Fire Starters

Empty egg carton (must be pulp cartons, NOT styrofoam or plastic) Dryer Lint Beeswax or leftover candle wax Added herbs, spices, dried foraged items, and oils of choice for natural scent. (optional)

This is a really cool method, and my personal favorite with the added woody cone scales and cinnamon sticks for such a warm welcoming smell when burned. I first ventured down this avenue for my Dad, who has an indoor fire place, and doesn’t like spending money on fancy starters, and doesn’t always have the time to forage for small sticks to start a fire with. As long as your wood is dry and seasoned, these little fire starters work great! I’ve also used them outdoors to start a bonfire, they’re a great thing to have in the fishing bag or camping kit, and because you’re using non toxic ingredients there won’t be an issue with storage.

You’re going to start by breaking up the dryer lint into little pieces or wads, and placing them into the egg carton. Don’t be shy when stuffing your little egg craters, the wax will compress that lint in a heartbeat. Then add your optional ingredients, like woody cone scales from pine cones, broken pieces of a cinnamon stick, dried lavender, dried orange peel, whatever you like! Think of it as a potpourri, although the burn time is brief, it’s a nice added bonus next to chimney smell.

Once your egg pockets are prepared, it is time to melt the wax. I recommend always saving your candle scraps for times like these, I do not prefer to use my beeswax for purposes like this one, but you could, and also be cautious of using paraffin wax, that is often suggested. When burned it is highly toxic, so by all means avoid paraffin! I always shave my wax first for quick and easy melting, there is no right or wrong amount for this particular recipe, it all depends on the ingredients used, the amount of wax can vary. Once your pieces are melted, let cool for a minute or so, and pour over the lint and other ingredients into the egg pockets making sure to do your best to fill completely, and saturate each piece.

Always have a mat or cardboard under your working area when using wax, in this case at times the wax can leak through the carton onto the surface you have it on so be sure to place something underneath. You can choose to put a little piece of string in them for a wick, or even a candle wick if you have them on hand, I have a bag of used and broken candles that I can take the wicks from, but know that this is not necessary, as the corner of the carton will light on it’s own just fine. If you’re sticking a tiny wick in the top that is the very last step, be sure to get it in there before the wax starts to harden.

Your fire starters won’t take long to cool and are ready to use immediately. The best part is, storage is a breeze, you just rip them as you need them, and keep the rest of the carton intact. You can make ‘dozens’ at a time. LOL!!