Waterproof Dryer Lint Fire-Starter

 How to make your very own waterproof dryer lint fire-starter, for free.

Using only household items you can make a 1 oz waterproof fire-starter that burns for 15 minutes.  It's perfect for camping, backpacking, or even your backyard fire pit.  No need to buy fancy fire starter logs, here you'll need to gather a few household items that would have otherwise been thrown in trash.

Step 1 Step 1 - Gather Materials

 First, gather a few materials from around the house.

1. Dryer lint
2. An empty egg carton
3. Old Candle Stubs (or in my case, a box of canning wax - $3*)
4. Dental floss
5. Scissors
6. New Belgium beer (not required, but hey, that's how it happened)

*Available at your local hardware store

Comments

[salazam]

Every time I clean the dryer filter I think, "There's gotta be some use for this!" So I checked here of course. My second option would have been to use it as stuffing for pillows, but I think lint is too fine for that (they'd just be dust-bombs).

I also happen to keep scented candles that have burnt past the wick and I usually just put them on the furnace to melt and make it smell nice... problem is I have a floor furnace and have kicked them on accident on multiple occasion. I'm glad I can take both my obsessive collections and combine them into something useful that also feeds my pyromania!!!

[Myklknife]

I've used these for years. The longest burn time I've gotten out of them is 22 minutes. The one thing I do different is as it's cooling I add a bit of dry lint to the top to take a spark from a firesteel more easily.

[fantasyfunfaces]

Just made these after seeing your post...going camping next weekend and can't wait to use them! Thanks!!

[amandaggogo]

Most likely will be making some of these, We have so much lint!
Great instructable!

[orion4713111]

i made the same things but i used an easier method. i simply poured the melted wax INTO each lint-filled cup. after the wax cooled, i cut each cup apart. no need to fold the edges OR wrap with floss. also, you won't need to use a paper towel blotter as the carton itself absorbs most excess wax. i'd probably recommend setting the carton on some old newspaper for the pour though. these fire-starters are awesome! only problem is, now i can't find the egg cartons made from paper anymore, they're all styrofoam...

[moxiepurple]

We buy paper egg cartons from Tractor Supply for .49 cents to sell our chicken eggs in if you can't find them anywhere else. You could try toilet paper or paper towel cylinders as well.

[Aaronius]

Good Firestarter. I add sawdust as well for a hotter burn.

[jwystup]

These are A-MAZ-ING! Started the fire like magic. I mean, we weren't so much "roughing it", we were just camping out at a campgrounds with dry wood and a fire pit and these were stored in the car. But it was so easy!! When I was making them, my boyfriend thought I was crazy. But after it started the fire on the first try, he was telling his friends all about how awesome it was ;) Great instructable!

[At29035ft]

love it.

[holderar]

I made a dozen last year when I first saw the article. They worked so well I saved so much lint this year that I could make 36. This time I used leftover bits of yarn to tie them up since my wife has an unlimited supply.

the heavier the rain the more of them you use at once I guess :)

[dlarribas]

Yarn is a great idea. I don't have a lot of floss, but my mom has literally a shed full of yarn.

[shirley ujest]

I love this! I always have lint and various old candles. Dixie cups would work too.


Thanks!

[RocketST]

We've made these for years in Girl Scouts. As a leader, they're fun projects with either dryer lint or sawdusts--and used with a charcoal chimney--will get you a usable fire in about 5 minutes... Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[shadnlyd]

Love these things! They work like a charm!

[brickman93]

i made these, and had some left over wax. try rolling up some cotton t-shirt, and dunk it in the wax, works great.

[johnnypanic13]

Thanks, I'm going to give these a shot. I tried something like this with empty toilet paper tubes and lint. But they didn't work as well as I'd hoped. Maybe I'll try those again with wax too. The toilet paper tube version (sans wax coating) just kinda smoldered and smoked even when i used a bic lighter on it. It sounds like these give a steadier flame, looking forward to trying them. I wonder if there would be any variant that would start with a striking steel spark. now that would be something. hmmmmm....

[bobthebanana]

great instructable, one tip would be to pour wax all over the lint before closing it up, it would soak up a lot and last a lot longer.

