by Cecile Cinco
Do you cook? Sometimes, if not always, you will get yourself into cooking deep fried fries or chicken, or whatever. I mean, you would use some amount of oil more than usual. Deep fries tend to use a lot of cooking oil right away and you would want to use that oil after it has been used for cooking. Sometimes, another fried dinner will get back that same oil to the pan.
What if you can no longer use it for cooking because it has turned brownish and when you were not careful enough, it could be that it’s no longer brownish, but blackish instead…and you have a gallon of it!
With the dropping dollar, you might be into some frugal mania festival. Being almost always in the needy and scout (resourceful) state, I’ve learned to use that black oil.
Turn it into light!
Rather, make it fuel to give you light. You can use it when you get power outage or if you just want to save some money. It’s surely environmental safe and it does not make your nose blackish, unlike candles.
What you need:
- steeping container like tin can or jar
- strip of cotton cloth
- empty bottle with tin cap
- used oil
What to do:
1. Steep oil for about 5 days in a tin can or jar.
2. Transfer to another container. If it fits the bottle with tin cap, then pour it there. Be careful, don’t include any steeped “trash” that sank at the bottom of the first container.
3. Make a wick out of a strip of cotton cloth (could be the hem of an old shirt). Make sure when
you make a twine that the total length will be more than the height of the bottle.
4. Hammer a hole with a nail through the cap of the bottle. One in the middle (wick hole) and four around (breathing holes).
5. Insert the wick cloth through the hole from inside towards the top of the cap.
6. Get the rest of the wick inside the bottle to get it wet with the oil. Make sure to wet the top wick also–very wet with oil.
7. Close the cap.
8. Lit the wick.
You now have an emergency light that is not chemically dangerous and does not cost electric power and made use of your trash oil.
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March 22nd, 2008 at 1:33 am
Hi,
We live in a society of consumism and fast pace.
Things that could have alternative uses are thrown into litter contributing for environmental problems.
Recently, blogs about recycling have appeared and are welcomed.
I enjoyed reading your article.
José
March 24th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Hi Jose, thanks for the compliment. I know I haven’t been updating as much as I should but I will.
I’m just taking care of stuff I need to take care of at a given moment. Thanks for visiting.
March 25th, 2008 at 1:54 am
This is a very creative idea; however, I think the smoke from the fire would create far more pollution than the manufacture and disposal of batteries.
March 25th, 2008 at 5:31 am
Hi Ben….On the contrary. I’m asthmatic and this has been a lot better than making gas/kerosene as fuel (which actually turns your nostrils black after some time). Oil as fuel has none of that.
You have a breathtaking blog, by the way!
Thanks for stopping by…
March 31st, 2008 at 2:27 am
I would be worried about safety issues. What would happen if it were to fall and break?
March 31st, 2008 at 5:29 am
The good thing about it, when it breaks, is, the fire will die out, actually. Unlike kerosene or gas, which catches the fire wild when it spreads.
March 31st, 2008 at 7:09 am
I think the implications of doing this during an extended blackout should be considered. If the incident has gone on long enough, hungry neighbors are liable to think you have fresh hot food handy…
March 31st, 2008 at 7:22 am
Not bad at all
March 31st, 2008 at 8:22 am
Wow. Cool. This is a really good idea, then. I’ve been throwing out used cooking oil.
Thanks for checking out my blog. I’m glad you liked it. I know we all work hard on our blogs, and it’s nice to hear when people get something out of it.
March 31st, 2008 at 8:32 am
Thanks for coming back, Ben!
Your site really rocks with great pictures I can only dream of seeing the sites personally. 
April 28th, 2008 at 11:21 am
You have great tips here on recycling… I hope more people would do the same… at least to help reduce waste materials.
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:23 am
I wonder if this would work in my backyard tiki lamps???
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:36 am
I’ve used oil like this before. way back when I did a lot of camping. Cotton twine makes a great wick, if you do use tshirt strips, make sure it’s an all cotton shirt. Oil lamps date back to prehistoric times. There was a statement about being harmful. it’s not as harmful as kerosine and battries are not all that recyclable. One thing I would do. is filter the oil through a coffee filter or old knee high hose type sock to get the larger particals out of it.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:57 am
I’m sorry, what’s a ‘tiki’?
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
tiki lamps are those yard torches that are up on sticks. Usually filled with Citronila oil.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I see. Perhaps it can. It has its own wick? It’s better really to sift/filter the oil several times to make it “cleaner” to make it lit longer. You can take Billie’s suggestions. You can also use old cotton socks to make filtering cleaner.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Regarding the “Tiki” lamps, works fine for me
June 22nd, 2008 at 4:35 am
Neat idea!
