First developed in 1995, these earth-friendly waterproof firestarters eliminate the need for newspaper and kindling. Our firestarters are made of compressed wood shavings with a small amount of wax. They are unscented, and each one burns for 20 minutes. Place in your woodstove or fireplace, light the top, and allow to burn for at least 30 seconds before stacking dry wood on top. It's as simple as that! Of course, always allow for proper ventilation, but avoid wind and strong drafts, and always use common sense precautions with any flammable materials.