I used to think that bringing fire starters camping was “cheating.” Now, I’ve realized that it’s actually smart. Using fire starters means I can make a fire with wet wood or even in the rain.
There are many ways to make fire starters at home, but they all have the same components: a wick and fuel.
By itself, a wick won’t burn for a long time. You also need a fuel source for your DIY fire starters. Lighting the wick will draw the fuel into the flame, creating a strong and long-lasting flame.
The wick for your DIY fire starter can be anything that will burn easily, such as cotton balls, dryer lint, torn paper, or sawdust. As for fuel, Vaseline and wax are the best options.
I made and tested 29 variations of homemade fire starters. Here is how they performed and their pros/cons.
Here’s a video of my firestarters showing how they performed outdoors.
Table Of Contents
Vaseline Based DIY Fire Starters
All of these fire starters use Vaseline as their fuel source. You can rub the Vaseline directly onto the wick. Or melt Vaseline in a double boiler and pour it onto the wick. If you don’t have Vaseline, other petroleum-based products, such as Chapstick, will also work.
While they aren’t waterproof (keep them in a baggie!), Vaseline fire starters ignite quickly and have a long burn time. They are also the easiest and cheapest fire starters to make.
For detailed instructions, read: Vaseline fire starters
1: Lint/Cotton Ball Vaseline Packets
Burn Time: 7 Minutes
These are my go-to DIY fire starter. You rub a bunch of Vaseline onto a cotton ball or some dryer lint. Wrap it in a packet, put it in a waterproof bag, and it’s ready to be lit.
Pros:
- Inadvertently moisturize hands while making
- Easy to make
- Adjustable size
- Good burn time
Cons:
- Often get fuzz all over your fingers when making
- Get Vaseline on fingers when it’s time to light
2: Burlap Cigars
Burn Time: 7 Minutes
I was sick of getting Vaseline all over my fingers, so I devised this method of making fire starters. You rub Vaseline onto a piece of burlap, as you would butter on bread. I have a dedicated knife for these tasks. Then roll it up.
These are not as messy to make as other DIY fire starters, and it doesn’t get your hands dirty when you touch them. I also like how it burns slowly from the end – a slow burn is often better than a quick burn when starting a fire.
Pros:
- Not messy to make
- Don’t get hands greasy when you touch them
- Slow burn
Cons:
- Need burlap
3-5: Egg Carton Vaseline Fire Starters (Cotton, Sawdust & Dryer Lint)
Burn Time: 6-9 Minutes
To make these fire starters, fill empty egg cartons with flammable materials. I used cotton, dryer lint, and sawdust. Melt the Vaseline in a double boiler, then pour it onto the material.
Once the Vaseline cools, cut the egg carton into individual fire starters. Since your hands never touch the Vaseline, it’s not as messy as other methods.
An empty can works well for melting Vaseline. I have a camping pot holder, which I used to pour the Vaseline from the can.
Pros:
- Hands don’t get messy
- Good burn time
- Not too bulky
Cons:
- Carton can get wet and make it hard to light
- Size not adjustable
6-8: Muffin Tin and Vaseline Fire Starters (Shredded Paper, Sawdust & Dryer Lint)
Burn Time: 7-15 Minutes
Instead of egg cartons, you can use muffin tins to make Vaseline fire starters. Line muffin tins with parchment or wax paper. Fill them with flammable materials – I used shredded paper, sawdust, and dryer lint.
Because muffin tins are so big, you need a lot of Vaseline, but the burn time is very long. The sawdust and dryer lint fire starters burned longer than the ones with shredded paper.
Pros:
- Hands don’t get messy
- Very long burn time
Cons:
- Use lots of materials
- Do you need that long of a burn time?
- Take a while to light
- Size not adjustable
- Messy cleanup if Vaseline leaks into muffin tins
Wax-Based DIY Fire Starters
DIY wax fire starters work pretty well. They take a while to ignite but, once they get going, have a long burn time. Because wax is waterproof and coats the wick material, these fire starters also become waterproof. The major downside is that you need to melt the wax – which can be incredibly messy.
For detailed instructions, read: Wax fire starters
9: Wax-Coated Matches
Burn Time: Less than 1 Minute
These are good emergency fire starters to keep around in case your lighter fails. It’s annoying to dip individual matches into the melted wax, though (I used a pair of tongs to do it). Instead, I recommended getting a book of matches and dipping the entire thing into the wax.
