If you’re looking for ways to save money and reduce your plastic use in the kitchen, make your own beeswax wraps.
Beeswax wraps are an environmentally friendly solution to remove reliance on plastic wrap to seal food leftovers or protect a sandwich when placed in a lunch bag.
There are so many benefits to using beeswax wraps and making your own can be a fun, family craft project. Everyone can get involved to make their own personalised wraps for everyday use.
What do you need to make your own Beeswax Wraps?
If you research online how to make your own Beeswax Wraps, there are so many recipes and methods to choose from. However, choosing the best ingredients possible will ensure a successful wrap that can be re-used time and time again.
Choosing Australian Made beeswax, ensures you’re getting a superior product free of contaminants and additives. Best of all, you’re supporting Australian Made, which is a good feeling when trying to buy local.
For our beeswax wraps, I’ve chosen May Gibbs fabric because I love the illustrations. It also extends the theme further with a bit of Australian flora and fauna, from a well-known late Australian-based artist.
Materials for Beeswax Wraps
- May Gibbs Fabric – available at Spotlight
- Crimping Scissors
- Pure Australian Beeswax from AB’s Honey available for purchase at Simply Honey – 1 cup grated
- Food Grade Pine Resin – 3 teaspoons
- Jojoba Oil – 2 teaspoons
- Paint brush
- Glass Jar
- Pot of boiling water
- Spoon/ Paddle Pop Stick
- Bowl
- Grater
- Tongs (not pictured)
- Oven mitts (not pictured)
- Teaspoon & 1 cup
- Baking Paper
- Baking Trays
- Coat hanger and pegs – to allow for drying – optional
Method to make your beeswax wraps
More hands are required with this method as you’re using a double boiler and don’t want the glass bottle to touch the bottom of the pot. Also, as there is boiling water involved, it’s best to have an adult work with the boiling water parts of the project.
1. Wash your chosen fabric before turning them into beeswax wraps as cotton will shrink. Use serrated scissors to create a crimped end to your fabric. This is to prevent it fraying. Choose sizes that will work well for the uses you intend, so squares of 20cm x 20cm or rectangles of 30cm x 20cm.
2. Fill a pot with water and put it on the boil. Turn your oven on to 150 degrees Celsius.
3. Grate the block of beeswax into the glass jar. You can grate into a bowl first and then empty this into the jar. You want to grate 1 cup of beeswax. Add the grated beeswax to your jar.
4. Add the jojoba oil and pine resin to the jar. Line your baking trays with baking paper and place your fabric ready on the lined trays. The baking paper will catch the wax mixture drips.
5. Place the glass jar into the boiling pot of water. You will need to use an oven mitt and tongs to hold the jar over the pot. This method was used to use the existing pots and jars at home, but you may have a colander that can be inserted into the boiling pot to support your jar as the ingredients melt.
6. Use a spoon or paddle pop stick to mix the ingredients to ensure they are melted together. This stick or spoon will need to be discarded after mixing the ingredients.
7. Once the mixture is well melted and mixed, place on a trivet (to protect your kitchen bench) and use the paint brush to paint the beeswax mixture onto the fabric. Ensure the fabric is well coated with the mixture. Keep painting fabric until the mixture is used up.
8. Place the baking tray into the oven for 5 minutes.
9. Remove the trays and allow to cool for 1 minute. Peel the beeswax wrap off the baking paper and allow it to air dry with a sway or you can use the pegs and coat hanger to dry your wrap outside.
10. Once the beeswax wrap is dry, it is ready for use!
Benefits to using beeswax wrappers
The key benefits to using beeswax wrappers are they are environmentally friendly and reduce plastic waste when wrapping food. They can be re-used and washed with water and mild detergent between uses and a freezer friendly.
Another not well-known benefit to using beeswax wrappers is the health benefits as beeswax has antibacterial properties so it gives peace of mind when wrapping food as it’s a safer way to seal.