Learn to Make Your Own Beeswax Food Storage Wraps

Beeswax food wraps are a sustainable and natural alternative to single-use plastic wrap for food storage, and you can totally make your own! Learn how to do this DIY project to make your own wraps with two different methods. 

Now, let me first say that in the world of blogging, the search engine gods want to see a certain layout. A life story to go along with your simple tutorial or recipe. Something that will keep readers engaged, and keep them on your page longer. Sometimes I like the long form of reading a blog post and really getting a sense of the person behind the screen. Sometimes I want the quickest and easiest way to get a project done and move on.

If you’re the first kind of person, this tutorial comes with a story and some burnt fingers (and toes, if you can believe that). Read along and I’ll help you avoid scalded appendages.

If you’re just here to get the job done, click that handy little button “Jump to How-to” button at the top of this post and get down to business.

Why Are Beeswax Wraps Useful

If you’ve found your way to my blog, then chances are you’re at least a little crunchy. Once you start becoming more conscious of the things you put into your bodies and bring into your homes, it gets scary and overwhelming pretty quickly.

One of the things I wanted to do was cut out plastic use in my kitchen. Years ago we switched from Tupperware-style plastic containers for food storage to all glass, but I still found myself needing plastic wrap for certain things. Maybe to cover a big bowl of salad or my sourdough starter that sat on the counter. It was always on my to-do list to find reusable food wraps as a plastic wrap alternative. I received some beautiful beeswax wraps for Christmas and have found them to be a great way to replace my plastic wrap! They’re made from natural materials, and they are reusable wraps that I have used for wrapping food or to cover bowls. I loved them so much and have been using them so frequently that I wanted a few more.

Queue my toxic trait.

Why purchase more when I can make them myself?

Anyone else this way? Who are we kidding? You somehow found yourself in a blog post about making homemade beeswax wraps. You down with the sickness, my friend.

Well, the good news is, I’ve done the leg work and figured out what not to do when making your own beeswax wraps.

How to Make DIY Beeswax Wraps for Food Storage

Alright, there are a couple of different ways to go about this project, and both ways use materials that you probably already have on hand. The first method is using an iron.

How to Make Reusable Beeswax Food Wraps Using an Iron

Materials for iron method

• Thin cotton fabric. (I used cloth napkins that I found at the thrift store.)
• Beeswax pellets or grated beeswax (I use this brand)
• Parchment paper
• Iron
• Scissors

Directions for iron method

1. Preheat your iron to a low setting, suitable for fabrics.
2. Cut your thin cotton fabric into your desired size for your beeswax wraps. Customize the dimensions based on your specific needs, keeping in mind common sizes range from 8×8 inches to 12×12 inches. You could make them in a variety of sizes so you have one for every need! I actually used cloth napkins that I found for super cheap at the thrift store, but if you’re cutting your own piece of fabric you want to be sure to use pinking shears to avoid fraying.
3. Lay a sheet of parchment paper on your ironing board or countertop. (I found that I needed a larger work surface than my ironing board.) Place the fabric on top of the parchment paper.
4. Sprinkle beeswax pellets evenly across the top of the fabric, then place another sheet of parchment paper over the top.
5. Place the iron on top of the parchment paper, applying gentle pressure and moving in a circular motion. The heat from the iron will melt the beeswax, allowing it to absorb into the fabric. Continue until the entire fabric is saturated with the wax mixture and covers the edges of the wrap. 
6. Let the wrap cool on a flat surface, then gently peel off the parchment paper. The beeswax will solidify, creating a flexible and reusable wrap.
7. Your DIY beeswax wraps are now ready for use! Just wrap them around your favorite food or place them on top of a storage container and use the heat from your hands to activate the stickiness of the wax.

**You can use beeswax wraps on most food, but avoid raw meat and fish, and excessively hot food or wet items.

Notes

These are some things I found important as I was attempting this project, and making a mess (as you can see in the video below).

• Store your wraps in a cool dark place such as a kitchen drawer, wash them with mild soap and cold water, and hang to dry.
• Cover a large area of your work surface with parchment paper, paying close attention to where the cracks in the paper are so that the wax doesn’t drip through. I think it would be a good idea to place a couple of layers of parchment on the surface to avoid a mess.
• Start with less wax than you think you’ll need, you can always add more. I did not do this. I piled it on and ended up with a lot of excess wax dripping off the table and onto my feet.
• You can choose to hang your wrap on a hanger using clothes pins to dry, but I found that it dried so quickly you can just leave it lying on the parchment and peel it off when it’s ready. Or you can be impatient like me and burn your fingertips.
• Many recipes call for adding pine resin to increase the adhesiveness of the wraps, but as you’ll see in the last clip, I found that beeswax was sticky enough on its own.
• You’ll see in the video that I placed wax pellets under the fabric and on top, not necessary. It works just as well only sprinkling on one side.

How to Make Reusable Beeswax Wraps In the Oven

As you can see in the first video above, I made a big mess trying to make my beeswax wraps with the iron method, so I decided to move on to the oven method. I found this to be the best way to make these simple DIY beeswax wraps! 

Materials for oven method

• Thin cotton fabric. (I used cloth napkins that I found at the thrift store.)
• Beeswax pellets or grated beeswax (I use this brand)
• Parchment paper
• Oven
• Baking Sheet (I used a disposable aluminum pan)
• Clean paintbrush (that you don’t mind throwing away)
• Scissors

Directions for oven method

1. Preheat your oven to 350º
2. Cut your thin cotton fabric into the desired sizes for your beeswax wrap. Customize the dimensions based on your specific needs, keeping in mind common sizes range from 8×8 inches to 12×12 inches. I actually used cloth napkins that I found for super cheap at the thrift store, but if you’re cutting your own fabric you want to be sure to use pinking shears to avoid fraying.
3. Line your baking sheet or pan with parchment paper and place your fabric on top.
4. Sprinkle the beeswax pellets evenly across the top of the fabric and put in the oven for 2-3 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and spread the melted beeswax using your paintbrush. Repeat the process if you have any areas that the wax didn’t cover.
6. Remove from the oven and let the wrap cool on a flat surface, then gently peel off the parchment paper. The beeswax will solidify, creating a flexible and reusable wrap.
7. Your DIY beeswax wraps are now ready for use! Just wrap them around your favorite food or place them on top of a storage container and use the warmth of your hands to activate the stickiness of the wax.

**You can use beeswax wraps on most food, but avoid raw meat and fish, and excessively hot or wet items.

Notes

These are some things I found important as I was attempting this project.

• Store your wraps in a cool dark place, wash them with mild dish soap and cold water, and hang to dry.
• Cover a large area of your work surface with parchment paper, paying close attention to where the cracks in the paper are so that the wax doesn’t drip through. I think it would be a good idea to place a couple of layers of parchment on the surface to avoid a mess.
• Start with less wax than you think you’ll need, you can always add more. I did not do this. I piled it on and ended up with a lot of wax dripping off the table and onto my feet.
• You can choose to hang your wrap on a hanger using clothes pins to dry, but I found that it dried so quickly you can just leave it lying on the parchment and peel it off when it’s ready. Or you can be impatient like me and burn your fingertips.
• Many recipes call for adding pine resin to increase the adhesiveness of the wraps, but as you’ll see in the last clip, I found that beeswax was sticky enough on its own.