The BEST DIY Homemade Fire Starters (Easy & Cheap)
If you’re going camping, be sure to make these easy homemade fire starters so you always have a fire at your fingertips when you need it. This simple project uses natural items so that you aren’t putting harmful chemicals in the environment as you’re trying to enjoy nature!
There are things I love about camping…and things I don’t love about it.
I love being out in nature, hearing the wind blow through the trees, seeing wildlife, hiking, fishing, and smelling the fresh air. Most of all, I love looking at the stars at night.
The things I hate, well, it comes down to 2 things: the bugs (because I’m a walking buffet for them), and not having a fire (because I suck at using flint).
So I’ve come up with a couple of solutions for these “problems”. The bugs are easily taken care of with my homemade mosquito repellent (that’s made with essential oils and ACTUALLY works!).
The fire? I thought that was a harder problem, but it turns out I was wrong! After some research and noodling the problem around for a while, I came up with this DIY fire starter idea.
Forget about having paper or wood shavings on hand or keeping dry and getting the tinder just right so a fire will light.
Using this easy campfire starter is so much easier – that’s why they’re on my list of car camping essentials! And since they are natural and don’t use unwanted chemicals, you can use them to start ALL your cozy fires. Use them in your indoor fireplaces or outdoor fire pits too!
Love camping? Don’t forget to take along some Nutella S’mores!
Homemade Fire Starter Supplies Needed
You only need a few simple materials to make homemade fire starters. Here’s what you’ll need to collect.
- Empty cardboard egg cartons – toilet paper tubes or paper cupcake liners could work as good substitutes!
- Dryer lint – cotton balls would work too!
- Cold-pressed coconut oil or melted wax (like beeswax pellets or leftover wax from used candles)
- Scissors
How To Make Easy Homemade Fire Starters
All you need is 10 minutes of time to put these flammable materials together and make your own fire starters for your next camping trip. They’re seriously the BEST homemade fire starters!
Step 1
Lining your workspace with parchment paper (or wax paper) is a great way to protect your work surface. and make clean up easier.
Open the paper egg carton, and cut the top portion off. Then set it aside. Next, cut off the small flap used to close the egg carton, and cut the flap into small pieces.
If you’re using empty toilet paper rolls, cut a portion of the tube off to use smaller pieces (about a third of the tube for each good fire starter).
Step 2
Place the small pieces into each of the egg holes. Cut the peaks off that separate each of the egg holes, and place those into the egg holes as well.
Step 3
Tear the dryer lint into small pieces, and tuck down into each egg hole, leaving only a little room at the top.
Step 4
In a glass bowl or measuring cup, heat the coconut oil in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Stir well, and continue heating until the oil has just melted.
Step 5
Pour the oil (or melted hot wax) over each of the lint-filled egg holes, until the lint is lightly saturated. You don’t want to overly soak the carton, so only pour enough wax into each hole to loosely hold the natural materials together loosely.
I used a little under a ½ c of melted coconut oil, and it was the perfect amount to fill 12 holes.
Step 6
Set the filled bottom carton portion inside the top of the egg carton and place it in the refrigerator for 5 minutes, or until the coconut oil solidifies again.
Step 7
Once set, remove your dryer lint fire starters from the refrigerator, and cut each egg hole apart to make 12 separate egg carton fire starters.
Expert Notes For The Best Fire Starters
- For best results, store any unused DIY wax fire starters in a plastic bag (ex: gallon-size Ziplock bag) or container (ex: mason jar) with a lid, and store them in a cool dry place. I like to keep mine in the cabinet in my laundry room until ready for use.
- If you don’t have any coconut oil on hand, you could substitute vegetable shortening, paraffin wax, or soy wax, and even wax from old candles.
- Add scent to this DIY project by including essential oil in the melted oil, or you could add pieces of cinnamon sticks or dried orange peel to your natural fire starters. Or you could add a few drops of essential oil (such as citronella) to help keep the mosquitos away!
- Swap out the egg carton for small cardboard tubes (like toilet paper tubes). If you don’t have egg cartons, cut toilet paper rolls in thirds and stuff those!
How To Use Easy DIY Fire Starters
A great fire starter combines various flammable materials that help you light a flame and grow it into a roaring fire.
When you’re ready to use them, put one homemade fire starter in the fire pit and light it with a match or lighter. Each one will burn for 10-12 minutes, giving you time to build your fire around it.
Homemade Fire Starters FAQs
While the process is simple, it may seem confusing at first. Here are some common questions and their answers for quick reference.
Yes! Dryer lint is simply a collection of cotton and other fibers that come off in your laundry. You don’t need to worry about toxic chemicals when you use it to make the best DIY fire starters!
The process is super simple! There’s no sewing, cooking, or lengthy time process involved! You simply need to loosely bind flammable items together.
Petroleum jelly is another great alternative to using coconut oil if you have that on hand. I also have had good success with paraffin wax and soy way. Newspaper (or any paper) works well too!
If you run out of homemade fire starters and find yourself in a pinch by needing more, pine cone fire starters are naturally excellent fire starters!
They’ll burn quite well and have a long burn time on their own, but if you dip them into melted candle wax, they’ll catch fire quickly and burn steady and hot.
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Pin For Later!
Best Homemade Fire Starter
Use this easy solution for all your fire starting woes!
Materials
- Empty cardboard egg carton
- Dryer lint
- Approximately ½ c cold pressed coconut oil
- Scissors
Instructions
- Open the egg carton and cut the top portion off. Set it off to the side. Next, cut off the small flap in the front used to close the egg carton.
- Cut the flap into small pieces and put a couple of them into each of the (12) egg holes. Cut the peaks that separate each of the egg holes off and place them into the egg holes too.
- Next, tear your dryer lint into small pieces, and tuck them down into each egg hole, leaving just a small amount of room at the top.
- Then, heat the coconut oil in the microwave for 10-15 seconds in a glass bowl or measuring cup. Stir well, and continue heating until the oil has just melted.
- Pour the oil over each of the lint filled egg holes, until the lint is lightly saturated. You don’t want to overly soak the carton, so only pour a little bit into each hole. (I used a little under a ½ c of melted coconut oil, and it was perfect for 12 holes.)
- Next, put the filled bottom portion of the carton on the top portion of the egg carton. You want it to be sitting inside the top portion like a flower pot might sit inside a slightly larger flower pot.
- Place everything in the fridge for 5 minutes, or until the coconut oil re-solidifies.
- Once set, remove from the refrigerator and cut each egg hole apart to make 12 separate fire starters.
HOW TO USE HOMEMADE FIRE STARTERS
When you are ready to use them, light with a match or lighter, and they will burn for 10-12 minutes.
Notes
- Store any unused fire starters in a gallon size bag or container with a lid, and store in a cool dry place. I like to keep mine in the cabinet in my laundry room until I need to use them.
- If you don’t have any coconut oil on hand, you could substitute vegetable shortening used for baking.
