Rubbish cum heat: Egg carton firestarters.

[TheMistressT]

Now that we living in woods in the mountains our house is primarily heated with wood (via a wood stove in the kitchen).  In order to expedite getting the fire going in the morning and save time chopping and money buying kindling we started experimenting with supplemental ways to get the fire started.  I'd seem plenty of fire starter ideas on pinterest and decided to try the wax-in-paper-egg-carton type. 



Basically, you melt paraffin and pour it into the cells of a paper egg carton.  I'd also heard of and seen dryer lint used to start campfires (on purpose, as well as a leading cause of house fires) so I stuck that in cells before adding the paraffin.  You can also use candle wax, but we just moved and we surely didn't pack up and trck candle stubs with us across 3 state lines. Also, we want something that burns hot and fast and I'm told candle wax is often designed to burn slowly. 



I was able to make 6 dozen of these in about an hour for about 2.4 cents a piece!  Plus, I kept a few things out of the landfill AND helped heat our house.

ACTION SHOT!


I go into great and agonizing detail with lots more photos on my blog: http://suddenlytaxidermy.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-get-this-fire-started.html

[thisbirdsabsurd]

Excellent!  No matter how pro I think I'm going to be starting the fire it never seems to work as well as I imagined - this looks like a great idea!!!

[TheMistressT]

Excellent!  No matter how pro I think I'm going to be starting the fire it never seems to work as well as I imagined - this looks like a great idea!!!

Thanks!  This is totally and utterly what makes it possible for me to start the morning fire.   Before these (and before it go truly cold) I just waited for The ManFlesh to get up to build them.  Fire scares me and I seem incapable of making kindling. 

[fluttermuffin]

I just browsed your blog... We just moved from Kansas to Oregon/Idaho border.... I had to chuckle at the "pumping your own gas" post.... My husband and daughter LOVE not pumping our own gas, I'm still undecided... LOL

[TheMistressT]

I just browsed your blog... We just moved from Kansas to Oregon/Idaho border.... I had to chuckle at the "pumping your own gas" post.... My husband and daughter LOVE not pumping our own gas, I'm still undecided... LOL

Ha!  I see upsides to both, but I did enjoy just sitting there when we went back to Portland for xmas.  It's not so bad, pumping your own, if it's warmer than 18 and not windy.   

[HSG]

Very resourceful and great way to use what you have. And isn't that what life is about where you're living now, T? 

Side note: fluttermuffin you have THE most organized pinterest I've ever seen.

[TheMistressT]

Very resourceful and great way to use what you have. And isn't that what life is about where you're living now, T? 

Side note: fluttermuffin you have THE most organized pinterest I've ever seen.

I sure can't take credit for the idea and we BOUGHT egg cartons from an egg carton manufacturer because there is NO WAY we could eat enough eggs to keep up in fire starters, but that lint is all ours, baby!  (and the dogs', they contribute lots of hair to the lint).

Off to look at fluttermuffin's pinterest...

[kittykill]

Very clever!

[Onyxnox]

Looks good to me - we use a wood stove primarily too, and I made fire starters with pine cones and parafin, with a wick - but this method would be easier

[TheMistressT]

Looks good to me - we use a wood stove primarily too, and I made fire starters with pine cones and parafin, with a wick - but this method would be easier

I made those, too!  With cinnamon scent added to the paraffin for gifts for a couple of loved ones with fireplaces.  But these are much faster and use less paraffin and no wick expense.