Pros:
- Waterproof
- Good backup fire starter
Cons:
- Time-consuming to dip individual matches
- Short burn time
10: Burlap or Jute String Bundles in Wax
Burn Time: 5-6 Minutes
Most of the time, you probably don’t need a fire starter that will burn strong for 15 minutes. In those cases, these smaller DIY wax fire starters are great.
You take some burlap or a small bundle of jute string and dip it into melted wax. The flame is small but steady for at least 5 minutes. They ignite easier than other wax fire starters and are easy to pack.
Pros:
- Packable
- Adjustable size
- Don’t require a lot of wax
Cons:
- Small flame
- Need tongs to dip into wax
- Messy dripping when making
11. Tea Bags Dipped in Wax
Burn Time: 9 Minutes
I’ve seen these DIY fire starters recommended in many places. They worked surprisingly well. The burn time for the size was also ideal.
Compared to the other wax fire starters, these were the easiest to make because you just dip the tea bag into the melted wax and set it on parchment paper to dry. There was still some messy dripping, but the cleanup wasn’t bad.
Pros:
- Good burn time
- Packable
- Easy to make
Cons:
- Messy dripping when making
- Waste of tea
12. Pinecone Fire Starter
Burn Time: 13 Minutes
Pinecone fire starters are really popular online. They are usually decorative and made with colored wax, string, and essential oils.
Mine looked ugly, but they worked surprisingly well and smelled better than the others.
They are too bulky for me to take camping, but decorative pinecone fire starters would make a nice gift for someone with a wood stove.
Pros:
- Can use indoors
- Smell nice
- Lots of ways to decorate
- Make a nice gift when decorated
Cons:
- Takes a lot of effort to make them look pretty!
- Very bulky
13-15: Egg Carton Wax Fire Starters (Cotton, Dryer Lint & Sawdust)
Burn Time: 7-11 Minutes
Instead of dipping your wick into wax, you can pour melted wax directly over it. The easiest way to do this is to put your wick material (I used cotton balls, dryer lint, and sawdust) directly into an egg carton, then pour the wax over it.
Pros:
- Less messy than dipping into wax
- Long burn time
- Not too bulky
Cons:
- Carton can get wet and make it hard to light
- Size not adjustable
- Need a strong flame to get going
16-18: Muffin Tin Wax Fire Starters (Shredded Paper, Dryer Lint & Sawdust)
Burn Time: 12+ Minutes
With these fire starters, you line a muffin tin with wax or parchment paper, fill it with flammable materials – I used shredded paper, dryer lint, and sawdust –and pour the wax on top. Fold down the edges of the paper to make a little packet.
Pros:
- Less messy than dipping into wax
- Very long burn time
Cons:
- Size not adjustable
- Probably bigger than you need
- Need a strong flame to get going
- Bulky to carry
Other DIY Fire Starters
19-20: Hand Sanitizer Fire Starters (Cotton & Cork)
Burn Time: Didn’t ignite
Hand sanitizer has a high percentage of ethanol alcohol in it. So, it makes sense that it could be used as a DIY fire starter. Many people have success with it: you can squirt it directly onto a cotton ball or your DIY tinder. Or you can soak things like wine corks in the hand sanitizer.
However, these did NOT work for me. The cork wouldn’t light at all. The cotton just started smoldering: burning slowly but without any visible flame.
It probably has to do with the type of hand sanitizer I used. Many have gel which prevents them from burning well.
On top of this, there are some risks and other issues with using hand sanitizer as a firestarter – so I don’t recommend it.
Read more about hand sanitizer fire starters
21. Duct Tape Fire Starter
Burn Time: 1 Minute
Duct tape technically does work as a fire starter, but I wouldn’t recommend using it unless it’s an absolute emergency.
The problem is that duct tape has an outer layer made of plastic. It will melt instead of burn. It smells terrible and leaves a gross residue (you wouldn’t want that in a wood-burning stove, for example).
Pros:
- Good emergency option
Cons:
- Smells bad
- Leaves plastic residue
- There are better survival uses for duct tape!