When I tried it, the wick (made from a 100% cotton tee-shirt) sloooowly burned down to a black nub, then went out completely. I tried making a looser-fitting wick, and punched several air holes in the bottle cap, but the same thing happened.
I am using soybean oil.
Anyone have a clue for me?
Thanks!
June 22nd, 2008 at 12:49 pm
try something with thicker threads, cotton rope, maybe fiberglass torch wicking or oven/stove door gasketing, also fiberglass. You could try braiding the t-shirt strips into a tight braid to see if that helps…
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:08 am
If you wanted to purchase a wick, try a kerosine lantern wick. i’ts cotton YOu need the oil t soak the wicking first. strands of fiberglass will do that, if you can find it. Poly fiber melts as too low a tempture to be of any use.
October 19th, 2008 at 6:45 am
[...] this idea as I always feel bad about throwing mine out! The how-to is pretty easy to follow. Go HERE to check it [...]
November 9th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
hello! im working with a group to make a sustainable food coop. we are going to have an outdoor location and need a heat source. We were thinking of a large goblet type thing, lined with waste cooking oil that could burn slowly for many hours… I dont really have any idea if thats possible or enviromentally friendly. do you have any ideas?
Thanks alot
December 1st, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Hi Jeff. I haven’t seen it done on large amounts of oil but if you can make floating wicks (using rubber like those used for fishing net floaters, or even soft rubber slippers) and have several of them that will occupy a large basin (make sure basin is not plastic), then you can have the effect of having a wide scope of fire but of course that will not be high.
Another idea is something like that in one of the Indiana Jones movies (forgot the title) and another (I’m sure there was another). It was a maze-like receptacle covering the whole area and when one part was lit, it scattered to the whole maze. I think oil was used there. If it was kerosene, imagine the smell underground. But that’s just my opinion.
The floaters, though, if I can make one, I’ll try to show it here. It connects 4 round floaters as big as a coin with a wire formed as a cross, with the wick gently strangled at the center. Can you now imagine?
December 1st, 2008 at 9:07 pm
As to its being environmentally friendly, it sure is.
December 18th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
good idea but in indian rural villages this is very common.pl.let me know how i can remove or paint something on the ink of used newspapers to make them note pads.
December 29th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
can this be good for a science project?
December 29th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I am doing a science project on this. What can be a good hypothesis?
February 1st, 2009 at 6:02 am
cool but you can make a better wick if you have the time get absorbant cotton at a food or drug store and twist it into a wick and it will absorb better but you can also make a brighter flat wicked lamp with your favorite fair trade organic iced tea bottle (glass with metal cap) and any old flat 1 inch oil lamp wick just make sure to not fill more than the product takes up or it will over flow and keep wick low
by the way i use an honest tea bottle due to the usda logo on the cap but a snapple or any glass iced tea bottle will work
happy veg-ing
March 26th, 2009 at 8:27 am
If you’re going to be making your own wicks out of cotton (cotton string, cotton shirts, etc.) you need to salt the wick before using it. This will improve the burning and minimize the smoking.
1. Get a microwaveable bowl or cup. A coffee cup will work just fine.
2. Fill the cup about 3/4 full of water, and add 2 Tablespoons (30 milliliters) of salt. Put in the microwave for a minute, then stir. Repeat until the salt is dissolved.
3. Put your cotton wick material into the steaming hot salted water. (Do be careful because steaming hot water has been known to burn people.) Stir the cotton to make sure all of it gets wet.
4. Put the cup with the cotton back in the microwave and heat for two more minutes. Remove the cup; carefully remove the wick material and lay it out flat on a pan. A cookie sheet works well.
5. Take more salt and cover the still-wet wick pieces with the salt. This should stiffen the wick slightly.
6. Let the wicks dry overnight, or dry them in the oven on the lowest setting possible for about 20 minutes.
March 26th, 2009 at 9:57 am
@Muzhik Thanks for the detailed instructions!
April 14th, 2009 at 7:11 am
salting the wick depends on the lamp if the design allows good fuel flow it will work with an unsalted wick the trick is to wind it tightly with loose cotton (absorbant cotton) basicly all you need to do is take piece in one hand and wind it with the other tightly and dont make it thin also theres a fine line on makeing the hole for the wick if its too tight it will wick but also over flow and if its too loose it will fall in the lamp
April 15th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
I would for someone to call in reference to oil recycle please conatct me at 718-392-0007 from 9-2pm
thank you
karen
June 14th, 2009 at 7:29 am
I LOVE IT I’VE TRIED IT AND IT WAS PERFECT, BUT I GOT 2 QUESTIONS=
I’VE BEEN USING A HEM OF A SHIRT BUT IT BURNS QUICKLY, ANY ADVISE?
