Best Natural Fire Starters
What is a good natural fire starter?
Your fire starter options include gas, electric or natural fire starters. There are many natural materials which you can use to ignite your fire. In this post we will cover the natural fire starting materials.
What to consider when choosing a fire starter
Whether you choose to buy a ready-made fire starter or to make it by yourself, what you want to consider is: the ease of use, reliability, safety, waterproof features and costs.
Do you need a fire starter?
You don’t have to buy a ready made fire starter, but you do need some kind of flammable material to start your fire. Let’s look into what materials you can use to light a fire.
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What is a good fire starter?
A good fire starter is reliable under various weather conditions, provides quick and easy ignition as well as helps to maintain fire during the initial stage. It should also have a minimum burning time allowing your main fuel to catch on fire.
Here are the most important features of a good natural fire starter. A good natural fire starter is:
- waterproof or doesn’t absorb moisture from the air easily
- flammable
- burns for at least 1 to 10 minutes
- non-toxic
What is a good natural fire starter?
You can use for good natural or DIY fire starter the following things:
- fatwood
- newspaper
- toilet roll tubes
- cardboard, e.g. Amazon boxes
- shredded paper
- egg carton
- dry grass
- dry leaves
- pine needles
- other garden waste, e.g. twigs
- tree bark
- wood shavings
- cotton
- waste textiles
- coffee filters
- coffee grounds
The list is longer, these are just some ideas of things which you are likely to already have at home which, in most cases, would end up in the bin. Now, let’s explore how to make DIY natural fire starters.
DIY fire starters
How to make fire starters with Vaseline
All you need for this is a few cotton balls and some Vaseline. Tak a cotton ball and dip it in the Vaseline. Then, roll it between your hands until it’s all covered with Vaseline.
Here we found a good video showing how to make fire starter balls with cotton and Vaseline:
How to make fire starters with egg cartons
Have you ever wondered what to do with the end of a candle? Have you ever wondered what to do with sawdust, grass clippings, old newspapers, egg cartons etc? There is a way you can use all of these!
To make fire starters with egg cartons you will need some melted wax (you can use tea lights or candle ends), obviously an egg carton and some dry flammable material. The beauty of DIY fire starter is that it can be a great zero waste project, as you can make only it from waster materials.
As a filler for your egg carton fire starter you can use: sawdust, wood shavings, dryer lint, shredded paper, grass clippings or coffee grounds. But remember that everything needs to be really well dried.
Here is how to make your own, free fire starters with egg cartons:
- Place the material of your choice in the egg carton holes. Don’t stuff them too tight.
- Pour liquid wax over each cavity and let it set
- Cut out individual fire starter pods with scissors or a craft knife
This video shows how to make fire starters from egg cartons and dryer lint:
Natural fire starters which you can buy online
Natural Fire Starter, Non Toxic Grill Charcoal Starter Cubes
Odorless Charcoal Starters for BBQ Grill and Barbecue Smokers
Waxed Hemp Rope Fire Starters for Campfire, Grill Pit, Fireplace
Waterproof Fire Starter Sticks, Non-Toxic, No Odor Firestarters
How do you make waterproof fire starters
Making waterproof fire starters is actually very easy. All you need is a dry, flammable material (paper, cardboard, cotton pads, pine cones etc) and some liquid wax. Let’s take cotton pads as an example.
To make a waterproof fire starter, soak the cotton pads in liquid wax, take them out with tweezers and wait for a while till the wax hardens. That’s it! Your waterproof fire starter is ready!
What catches fire easily
Things which catch fire easily include: gasoline, lighter fluid, strong alcohol, nail polish remover and hand sanitizer.
Is fatwood a good fire starter?
Yes, fatwood is one of the best fire-starting fuels, it’s unlikely to get damp as it is water-resistant. Fatwood contains resin or pitch, which makes it burn very well.
Can I use a firestarter in a wood stove?
Yes, you can use fire starters in wood stoves.
Are pine cones good fire starters?
Yes, pine cones are great fire starters. They are easy to light and they burn very hot, retaining the heat long enough for bigger pieces of firewood to catch flames.
Are cotton balls good fire starters?
Yes, they are because cotton catches fire easily. You can additionally scoop up some Vaseline and roll the cotton ball between your hands to cover the cotton balls in it. This way you can make a waterproof fire starter.
Final note
This explains how to make your own natural fire starters and what flammable materials you can use for this.
More fire starter options:
Fire Starter Kit – Waterproof Emergency Survival Fire Starting Kit
Natural, Food Safe Firestarter for fireplaces, firepits, barbecues, campfires, charcoal or wood stoves
Fatwood Natural Pine Firestarter, Non-Toxic and Water Resistant
Easy Lighting Wick Charcoal Grill Lighter – Fire Starter Cubes
