How to Make DIY Campfire Starters at Home (Perfect for Camping!)

How to Make DIY Fire Starters for Camping (Easy & Cheap!)

Planning your camping trips for the summer?  Don’t forget to bring these DIY fire starters along!  They’re SO easy to make on your own and will help save some money.  Plus they work super well too. 

Jamie here! My family loves to camp, but my husband… not so much…So I often go on camping trips with a girlfriend instead.  To make our lives easier at campfire time as we get ready to start a fire, I prep these easy DIY Fire Starter Kits in advance right before we pack up our camping chairs and head out to snag our Dollar Tree camping supplies!

I put one or two in the middle of my wood tee-pee fire pit and light the side of the cardboard egg carton.  These homemade fire starters provide long-lasting fuel for the fire that blazes quickly – long enough to ensure all the other wood catches well.

Why make your own campfire starters?

• Cost-effective
• Eco-friendly
• Fun for kids (and you!) to make

What you’ll need:

• Dryer Lint
• Cardboard Egg Carton
• Left over wax from candles/melts (paraffin wax can work too)
• Wax Warmer or old pot

Step by Step Instructions: 

1. Save up a few loads of dryer lint (I have a big Ziploc bag I keep in the laundry room and I transfer my dryer lint to it throughout the year JUST for these DIY Fire Starter Kits.)
2. Stuff an empty cardboard egg carton full of dryer lint
3. Pour melted wax over/into each opening
4. Cut up the egg cups into individual fire starters and place in a Ziploc bag
5. You’re ready for fast and easy campfires!

If you don’t have an egg carton, using paper towel or toilet paper tubes works just fine as well.  (Although it’s a little trickier to add wax to these)

Frequently Asked Questions

• Are these fire starters safe to use?
  Yes! They’re safe to use in outdoor fire pits, camping trips, or grills — just ensure proper supervision.
• Can I use scented wax?
  Yes — scented candle wax can be used, though it may give off a fragrance when burned.
• How long do they burn?
  Each fire starter typically burns for 8–10 minutes, long enough to catch your firewood.

Print

DIY Fire Starter

Materials

• Dryer Lint
• Cardboard Egg Carton
• Left over wax from candles / melts Paraffin wax can work too
• Wax warmer or old pot

Instructions

• Save up a few loads of dryer lint (I have a big Ziploc bag I keep in the laundry room and I transfer my dryer lint to it throughout the year)
• Stuff an empty cardboard egg carton full of dryer lint
• Pour melted wax over/into each opening
• Cut up the egg cups into individual fire starters and place in a Ziploc bag
• You're ready for fast and easy campfires!

What is the best starter material for a fire? 

We prefer using these DIY fire starters, but any of the materials below can be helpful when trying to get your campfire started.

• Used dryer sheets
• Corn Chips/Tortilla Chips
• Old sheets of newspaper
• Shredded paper
• Pine cones
• Other Cardboard (not the plastic coated kind)

More Camping Hacks You’ll Love!

• Walking Tacos for Camping – nothing better than a homemade meal in the woods – and you can customize to everyone’s likings too
• Camping Chairs We LOVE
• 40 Items for Camping from The Dollar Tree 
• Color Changing Fire Packets (KIDS will think this is SO COOL!)
• 3 Easy Camping Meals Kids Will Love

Have you tried making your own? Let us know your favorite fire-starting hack!