I’m one of many, by the looks of my Instagram feed, that are making small changes to have less of an environmental impact. Some apply ‘less is more’ approach, others are paying attention to food waste, others are looking to reduce their plastic use.
Which is where the beeswax food wraps come in.
In place of cling wrap and sandwich bags, beeswax food wraps are toted as the eco-friendly alternative. But at $20-30 a set, I’m quickly learning that buying the eco-friendly lifestyle isn’t so friendly to my credit card.
So we’re going back to the days when you made things yourself because that’s what you did.
Since beeswax food wraps are my first DIY eco product, I knew I needed to look to others for guidance.
Biome and Piwakawaka Valley are two good websites with beeswax food wrap tutorials. But I wanted to know if I could make food wraps without having to shop at a speciality store just to find the ingredients in the first place.
While I can only imagine how lovely and sticky the pine resin makes the beeswax wraps, I found from the few uses of my wraps, that the mix of beeswax and liquid coconut oil did the trick. With a bit of warming from your fingers, I found the fabric sticks together and easily held itself down around a bowl.
Winnie the Pooh Inspired Beeswax Food Wraps
Description
Reduce your plastic waste with these Winnie the Pooh inspired beeswax food wraps! Easy with only two ingredients.
Ingredients
Pure beeswax
Liquid coconut oil (jojoba oil is usually the first option)
100% cotton fabric (I used hunny pot fabric to inject a little Winnie the Pooh into our kitchen)
Instructions
Grate the beeswax so you have ¼ cup.
Add to a small saucepan with 1 tsp of liquid coconut oil
Stir as you melt the mixture.
Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and place the first fabric square on top.
Spoon a little melted wax on the fabric and promptly spread with the brush.
Once covered, place the tray into your oven (100C or 212F)
Wait for the wax to melt, and brush again to ensure the wax is consistently spread.
Take the second square of fabric and place on top to absorb any excess wax. You can use this next fabric square for your next wrap.
Remove the wrap from the oven, lift the fabric from the corners and let dry on a wire rack for a few minutes.
Notes
I used Coco Earth Premium Liquid Coconut Oil from the grocery store so am unsure if other coconut oils (that turn solid when cold) would work the same way.
Saucepan, brush and wooden spoon- best to use items you won’t be using for food after. Keep them for future crafts!
Crumple your food wrap to make the sheet pliable and sticky for use.
If the sheet loses its stickiness over time, you can refresh the sheet by placing back in the oven and brushing again.