Make Your Own Beeswax Wraps

Canada is implementing (or trying to implement) a ban on certain ‘single-use plastics’ by 2021; things like straws, plastic plates, cutlery, bags and stir sticks to name a few.  It’s not nearly enough to reverse the damage we’ve done to the planet, but it is a move in the right direction and these DIY beeswax wraps are just one of many ways our family is participating.

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The girls and I are trying to reduce our footprint in a few (simple) ways;

• I’ve purchased stainless steel reusable straws – these are big ones so you can still enjoy a milkshake through them.
• I’ve almost eliminated quickie sacs (the plastic sandwich bags) – I purchased these silicone bags via a Facebook ad and don’t recommend them at all – they don’t seal completely so your food will either leak or dry out.
• We use Tupperware sandwich keepers for sandwiches – which are great because they are guaranteed FOREVER!
• I purchased metal cutlery at the dollar store and that is what my girls take back and forth to school each day – easily run through the dishwasher and only a dollar to buy – so a huge money-saver as well as environment saver!
• We use reusable water bottles of course,

BUT, what do you do if you just can’t live without Saran Wrap?  It’s single-use and contributes to landfill so it’s not a good thing… but it works SO WELL.

I saw a tutorial from DIY Mommy, I decided to tryout beeswax wraps… which should help to eliminate Saran Wrap/plastic wrap with the added bonus of being anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and compostable after you’ve finished using them for a few years!

Sounds like a win all around right?!

I found this “make your own beeswax wrap” kit at a Prim & Pauper Maker’s Market (fantastic shop by the way) and decided to give it a try:

I purchased three complimentary patterns of 100% cotton fabric at the fabric store.

 

I wanted to have a few sizes of beeswax wraps for bowls and fruits, so I cut different sizes – a few at 8″ square, 10″ square and 13″ square.

Before melting your beeswax, put an old dishcloth over your ironing board and then put a sheet of parchment paper over top of it – this is to protect your ironing board from melted wax.

I should tell you that I didn’t follow the instructions provided with the kit (oops) – I was supposed to melt the wax pod in a double-boiler and then paint the melted wax onto 100% cotton fabric.

Instead, I decided to try what the DIY Mommy suggested and shave down the beeswax, sprinkle it over the cloth and then iron it between two sheets of parchment paper.  (Click the link to see her YouTube video.)

It worked, but I think the painting technique would have saturated the cotton quicker and more thoroughly.  Hindsight is always 20-20 isn’t it?  Ugh!

The only downside of these DIY beeswax wraps was that the beeswax pucks really yellowed the fabric.

I decided to try a second option with white beeswax pellets to see if I could reduce the yellowing of the fabric.  I purchased 100% pure organic beeswax and a bottle of jojoba oil.  I drizzled the fabric with the jojoba oil and then sprinkled the beeswax pellets over top.  I covered the fabric with a second sheet of parchment paper and again, tried ironing to melt the wax into the fabric.

The fabric yellowed much less and I was pretty pleased with the results.

I cleaned up the edges of my DIY beeswax wraps with pinking shears to give them a cleaner finish that won’t fray as much.

I printed the ingredients and instructions onto plain Kraft wrapping paper and then added a bee stamp I had tucked away in my card-making arsenal.

I made so many DIY beeswax wraps that I packaged up sets of 3 – one of each size – and delivered samples to my friends and neighbours to try out.

 

They look fantastic right?  I love how they turned out – easy, cute, professional looking AND a step towards a better planet!  It’s a win all around!

Except…

they don’t cling as well as Saran Wrap / plastic wrap.

In fact, my DIY beeswax wraps don’t even cling as well as the ones I purchased through Amazon to compare.   That means that air will get to your food and dry it out unless you do a wrap like I did on this tomato:

Alternatively, using an elastic band around the rim of bowls would give the wrap a better seal – but are rubber bands ruining the environment. I don’t want to ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’.

I think the mistake is that I didn’t add pine resin to my recipe – which I notice a lot of pre-made wraps seem to have.

You can see in the picture above that my DIY beeswax wrap doesn’t form to the bowl as well as the ones I purchased on Amazon.

I’ve only heard back from one neighbour as to what they thought of my DIY, and their complaint was the same – once you’ve been spoiled with plastic wrap, it’s tough to settle for something that doesn’t have the same air-tight qualities.

Not that I’m not going to use them – these are totally getting used in my day-to-day food prep and storage.  The concept is good, the motives are great and I’ve spent the money to make them (facepalm) so these DIY beeswax wraps will reduce my plastic wrap consumption a bit…  I just won’t wrap bowls with them. lol

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