DIY Fire Starter
Time to make some homemade hot chocolate and light a fire because it’s cold outside! Our main source of heat when the weather turns cold is our fireplace. You see, we live in an old, genuine log home that is in need of some serious insulation! We have space heaters in every room but that can really run up the electric bill. So I only turn on a space heater when I’m going to be in that room for any length of time.
Luckily, our fireplace is in the center of the house. It does a pretty good job of heating the great room (living, kitchen and dining area) with a vaulted ceiling to boot. I know fire places are not efficient and a lot of the heat goes up the chimney. That’s why we have plans to install a wood burning stove next winter. But for now…the fireplace rules!
Come on baby, light my fire!
We go through a lot of wood every year. Sometimes the wood isn’t seasoned and takes a little coaxing to burn properly. Since I don’t have the time or patience to sit and baby a fire into life, I decided to make my own fire starters from things I already had around the house. This is a good way to use up and recycle stuff that might have ended up in the trash. And because they can burn anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes, I don’t have to waste my precious supply of newspaper to get it started or babysit it once it’s lit.
The Supplies:
Silicone mold:
I got mine at Tractor Supply but if you don’t have a local store, you can click on the link at the bottom on this post. As an alternative, you can use egg cartons too…the cardboard kind. I imagine burning styrofoam egg cartons would be really bad for humans and the environment.
Dryer lint:
Everybody has it…why not put it to good use!
Wax:
You know that last bit of wax that is left at the bottom on the candle jar? Yeah, use that! I like to put the jar in a pan of hot water for a few minutes to loosen it up. Be careful you’re only warming up the wax…not melting it! Use a chop stick or your finger (if the jar is small enough) and push on one side of the wax until it comes loose as one solid piece. At this point, you should be able to reach in and pull the whole piece of wax out.
If the jar opening isn’t big enough, simply break the wax in half to get it out. It’s going to be melted eventually so being in chunks won’t hurt anything. I save the jar to use in my sewing room. It will store buttons, snaps, beads and all kinds of stuff. The wax goes into a bag until I’m ready to use it.
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The Instructions:
Step 1: Fill the silicone mold (or egg carton) with the dryer lint. Be generous. You’ll want a teeny bit of the lint exposed even after you’ve poured the wax over it. This is what will light first when you put a match to it.
Step 2: Melt the wax in a double boiler. A heat-resistant bowl placed on top of a pan of hot water will also work. Melt the wax until it is completely liquid and pour over the lint. You’ll want to make sure that the lint is almost (but not completely) submerged in wax.
Step 3: Allow the wax to harden completely before popping them out of the tray. If you used an egg carton, you can cut or tear the individual sections apart.
Something to keep in mind:
Take a close look at the photo below…that’s not a shadow from the camera flash!
If you use the cardboard egg cartons, be aware that they do “leak”. So you’ll want to make sure you place the carton on an old towel or a piece of waxed paper until the wax has hardened.
To use:
Simply place a couple of fire starters under your kindling and put a match to them. Easy peasy! For obvious reasons, you’ll want to store them away from heat and flame.
This definitely falls into the DIY, homemade and recycle categories. Keep a bunch of these in your camp box, tool box or glove box. They can take the place of paper and there is no need to use an accelerant like lighter fluid or gasoline. And as I mentioned earlier, they’ll burn for a good twenty minutes or longer, depending on how big you make them.
For me, there are few things in this life that are as relaxing as watching the flames dance in a fireplace. I thoroughly enjoy not just the heat it provides, but the way it calms my spirit and puts me in a mood to reflect and be thankful for life’s blessings. At least until it’s time to get up and put another log on the fire.
It’s the little things.
So, with mug in hand, I’m going to just sit and enjoy my fireplace while I can. I know it’s days are numbered.
Enjoy and stay warm, my friends!
lisa
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