How to Make a Junk Mail Fire log

A pile of junk mail in your home is not a pretty sight. If you live far away from a recycling center or just want to get rid of all your junk mail quickly, a junk mail fire log may be the answer to your junk mail problem. Follow these tips to learn how to make one and use it as an alternative heat source.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Junk mail
• String
• Cardboard toilet roll

1. Collect junk mail. Newspapers, paper shreddings, thin cardboard, wrapping paper and other assorted paper scraps may be used to make your log as long as the material does not contain plastic or other special coatings that would emit toxic fumes when burned.

2. Get an empty, cardboard toilet tissue roll.

3. Lay the longest piece of newspaper or junk mail on a flat surface in front of you. Position it so that the shortest side faces in your direction.

4. Place the toilet tissue roll along the short edge of the newspaper or long junk mail article. Roll it once around the toilet tissue roll so that no part of the roll's cardboard is exposed.

5. Add more pieces of junk mail to the tissue roll, overlapping the first piece. Roll the cardboard roll over the junk mail until the pieces of junk mail aren't exposed. Keep adding more junk mail under the cardboard roll and rolling it over the junk mail until you arrive at a hefty log of junk mail.

6. Tie the roll tightly using a piece of string.

7. Toss your log into your fireplace and light it when you need an extra heat source.

Tips & Warnings

• Get creative with the contents of your junk mail fire log. Consider adding natural sources like dry leaves, branches, twigs and wood chippings while rolling the log. Even dry tea bags can be used as flammable content.
• Consider buying a junk mail fire log press. The presses may have different features and log-making processes, but each will cut down on the time needed to make a log. Presses are often available at gift, gardening and hobby stores.
• Avoid adding more than one log to the fire. Junk mail fire logs tend to burn hotter and faster than regular wood logs.
• Avoid burning a junk mail fire log in short chimneys and little stoves.