Toilet Paper Roll Fire Starters

These toilet paper roll fire starters are a great way to make campfires start blazing quickly.  There is certainly no shortage of toilet paper tubes in most households.  With a family of 4 and 3 bathrooms in my house, we go through quite a bit of toilet paper. 

For every roll of toilet paper that gets replaced, I am left with one empty cardboard tube to dispose of.  Most of the time, those toilet paper tubes end up in the recycle bin but there are plenty of creative ways to reuse them. 

If you are a fan of camping or bonfires, you can turn that cardboard toilet paper tube into a convenient way to start your next fire.

It’s a Great Way to Use Dryer Lint

In order to save up enough dryer lint to create these fire starters, just keep a plastic bag in your laundry room.  Every time you clean the lint trap, tuck the dryer lint into the plastic bag.  This makes it easy to have dryer lint on hand when you want to make a few of these!

Other Uses for Dryer Lint:

• Stuffing Toys. Have a stuffed toy that has lost its stuffing?  Use dryer lint to stuff small stuffed toys
• Nesting Material for Birds. It’s a great way to attract birds to your yard.
• Feed your worm farm or add to a compost bin.
• Make dryer lint clay. Yes, you can make dryer lint clay!  Check out the directions on Instructibles.com

Add Melted Wax if Desired

In order to slow down the burning process and give the wood in your campfire time to catch on fire, a small amount of melted wax can be added along with the dryer lint. 

If you are making these DIY fire starters, you may want to light a  candle right before you start working and use a small amount of the melted wax for this project.  Add the wax to the center of the toilet paper roll fire starters.  Just make sure to not pack the lint and wax too tightly.

Uses for Toilet Paper Tubes besides Fire Starters

There are a million ways to use toilet paper tubes other than these homemade fire starters.  Try a few of these suggestions and then check out the video below for some amazing toilet paper roll life hacks!

• Families with small children can turn them into unique art projects.
• They are great for organizing the cords of your electronics.
• Donate them to preschools for use in THEIR craft making.
• Organize Your Yarn
• Store wrapping paper in them
• Use them to start seeds for your garden

 

 

Toilet Paper Roll Fire Starters

Supplies Needed:

• Dryer lint
• toilet paper tubes (one for each fire starter you want to make)
• Melted wax (if desired)
• Several sheets of newspaper or used printer paper

Directions:

1. Lay a piece of newspaper on your work surface
2. Stand your toilet paper tubes upright on your work surface
3. Stuff (loosely) some dryer lint into the toilet paper tube.
4. If you are going to add melted wax:  Stuff the tube half full of dryer lint.  Pour a small amount of wax onto the dryer lint, then add more dryer lint on top of that.
5. Take a separate piece of newspaper or used printer paper
6. Roll the toilet paper tube up in the paper, tucking the ends inside the tube once you are done rolling
7. To use:  Place the fire starter at the base of your campfire with twigs and small kindling on top of it.  Light the fire starter and enjoy a roaring campfire!

Take toilet paper roll fire starters camping!

If you love camping, homemade fire starters are an easy way to get your campfire going.  And if you enjoy going camping, check out my green camping tips for more ways to reduce your carbon footprint in the woods. 

And once that campfire is finished and the ashes are cool, read my uses for wood ashes and put them to good use!