Beeswax wraps are a natural, healthy, zero waste alternative to plastic wrap. I’d been holding off buying some because they can be pricey, plus I wasn’t convinced I actually needed them … until I had to bring a salad to a friend’s house. I didn’t want to use plastic wrap, so I covered my bowl in a tea towel and “sealed” it with a rubber band. Needless to say, this didn’t work too well. The rubber band kept popping off, causing the tea towel to fall repeatedly into the salad 🙄
Rather than buy pre-made beeswax wraps, I decided to make my own using leftover cotton fabric scraps and a chunk of beeswax I purchased from Loco. These DIY beeswax wraps take just a few minutes to make and cost a fraction of what they sell for at stores. In fact, they’re so easy to make, I taught a group of elementary school kids how to make them today in Green Club! 😃 The other benefit to making beeswax wraps is that you can make them the exact size you need. My beeswax wrap perfectly covers my large mixing bowl—the one I tried to transport that salad in 😂
How to make beeswax wraps
Materials
100% cotton fabric
Pinking shears (to prevent edges from fraying)
Beeswax, grated or in pellets
Cheese grater*
Old cookie sheet*
Directions
- Preheat oven to 200F.
- Measure and cut fabric into desired size and shape, depending on what you plan on wrapping. My beeswax wrap is 14 inches in diameter, which creates a nice 2″ overlap around my large mixing bowl. I used a metal tray as a template, tracing the perimeter with a pencil then cutting the outline with pinking shears.
- Place the fabric on the cookie sheet and lightly sprinkle with beeswax. As the beeswax melts, it will spread out and soak the fabric.
- Put the cookie sheet in the warm oven and remove it as soon as the beeswax is completely melted into the fabric (a couple minutes).
- Carefully remove the fabric from the cookie sheet and hold the edges with your fingers until the beeswax wrap cools (a few seconds).
Care and maintenance
- Use these DIY beeswax wraps as you would plastic wrap: to cover bowls, wrap snacks, etc.
- To wash, use cold water and a mild soap (do not use warm water as it will remove the beeswax).
- If you find your beeswax wrap isn’t as clingy as it used to be, add some more grated beeswax and pop it in the oven!
* Beeswax is difficult to remove. If you plan on using beeswax often, dedicate some kitchen supplies (like a grater and cookie sheet) exclusively to beeswax projects to reduce cleaning time.
This is a cool idea! I have some beeswax wraps that are not as ‘sticky’ anymore. I know they’re compostable, but I would prefer to keep using them. Do you think i could just recoat them in beeswax using this method?
Yes! Just grate some more beeswax, sprinkle on the fabric and warm in the oven for a couple minutes. Just be aware that the cookie sheet/tray you use will have beeswax on it that will be difficult to clean after, so it’s best to use one that you can dedicate to beeswax projects 😉
Hi Tippi from BC. You are inspiring and so considerate! Your container idea will catch on and so will the small trash amount. We need people like you so that our landfills don’t explode. ThAnK U
Thank you for your kind words! 🙂
Thanks so much, I have taken at least three ideas from your site that I will actually use and these beeswax wraps would make a cool item for a school fete, community stall or fundraiser
You’re so welcome! And yes, these would be great for school and/or community fundraisers. I made beeswax wraps (and other items) with kids in my son’s environmental club, and they sold them to school parents at the end of the year 🙂
Love these. I got one for Christmas. I might try and make my own