Make Your Own Beeswax Wraps
DIY Beeswax Food Wraps are a Great Use of Extra Beeswax
Reading Time: 3 minutes
By Amanda Paul – As we are all aware, plastic is everywhere — in our households, landfills, and even in the deepest depths of the ocean. Beeswax wraps (alternatively referred to as beeswax-infused fabric), were historically used by the Egyptians for preserving and later adapted in the 1900s to store and preserve food. They are natural, biodegradable, washable, reusable, and can be added to your compost at the end of their usable life.
How to Make Beeswax Food Wraps
It’s easy and inexpensive to make beeswax wraps, and they make a great addition to your homestead kitchen. If you’re a backyard beekeeper, you’re likely on the hunt for beeswax uses, and you already have everything you need to get started.
What you need:
- 100% cotton fabric cut into 12 x 12-inch squares (or your size preference)
- Beeswax (bars or pellets)
- 3 pieces of parchment paper (unwaxed) cut into 14 x 14-inch squares
- Clothing iron (set to “cotton”)
Step 1
Lay one sheet of parchment on a flat surface and then your piece of fabric. Grate beeswax or sprinkle pellets evenly on top of your fabric. Lay the second piece of parchment paper on top.
Step 2
Gently iron over parchment paper melting the beeswax into the fabric thoroughly. The beeswax will turn to liquid as you iron. Be careful not to make holes in the parchment paper allowing it to get on your hot iron. Beeswax is flammable!
Step 3
When the beeswax has fully melted and has evenly saturated the fabric, peel off the top layer of parchment. Then peel off the beeswax wrap. Lay flat on the third unused piece of parchment paper. Your beeswax wrap will dry and harden quickly.
Step 4
Lay flat and allow to fully harden. Use the heat from your hands to mold wraps around containers, jars, fruits and vegetables, sandwiches; everything you’d normally cover or wrap with plastic! Wash with cool water and mild soap in between uses. You don’t want to use hot water to wash your beeswax wraps; this will melt the wax.
You’ve now created a natural, washable, reusable, waterproof, non-plastic, eco-friendly beeswax wrap that is fully compostable and will not leach chemicals into your food or further contribute to the plastic problem.
Plus, you are supporting the bees and beekeepers with your purchase of local honey, beeswax, and other sustainable and responsibly sourced bee products! Other ways you can support the bees: plant pollinator-friendly flowers and herbs, add a Mason bee house to your backyard garden, leave out a “bee bath” to help pollinators stay hydrated, and avoid using chemical pesticides and herbicides.