In less than 5 minutes you can make your own beeswax wraps to replace plastic cling wrap. These will last you well over a year and then you can compost them! Let’s do something about the trillions of tonnes of single use plastic swilling around the oceans – contaminating earth’s systems and our food system.
Watch this 5 minute film to see how to simply and cheaply make your own natural beeswax wraps – to wrap veggies and fruit, leftover bowls, cheese, sandwiches, jar tops, bread loaves, lunchbox snacks and so much more.
Yes, it’s a small step, but many small steps, and a sense of commitment to want to make a difference, is more powerful than you may think. When you take positive steps forward, there’s a ripple effect of positive change.
For the method shown in the film, all you need is to make your own beeswax wraps is:
- a piece of natural cotton cloth (choose the size you need for your particular use – I find 20cm x 20cm is a useful bowl-top size)
- natural beeswax (about 5-10 grams is all you need for 20cm x 20cm cloth)
- 1/4 teaspoon coconut oil
- flat sandwich hotplate
5 easy steps to make beeswax cloths:
- Trim cloth to size (pinking shears make a nice edge – zigzag)
- Grate 5-10 grams beeswax
- Make a parcel with the wax and wrapped inside the cloth.
- Place parcel on hotplate and press down with sandwich press lid for 10-15 seconds. Check and do again if beeswax still unmelted.
- Lift off hotplate and hang on line for 1 minute (watch out – it’s hot!)
That’s it! Quick and easy aren’t they. I’d thought they were going to be much more fiddly than that.
To wash – simply wipe, rinse off or use warm soapy water – not hot.
To revitalise – after a lot of use, you may wish add a little more beeswax and melt again as above. Helps to keep them sticking well.
Another method: place cloth on a tray in a warm oven. Cover with same quantity of grated beeswax and oil and allow to melt and infuse (about 5 mins in a 50 degree celsius oven). I sometimes use a paintbrush to spread wax to the edges. (You may want a separate old tray to do this on, but you can clean it OK and a little natural beeswax isn’t going to hurt).
See a previous post on making beeswax cloths:
Could you just use a hot iron?
Patricia Visser
great info Morag. Thank you.
Dawn Smith