Just about a year ago I publicly thanked my good friend Jennifer. Jennifer, whom I've never met, introduced me to firestarters by way of an email. I will forever be indebted to my most beloved friend in the world, Jennifer (whose name I now think may have been Joyce) for getting me started on these little packages of flaming wonders.
As a thank you to Jackie, I did a post on the easiest way to make homemade firestarters.
So it is now, with shame and regret, I have to admit ... it wasn't actually the easiest way. I'm so sorry Cathy. I mislead you.
I've spent the past week or so figuring out an even easier way to make firestarters using the same materials in the original firestarters.
Egg cartons, dryer lint and candle wax.
I was forced to do this when I ran out of my regular homemade firestarters but couldn't be bothered to make anymore.
If you read my original post you'll see making the original homemade firestarters involved shoving some dryer lint into an egg carton and pouring melted wax over it.
This new and IMPROVED version takes out the melting of the wax step. As seen in this handy, step by step guide, lovingly created by me, for my friend Gertrude.
As you can see, you don't need to melt the wax. Just putting a candle stub in the centre of the egg carton and surrounding it with lint works just fine.
In fact, just using a small hunk of wax in the centre works fine. If you have any leftover bits of wax just sprinkle them on top.
I did a test between a variety of different firestarters to test their burning time.
These are the results ...
So I've taken all the guess work out. No more need for experiments. Instead of lint you can use wood shavings or sawdust but I figured everyone has dryer lint, so it's probably the most accessible for all involved.
The 6 minutes and 30 seconds is definitely a long enough burn time to get a fire going. The advantage to using the original firestarters that have melted wax is you can make them in advance and throw them in a bucket. The ones without melted wax have to be placed on a shelf or something so they don't tip over, otherwise all their guts will fall out.
Finally, I would like to take this last moment to again apologize for originally misleading my good friend 李秀英.
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Darlene
Good morning!! As I dont have a fireplace in my home, I do however have a fire pit in my yard.... I have always used paper towel rolls and dryer lint for fire starter's.... I find they last longer than toilet paper rolls... Hope everyone stays warm whatever you choose to do!!
Feral Turtle
I almost had coffee come out my nose reading this post! Thanks for the chuckle this morning! Cheers.
Mickey
Karen
You have very pretty dryer lint.
Mickey
Sally A.
Thought there was going to be a Drew Barrymore reference. So here it is: Drew Barrymore. Steven King. I know, I know, I am hilarious.
Karen Dyck
Egg carton + saw dust + diesel fuel. ( it's a guy thing) easy, available (in my house) cheap!
NikiDee
I learned to make these with toilet paper rolls. I think the egg carton makes more sense (and is more attractive. There's something about whipping out a toilet paper roll around friends that seems a bit odd). A smaller compact starter that takes less lint & wax. I'll be switching my "recipe".
jainegayer
I will be trying this method today with the bits of wax. I don't have cardboard egg cartons but have found that the toilet paper tubes work well. Now all I need to do is stuff the lint in with the wax. Maybe I can wrap the tubes with wax paper so they look like firecrackers. That would keep all the guts inside. Thank you so much, Karen for finding the easier way.
Jamie H.
Funny that you call Jennifer your good friend, because that's kind of how I think of you. Each day when my email pops up an Art of Doing stuff email, I say, "What are you up to now , Karen?" And you always have something fun/entertaining/educational for me ;) Thanks
Karen
Is that you Jennifer??!!! ~ karen
Maria
For your latest version, why not stack one on top of another and put in a container of some kind (a pringles potato chip can, a rubber maid container, etc) to keep them upright and unspilled? Love this place :)
Tigersmom
Almost everyone has dryer lint, but not everyone has festive, holiday red dryer lint. I wonder if Gertrude, or was it Camelia, has festive red dryer lint, too?
Our fireplace is started and run on gas which eliminates the need for firestarters, but did provide the rare, legitimate opportunity to use a favorite line (actually a question) from Mythbusters,
"Am I missing an eyebrow?"
I actually had genuine call to ask this of my husband the first time we tried out our fireplace after buying our house. He swears he's not trying to kill me. We'll see........
Jody
Did you and 李秀英 (Lee Soo Young) meet through your blog?
Jasper
I made thes a couple days ago, but i added saw dust to mine. Ans just poued candle wax over them.
Thanks Karen
Klaus
Hi Karren,
i'm from Munich in Germany and a regular reader of your great blog. About the firestarters, there is a guy using the same lint based "technology" Perhaps you want to have a look here:
http://goo.gl/oqBKmj
Greetings from Bavaria in Germany, Klaus
Karen
Thanks Klaus, I had a look. He seems to use A LOT of wax, LOL. I've found that you don't really need that much but if it works for him and he likes it .... then that's just fine. :) ~ karen!
Stephanie
Awesomeness! New to fireplace ownership, questions: 1) Does the spent wax leave residue/mess in bottom of fireplace that has to be scraped out 2) Could I use melted beeswax instead of candle wax ?? Thanks!!
Karen
Hi Stephanie - No residue is leftover and beeswax would be great! ~ karen
Louise
Wow! Now that's easy! And when the little kids want to make fire starters, these fulfill their request with no danger of spilled wax and little to no cleanup. Perfect for those with short attention spans or who are incredibly lazy (me, not the kids). Thanks, Karen. Your blog is always a treat at the end of my day!
zerilla
I can assure you, it wasn't Jackie, Joyce, Cathy OR Gertrude that turned you on to her original "recipe" for fire starters. It was indeed Jennifer....my dear BF whom is multi-talented, sweet, funny and an overall good thing! I'm glad her idea made your blog...I'm sure she would appreciate your fine tuning as well!
Jessa
Hi, I am not sure if you are making these for just your home or for camping, but the melted wax going all over everything ensures: 1. the little fluffy bits do not catch flame and scatter to the wind and cause a forest fire and 2. everything is encapsulated in wax, making it water proof in case it gets wet while camping. We used to make them for camping in Girl Scouts, but we used sawdust instead of dryer lint inside of the egg cartons and then poured the wax into each cup.
Karen
Hi Jessa - They're meant for fireplaces. Also, i've tried both ... sawdust and lint. The lint actually works better believe it or not. The very best is thin wood shavings, but I rarely find those in my lint trap. ;) ~ karen
Jessa
I just thought I'd put it out there in case someone saw it and wanted to make them for camping. Makes me wish we had a fireplace for all the dryer lint we toss out. Love your blog by the way, sent my mom here the other day when she asked me if I had heard of using yogurt for a yeastie beastie.
Karen
LOL. Yup. That one's a classic. ~ karen!
LuAnn Agustin
hmmm... I believe I remember making these in Girl Scouts. Yes, yes I did.
Marti
Well done. Great tutorial. Had all the stuff… the information. The whys. The comparisons. The pictures. And of course plenty of gratitude to Ли Су Молодые.
Irena
Someone somewhere suggested toilet paper tubes stuffed with lint, then wrapped in wax paper.