SECOND, LEAVING OIL FOR 5 DAYS DOESN’T DO ANYTHING, DOES IT? I TRIED OPENING THE LID BUT NOTHING HAPPENED, ANY ADVISE AGAIN..?
June 14th, 2009 at 8:22 am
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ASK WHY DO WE HAVE TO PUT THE OIL OUT FOR 5 DAYS?
*MARK IS NOT MY REAL NAME*
June 14th, 2009 at 9:12 am
NOR THAT MARK THAT WAS SPEAKING BEFORE JUNE 14TH
June 15th, 2009 at 3:45 am
I’M SORRY I’M ASKING TO MANY QUESTIONS BUT:
WILL IT WORK WITHOUT OIL?
June 15th, 2009 at 5:18 am
@mark
Try using not the hem but the cloth just above the hem. A cotton twine is best. Leaving the oil separates the “clean” from the “dirty” making all the unnecessary sink and the one you need to float so you can easily take the top.
Regardless if mark is your real name or not, thanks for coming by.
Will it work without oil? For a very little while until the cloth burns out.
Remember, the oil is your fuel.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:36 am
This is great I will try this for sure. Sounds like a fun project to do with children.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:31 am
We have been doing this in India since centuries. To make perfect wick, you can twist thin cotton cloth strips into round shaped wick. On top of the lid, you can fix small tube possibly a metal ball point pen’s body or rolled strip of softdrink Can.
December 4th, 2009 at 8:25 am
Thank you, Natheer, that will surely help! Never thought of the rolled up soda can before. It makes inserting the “wick” easier!
What else do you do in India that encourages recycling?
January 27th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
I AM SORRY I AM SO DENSE BUT COULD YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU MEAN BY “Steep oil for about 5 days in a tin can or jar.”
January 27th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
I STEEP TEA BY PUTTING TEA BAGS IN A GLASS JAR, POUR IN BOILING WATER, AND COVER FOR SEVERAL HOURS.
January 28th, 2010 at 9:15 am
@deb, i mean let it stay..just like the tea, you let the teabag stay under hot water…with the oil, just let it stay and you will see that the “dirty” part will go down and the “clean” part will stay up.
March 4th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
[...] Idea: How To Use Old Cooking Oil: Using a large jar or tin can, a strip of cotton cloth, empty bottle and used oil you can make yourself a cheap (basically free!) oil lamp. [...]
May 5th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
This is a good idea ( i hope ) i have a litre of ancient chip fat to get rid of.
I am planning to use a pasta jar, but have a few questions.
1) How much oil should i put in the jar/bottle ?
Your picture shows the bottle half full.Is it safe to fill the bottle to the top?
2) How do i snuff out the oil lamp at the end of the night ?
May 6th, 2010 at 9:06 am
@david:
1) ideally more than half the bottle…if you have little, just add water and the water stays under pushing your oil up.
2) you mean put it out? just blow it.
July 10th, 2010 at 3:04 am
We must use more recycled products in order for us to reduce the garbabe problem that we have*’.
August 23rd, 2010 at 4:22 pm
You should visit Industrial Biofuels website @ http://www.ibfuel.com for used cooking oil recyling. I have been a long time customer and am very happy with their service. They are a truly green company and I feel good about utilizing their services.
December 10th, 2010 at 9:50 am
i have made these before , but with new oil. i have been considering using my waste oil. what exactly do you mean by steep, i think of teabags and water with that term.
December 13th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
steep means letting it stay for awhile…
August 22nd, 2011 at 11:14 pm
BTW your internet site was mentioned by Themelis Cuiper’s SocialGarden happenings of social advertising & e-commerce – you must be doing a sweet job as he is pointing towards you!
November 11th, 2011 at 9:37 am
My friend is using used cooking to run his diesel-powered pickup. According to him the performance is the same, the good (or bad?)thing is the exhaust emits used cooking oil odor.
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November 11th, 2011 at 9:43 am
@Marvs, at least he can be sure that he will not destroy the environment.
November 11th, 2011 at 11:23 am
this is a very good recycling tip, instead of throwing the used oil, i will make it into a “gasera”
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November 11th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
It’s amazing. I think it’s a bright idea to use the oil that way. Plus the fact that recycling is the talk of the town and call of the nature as well, this move is just great.
This reminds of my province – back in the days when electric power is still scarce, this lighting material is all we got.
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November 11th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
hey, great idea. lemme try that at home!
Do you think it’d work with beef ‘sebo’?
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December 18th, 2011 at 8:07 pm
Thank you so much for tips. It is really a good method to save. Before, I often do not know how to deal with this king of oil, which is not healthy to us.