Turn Dryer Lint And Muffin Cups Into Functional, Sweet-Smelling Fire Starters

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Few things take the chill off of a fall evening like the crackle of a fire in the hearth. Aside from giving the room a warm, homey glow, its scent evokes memories of the good cheer of seasons past. Unfortunately for some fireplace owners, getting the flame started is often the obstacle that stands between them and that cozy warmth. What these shivering folks may not know is that an effective fire starter waits for them inside their dryer's lint trap. And when they combine some of that fuzzy gray lint with muffin cups and sweet scents from the kitchen cupboard, coaxing that flame into crackling becomes a pleasant experience. 

Most of the supplies for this DIY, including the lint, come from items you normally toss. In this case, how much lint you need depends on the number of fire starters you want to make, and each starter is made from one muffin cup. The lint will fill each one about halfway up. Dried goods with a strong scent, such as cinnamon sticks, basil leaves, star anise, and nutmeg, give the linty tinder its sweet scent. And those half-burnt candles? You can repurpose those, too. Just remove any tidbits of wick parts that are left over and save their wax.

Finally, a snippet of twine levels up the appearance of this piece — a nice touch if you plan on giving the fire starters away as gifts. Speaking of gifts, dressing up a recycled jar makes nice packaging for this DIY. 

You'll begin your homemade fire starter DIY by placing some muffin cups on your work surface. Ordinary paper cups work. However, you'll increase your fire starters' decorative appeal if you use fancier cups. For example, Bake Choice Standard Tulip Cupcake Liners look like tulip heads. Or, if you're making some seasonally-themed starters, something like Sannix Christmas Cupcake Liners would be a super cute touch. 

Fill each muffin cup with a ball of lint. Next, drop items like cinnamon sticks and cloves into the cups. Anything natural with a lovely fragrance would work for this. If you have any dried orange, lemon, or grapefruit, use those, too. They'll kick the fragrance up a notch, add color to your creations, and lift your mood the same way the best candle scents do. 

Next, heat up the wax in the microwave. You can use a double boiler to do this if you have one, but typically, using the microwave is easier. Just keep in mind that microwaves and metal are a bad combination. Make double sure that all metal wick parts are removed from any candles you're recycling before they go into the microwave. Then, once it's warmed up, pour the wax into the cups and allow it to cool. Bind the fire starters with twine or even something like Ribbli Satin Ribbon to dress them up. Drop the finished fire starters into a decorated jar to store them. Or, repurpose an old muffin tin with a distressed paint technique to give your display of goodies a shabby chic look.