and equipment that are lying around the house.
That is the whole point of making a homemade fire starter. It is easy to make and requires day-to-day products you use every day.
Cardboard Boxes
Our first and most readily available product is a cardboard box. Cardboard boxes are the most common items found in a home.
You can use egg cardboard boxes or boxes that online companies use to ship out their products. Anything that fits the description of a cardboard box should be collected.
Crumpled up Paper
Next is crumpled-up papers. Newspapers are highly flammable and are most often used in a homemade fire starter.
You can also collect toilet paper, scrap paper, or paper towels.
Cotton balls, cotton pads, and dryer lint
The following product on the list is cotton. Imagine how many cotton pads you must have used up and just dumped into your trash. Well, not anymore. Now that you know how well cotton pads work, you can start collecting them.
Dry lint is another cotton-based product you can collect to make your very own homemade fire starter. You can also add cotton balls to this list. They are the most commonly used products in homemade fire starters.
Wood Shavings and Sawdust
Sawdust is another combustible waste product you can add to this list. You can also use wood shavings instead of sawdust.
Vaseline and wax
Vaseline and wax are other items you will need to make your fire starter. Every home has a box of Vaseline, this way, you can make sure all of it is used up. Wax can be purchased at the supermarket at an affordable price.
Multiple different fire starters can be made using wax. You can also melt hard wax if you have it lying around. Collecting wax off melted candles is another excellent way of recycling a candle.
Cupcake Cases
You can add different flammable content to a cupcake case. Together they will settle in the cupcake case, which can then be used as an excellent fire starter.
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow this step-by-step guide, and you will have several homemade fire starters ready to burst in flames.
1. Vaseline Dipped Cotton Balls
Vaseline and cotton balls are two highly combustible items. And when put together, they can light a crazy fire. Follow these simple steps, and you will have your very own homemade fire starter in no time.
- Take 20-25 cotton balls
- Add them in a plastic zip-lock
- Now add around 20 spoons of Vaseline into the zip lock.
- Let it soak overnight. You can also soak it for a couple of hours.
Your fire starter is ready. Add this to a pile of dried wood, and your fire will be up and burning in no time
2. Paper Cupcake
You will need shredded paper, cupcake cases, and melted wax to make this fire starter.
- The first step is to shred old newspaper
- Place these shredded pieces of newspaper in cupcake cases
- Now pour melted wax into the cupcake cases
- Let it settle
Voila, your paper cupcake fire starter is now ready! All you need to do is add this to a pile of food, and you are good to go. You can easily carry these cupcakes to any location. They are lightweight and do not take up too much space.
3. Sawdust Cupcake
Sawdust cupcakes are exactly like paper cupcakes, but instead of stripped pieces of used paper, you use sawdust.
- Take a couple of cupcake cases
- Add sawdust to it. You can also use wood shavings or wood chippings
- Pour melted wax onto the sawdust.
- Please wait for it to settle.
Four simple steps are all it takes to make this DIY fire starter
4. Egg Carton Fire Starter
To make this fire starter, you will need melted wax, dryer lint, and an egg carton.
- Take an egg carton and stuff each cup with dryer lint. Make sure to pack each cup to the brim.
- Pour melted wax into each cup. You can also melt hard wax or candle wax and pour it on the lint.
- Use a knife or a fork to prod the lint. Make sure to let the wax soak up all the lint.
- Please leave it to dry.
The best part about this is you can cut each cup and use it as separate fire starters.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to make your homemade fire starter, you no longer have to rely on expensive, commercial fire starters.
These are pocket-friendly, eco-friendly, and easy to make! Make sure you store them away from any source of the fire. Make sure to exercise caution while using them.
These fire starters are lightweight and easy to carry. So, carrying them will not be a problem if you plan to go on a camping trip.
They do not take too much space in your bag and can also be made on the spot! You can also use them to light a wood stove at home or enjoy some warmth in your backyard!
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