DIY Fire Starters that DON’T Work
22-24: Baby Oil Fire Starters (Cork, Cotton & Cardboard Strips)
To make these, you soak a flammable material in baby oil. In theory, baby oil should act as a good fuel source. However, I was unable to get these fire starters going. Maybe this would work better with another type of oil, but overall it was a fail.
25-26: Vodka Fire Starters (Cork & Cotton)
I’ve seen Vodka recommended as a DIY fire starter online but doubted it would work. I was right: neither the cork nor the cotton ball would ignite.
27: Sawdust Paper Log
To make a sawdust “log,” you put sawdust into a piece of paper and roll it up. It’s annoying from the start because the log can easily unroll – meaning you end up with sawdust everywhere. The fire starter also didn’t work as expected: the sawdust smoldered but never ignited.
28: Dryer Lint and Toilet Paper Roll Fire Starter
To make a “lint log,” you stuff dryer lint into toilet paper rolls. They end up being completely free to produce. You can wrap them in parchment paper to make them more waterproof.
In theory, these fire starters should work (and are hyped up all over the net), but mine was a big fail.
Bear in mind that most of our clothes are made out of synthetics. Most synthetics will melt or smolder but not burn. I maybe could have gotten the lint log going if I had held my lighter there longer. But, the lighter got too hot: at that point, I’m better off lighting my tinder sticks directly!
This would work if you used lint from 100% natural fibers. Even so, the lint logs are huge and impractical to carry. I’d rather rub a bit of lint in Vaseline. It would burn longer and take up a fraction of the space!
29: Cardboard Dipped in Wax
Since other DIY wax fire starters work so well, I thought dipping cardboard into wax might also work.
I was wrong: the wax started melting when I tried to light the cardboard. It was a drippy mess. I gave up since it makes no sense to hold a lighter against your fire starter for so long!
There are a wide variety of other excellent fire-starter options… a wad of toilet paper soaked in olive oil can burn in high wind with a hot, steady flame for over an hour. Potassium nitrate mixed with sugar in a 2:1 ratio is a little hard to ignite, and slightly dangerous, but very effective. Potassium nitrate and woodchips, 1:1, also burn long and hot.
A ziplock bag with cotton balls and a tube of Vaseline. Maybe keep an extra lighter in the bag… Cotton balls and Vaseline make a great fire starter. Extra lighter or matches never hurt… you don’t have to go through all of this stuff Vasoline alone will help start any combustible … pre-prepared does add a little waterproofing. The key thing is a waterproof ignition source and a good combustible. Magnesium sticks with flint are good to have as well.
The burlap candles gave me an idea. Large bore patches with a birthday candle rolled into them, then a piece of tear off cotton based medical tape to hold the roll. Place the tape on first and roll towards it keeping it tight.
Most bore patches are cotton flannel, the candles are a known slow burn quantity and the size would be appropriate. I have a wood stove and the sawdust and wax muffin tin firestarters are pretty good for that size, the candle patch starters would fit a backpackers smaller needs.
Hi there, question, i have a lot of sawdust chips could i soak them in parrafin and compress them and use that as a fire starter.
Yes, that would work. They would probably be a bit difficult to get going but would burn a LONG time once started.
Yes it works well
In my possibles bag I carry and old tobacco tin with a “bird’s nest”
layer of flammable material (dry grass, laundry lint, frayed hemp rope or a combo of these or similar material), a layer of laundry lint, a piece of char cloth laying on top (look it up; easy to make), a chunk of flint and a piece of steel.
To use; first lay your fire (I prefer a tee-pee style with some fine tender over layered with progressively heavier layers of sticks, tee-pee style.) kneel before your small tee-pee with your back to the wind lay your bird’s nest in front of you then strike steel upon flint until you get a spark to land upon your char cloth then pick up the whole nest and blow gently on the new spark. As the spark grows bigger and catches the nest raise it until the wind at your back helps to fan that growing flame. Once you find yourself holding a hand full of fire thrust it into you pre-laid fire (you did leave a door in your tee-pee didn’t you?) and gently fan or blow on the new fire. You now have the beginnings of beautiful fire: feed it and let it grow like it was no big deal… also, you have now amazed all your friends. Laying your fire will probably take less than 5 minutes; the actual magic of bringing FIRE will take maybe 15 to 20 seconds. Make sure to replenish you fire starting kit immediately! Extra supplies should be in you pack in water-proof containers.