[At29035ft]

Yes indeed, you want to make sure the lint soaks up the wax.  Fortunately, "closing it up" doesn't really create a full seal but it does make a helpful enclosure once the wax hardens.

[FabFab888]

Just made these but with sawdust because I always have tons around. Doesnt sop up the wax as good but burned for 10 minutes and got my fire going. Cool idea

[sisar]

So why cant we just carry a candle instead of this? it can start a fire and lights up just fine under damp conditions. nice inscrutable none the less! ~ cheerio

[At29035ft]

A candle will certainly start a fire, but then again, so will a Bic lighter. The idea for this project is to create a flame with some substance, a flame that will ensure an easy light. As you can see from the photos/video, you get a significant flame to work with here, essential to success in damp or less than ideal conditions.

[brickman93]

also, this is using materials that will just end up in a land fill if not put to a better use. i plan to make these ant take them camping.

[phthalanx]

I agree, that this is more useful to humans. However, I doubt that the environment would be better served if we light the stuff on fire, as opposed to allowing microorganisms to consume it (obviously excluding the wax), possibly producing nutrients for life.

Regardless, I was looking for a good recipe for waterproof firestarters, and this one worked perfectly.

I'll be taking these camping for sure, too.

[Tinker39]

Maybe a 2 inch piece of rope (hemp, sisal, jute) with a frayed end added before pouring wax, then sewing a small piece of steel wool into the frayed end would help with the flint/steel method.

[phillyrocks]

This is pretty awesome I got a 10 minute burn time. The only problem is it doesn't take a spark from flint and steel.

[brickman93]

wow. i used nespresso pads that had been sitting around for a year. the metal made it 100% water proof, and the wax was great. i also put a candle wick in mine to help it get started. great instrustable!

[zupyo22]

could u dip it in wax roll it in lint and dip in wax again for it to be easier to light and be more waterproof????

[Terri1ND]

wonderful idea, thank you for this instructable! Since I live in a very rural area & get lots of wind & snow in the winter this will also help us when we need to burn our burnable trash. (We take what we can to a local recycling center, but there is NO trash pickup service available to us.) I have spent many finger numbing minutes in MINUS 35 below zero temps, trying to get the fire lit. My husband has also started buying expensive fire starters, so this will certainly help us out.

[At29035ft]

Wow, I'm so glad you'll be able to put this to good use. Thanks for the comment.

[MrandMrsAdams]

I made and used these on our last camping trip, and they worked great! It had been raining all weekend, and the kindling was damp, but we quickly had a roaring fire!

[aphix]

Just made one of these, only had enough left over candle wax for one, and even then might have been skimp on the candle wax.

Let it dry, does it under my kitchen faucet, shook it out, lit it in my bbq and it burnt for a good ten minutes. Didn't use a lot of lint, but it definitely would have lit some wood.

Very good Instructable.

[Militant.Jester]

Just made two of these! (All I had the materials for.) 
Used drier lint + wood shavings. Coated in leftover candle wax.
They are drying right now. The cardboard really absorbed the wax - I was expecting it to more like make a coating. Is this what other people experienced? 
Next time I'm going to use something other than dental floss...

Going camping next week. Will tell how they work out!

[Suzanne in Orting]

Dryer lint is listed in our Boy Scout Troop Camping Supply List.  I love the idea of making them waterproof.  We're going to do this before the next hike!  Impress the new guys.

Suzanne in Orting, WA

[At29035ft]

 Glad to hear it since this fire starter was taught to me years ago IN Boy Scouts!

[PetervG]

I tried this without wax to begin with, with no success.
I then tried with wax, and it worked great!

[SMBonante]

I've made these before, and they do work on damp kindling. If you stack the fire right, a light to medium rain can be worked around. Downpours require a bit more ingenuity.

I have a suggestion for an "Improvement" that makes lighting them easier.

If you put 1" of Tiki torch wick, treated with the wax, so that it sticks out of the top, will give you a better "light point." It might also increase burn time, as the wick will draw melted wax up for a time before burning away.

[Ellenbroussard]

you forgot to say paper egg carton not styrofoam

[At29035ft]

It was previously noted in the photo tags of step 1, thanks.

[Transquesta]

Now, THIS is recycling at its finest!

[jimboween]

I want to make this but am wondering are there any side effect from breathing burning lint?