DIY Beeswax Food Wraps – Plastic Wrap Alternative

So, when doing my research on reducing my use of plastic for my Zero Plastic Experiment, I stumbled across beeswax food wraps as an alternative to plastic wrap. I was interested, but kind of skeptical.

Since learning about them, I’ve since seen them in stores, and I have to say, they were quite pricey at $20 for 3 sheets. So, I decided that making them myself might be the cheaper option… but is it? And are they easy to make? And do they really work?

Well, let me enlighten you with what I’ve found about these food wraps.

If you search on my Pinterest Board, you’ll find that there are so many different ways of making beeswax food wraps. I picked one that I felt was less messy to make.

Are they cheaper to make yourself?

Yes, making your own food wraps is cheaper than buying them. I estimate that it cost me roughly $2.50 to make 1 food wrap, while the ones I saw in store were about $15 – $20 for 3, therefore $5 to $6.50 per wrap.

Is beeswax food wraps easy to make?

Yes, beeswax food wraps are simple to make and supplies are easy to source out. Well, that’s a good start.

I bought some bits of 100% cotton from a big chain store and the beeswax I sourced from the Bulk Barn, a store that is quickly becoming a favourite for natural products.

Although I’m somewhat artistic, I definitely don’t consider myself the crafty type (I’d like to be, I just have more Pinterest fails than wins). Having said that, I feel that I was quite successful in my production.

Do they really work?

I guess that’s the big question, do the beeswax food wraps work? I’ve been testing mine out on various food items. and I have to say, so far I do like it. It worked great for cheese. I still have to use for different applications before I can comment further. When I do, I’ll update this section.

Here’s how I made my beeswax food wraps :

You’ll need:

• 100% cotton material, cut in desired lengths
• beeswax (affiliate link)
• pinking shears
• cookie sheet
• parchment paper

Directions:

1. Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place your cotton square on the parchment
3. Shred your beeswax (affiliate link) onto the material (see image below for how much)
4. Place your cookie sheet in the oven at 350 degrees C for a few minutes, until the wax melts.
5. If there are any bare spots, repeat steps 3 and 4 until it’s completely covered.
6. Hang your cloth for the wax to solidify.

Beeswax food wrap cleaning

And there you have it! Your very own beeswax food wrap. Now that you’ve made them, how do you keep them clean? First of all, don’t wash them in soap and hot water. You simply need to wipe them down with a damp soaped cloth and rinse them with cold water. If the wax from your cloth starts to crack, you can reheat it in the oven to smooth out the wax.