DIY Beeswax Food Wraps
I frequently make/pack a lunch for my husband and I when we work in the field with his business. I am constantly buying Ziploc bags. All sizes. And to purchase a box of 150 Ziploc bags or a roll of plastic wrap is $5 or more! So in hopes of going “green” this year I decided to try making DIY Beeswax Food Wraps!
Pros and Cons of Beeswax Food Wraps
Beeswax Food Wraps are not airtight. So you need to be aware of what you are covering and make sure it isn’t something perishable such as beef or chicken. So it is recommended to use them for foods that you will be eating within a couple hours or the next day. If you have something that needs to be airtight use a re-usable airtight container.
Cleaning Beeswax Food Wraps is easy. However, you have to remember not to use hot/warm water. They can be easily cleaned with cool water and mild soap. Warm/hot water will melt the beeswax! So cool water only!
Cost Savings
To purchase Beeswax Wraps on Amazon is more expensive than I thought! A pack of 3 (assorted sizes) costs anywhere from $13 and up! I bought a 1 lb bag of cosmetic grade Beeswax and a pack of precut pieces of 100% cotton fabric for about $30. And I will be able to make about 2 dozen assorted sized wraps or more! That is a huge savings!
Moral of this story, make your own Beeswax Food Wraps! Don’t buy them!
Supplies
Here is the list of supplies I used to make my wraps!
- Natural Beeswax Pellets, white
- 100% Cotton Fabric, in cute patterns and cut into assorted sizes
- Paint Brush, I used a 3″ brush. It can’t be used for painting after this project so make sure it is disposable or you keep it specifically to make beeswax wraps.
- Parchment Paper
- Scissors
- Pants Hanger (optional you can use clothes pin and a hanger too)
- Baking Sheet
Steps to make your wraps
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your piece of fabric, design side facing down on your parchment paper.
Spread beeswax pellets across the entire piece of fabric. Be sure not to forget the edges! I felt a little went a loooong way! But use your judgement here. I made one where I generously used the beeswax, but I felt it was too much.
Bake for 8 minutes to melt the pellets.
Remove from oven and use paint brush to evenly spread the beeswax on the fabric.
Hang to dry.
Custom Wraps
Once the beeswax has set you can add buttons or hand-sew them into small pouches. I personally, am not this talented. So here are some instructions on how to from Good Housekeeping!
Snack Bags: Use a 7″ x 14″ piece of fabric. Once dry, fold the fabric in half with the non-treated sides facing inward. Hand sew the two sides together, leaving the top open. Turn the bag inside out, and add a button.
Sandwich Wraps: Use a 14″ x 14″ piece of fabric. On the patterned side, sew a button in two adjacent corners. To close, put the side with the buttons face down. Fold the fabric into thirds around the sandwich. Flip and fold the ends of the fabric up so the buttons are on top. Wrap twine around them in a figure-eight pattern for a secure closure.
Conclusion
This is an easy DIY. I did a couple new Beeswax Food Wraps each day until I had what I thought was enough! I also made extra for friends and family! That is how easy it was! And I found some super cute patterns to make them with too!!
Products I used for this DIY
I used Essential Living White Beeswax Pellets. They worked well and you can purchase them from Amazon!
I bought several different packs of material. They were pre cut into 20×20 inch squares and I just cut them to the sizes I wanted! Purchase HERE from Amazon!
Gratitude
More importantly, thank you for spending your time here at Colorado Kelly! I love having you here and appreciate everyone that comes to visit and look forward to having you come back soon!
Magnolia Table’s Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
sambo
You make food wrapping so beautiful! It makes me feel so inspired to copy this
Kelly
I hope you do!!
Krystle Smith
We go through way too much plastic wrap, I’m excited to give these a try.
Kelly
I hope you try them!
bella
Who knew it was so easy to make!! I use bees wax papper all the time its the best!
Kelly
I know! I never knew they were so easy to make!
Crickette, The Things I Have to Say
Wow! This is such a good idea! You have definitely inspired me to follow suit.
Kelly
It was so easy and fun!
Sonia Seivwright
These designs are beautiful. Looks fun to create
Kelly
It was a lot more fun than I expected!
Heidi
These look like something handy to have! Thanks for sharing!
Kelly
They are!
Nicole Anderson
I was initially drawn to this post because I like to avoid using plastic zip lock bags that are so unfriendly to the environment. But having read this and seen how attractive you can make these as well, this just makes it even more appealing. The end result looks so fabulous!
Kelly
Thank you! It all depends on the fabric! =)
Kalyon Subbarao M
it’s a very nice way of wrapping food, good we can avoid plastic wrapping now.
Kelly
Yes! We need to be more pro-active in going green!
Kathy Kenny Ngo
I was already thinking of using beeswax. I’m glad that I got to read this coz now I know I can’t use it on fresh meats like beef and chicken.
Kelly
Glad I could help!
Heather LeGuilloux
I love all of the cute designs that are available! And such as great environmentally safe way to preserve food. Bees are awesome!
Kelly
Bees are awesome!!!
Genesis
There is a lady who sells beeswax wrapping at my local farmer’s market and I love them! Now I know how to make them myself 🙂
Kelly
Yes! I hope you do!
Linda
I love beeswax wraps, but you’re right, they can be expensive and sometimes have weird additions to the wax that make them smell way too strong. Not the kind of scent I want next to my fresh foods. This is a great DIY and would make sweet gifts, too!
Kelly
I was surprised by how much they cost!
Yolanda
I didn’t realize it was so easy to make these. I hate cling film as it’s so bad for the environment. I’m going to give this a try. Thanks for the tips!
Kelly
You’re welcome!!!
Janette @ Passionate Heart Project
What a fun activity! I didn’t even know beeswax food wraps existed. Thanks for posting!
Kelly
Learn something new everyday!!!
simplyjolayne
I never knew this was even such a thing. They are beautiful.
Kelly
Thank you!
Adelaide
These are adorable (I love the beehive one!) and a lot easier than I ever imagined. Thanks for the tutorial pictures!
Kelly
I hope you try to make some for yourself!
lisa
What a clever idea! I’ve never thought of anything like this before. You are certainly a crafty gal. I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day!
Kelly
Thanks! Same to you!!!
Charissa
These homemade beeswax food wraps are so cute! I didn’t even realize this was a thing and you did a fabulous job!
Kelly
Ahhh, thank you!!! I love them!
Sarah Althouse
Every year I make a DIY christmas gift for my sisters and I think I’m going to do this this year! excited!
Kelly
I hope you do! They will love them!
Gloria Standifer
What a great idea! Baggies are such a waste. 👍
Kelly
Yes they are!!!
Kait
This is such a great DIY! I love the idea of making these myself so I am not limited to the patterns I can find on Amazon. I definitely need to do a better job to stop wrapping everything in plastic.
Kelly
We all need to!