I love fire. I’m drawn to flames, and how they speak to me in crackles and hisses. Gathering around a fire with loved ones, or new friends yet to know is one of my deepest pleasures in life. If I have the chance to sit around a fire, it will most likely be part of a camping trip or a hiking adventure; trips that I cherish as they allow me to spend time in nature.

It never sits well with me to use chemical-laden or environmentally un-friendly products when I’m out in the wild, or anywhere for that matter. A lot of camping and outdoor gear is created with, or filled with harmful chemicals, and wrapped in plastic or other non-degradable materials. This is especially true of firelighters, whose use is not only bringing flames to the great outdoors, but also in your very own back garden, when it’s barbecue time. It’s totally understandable why conventional firelighters are used; to make a sometimes tough job of lighting your fire easy and less time-consuming - but the cost of convenience, as we know, is often a high price to pay in terms of the cost on the earth and for your health.

So what’s wrong with conventional firelighters?

A lot of the common fire starters found in the shops contain kerosene and/or paraffin or paraffin wax, all derived from petroleum, and therefore based on fossil fuels. With the combustion of some firelighters, formaldehyde - a substance which has been classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - may be released (info taken from https://www.ifyoucare.com/). These are therefore harmful to the earth as well as yourself. The chemicals that are emitted when they are burnt will be ingested by you, infuse the food you are grilling, as well as smelling incredibly chemical-y. We definitely don’t want that. In addition, their packaging will most likely be problematic. Either a plastic container for lighter fluid, or a plastic wrapper that is not recyclable.

What if you could use what you may already have in the house, while recycling what you might have otherwise thrown away, to make a cheap, effective and natural firelighter?

Don’t get me wrong, there are some great alternatives out there to buy, which are natural and non-toxic, but again, it’s money! I’m finally the proud owner of a Biolite stove, and love the fact that I don’t have to buy gas any more for camping; the stove runs on biomass, a renewable resource which I can find on a campsite (and it produces electricity!). So that’s an expense spared, and a more environmentally friendly way cook food when camping or on the trail. The last thing I would want to do is to then have to buy firelighters for cooking and building fires.

Time for these little beauties.

Simple to make, and super lightweight. They’re made from jute twine, which is from a renewable resource and an item I always have in the house, and left over candle stubs. These natural firelighters burn seriously strongly for 5 minutes and 38 seconds!! (I really did time it). More than enough time to get your fire going!

Please try to avoid using stubs from paraffin candles to make these. Read here why it’s so important to burn non-toxic candles, for the same health and environmental reasons stated earlier on this this post. I try to only burn beeswax candles, not just for their beautiful smell, but for their health benefits. There are many non-toxic candle options out there for a flame-filled life!

Natural Twine And Wax Firelighters

Makes however many you want!

You will need:

Jute twine or any other type of twine made from a natural material

Candle stubs (a little really goes a long way - you don’t need many)

A waterproof storage tin

Scissors

A heatproof bowl or container you don’t mind getting waxy

A tray you don’t mind getting wax on, or any tray lined with old newspaper, or a baking sheet

Instructions:

1. Cut string into lengths which fit your storage tin.

2. Place candle stubs in heatproof container and place either directly onto heat source (if suitable), or onto a double boiler (a heatproof container placed on top of a pan of simmering water).

3. Melt wax until liquid.

4. Holding one end of the piece of string, dip into the liquid wax and make sure the piece is fully coated (the unwaxed end where you’ve held the string is perfect for lighting - it catches the fire very quickly!).

5. Lay the wax coated string on the tray, and repeat with the other pieces.

6. Leave to set, or place in the freezer to expedite the process.

7. Once set, take 3 pieces and hold together at the unwaxed end. Starting from the top, twist all the way down, forming a rope.

8. Repeat with the other pieces.

9. Store in your waterproof tin.

To Use:

Light the unwaxed end of the rope, nestle it among your kindling, and watch the flames go!

Happy fire-building, folks! x