I store all of our leftovers in glass containers with lids. This is a better option than putting food in plastic. That’s because glass is stable.

Plastic, on the other hand, is made with potentially toxic chemicals. These may leach into your food, especially hot, spicy dishes.

However, most of our lidded containers are on the smaller size. Larger amounts of food go into bigger glass bowls. I don’t want to cover them with plastic wrap. I don’t like to use this because I don’t want plastic compounds in my food.

Also, plastic is bad for the environment. Tin foil is something I like to avoid as well. It’s made from aluminum. This heavy metal is something I don’t even want in my kitchen, since it’s been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and a number of other conditions.

So I was left with the dilemma of how to cover leftover food. Naturally, I was really happy to hear about natural beeswax food wraps. They’re becoming really popular. You can order them online. Or, you can make them yourself. Since I already had beeswax in the house, that’s what I decided to do.

DIY Beeswax Food Wrap

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Beeswax food wraps are not that difficult to make. But, due to their rising popularity, you can also order them online. However, since I already had natural beeswax pellets in the house, I decided to make my own wraps.

First, I researched different food wrap recipes. There are a number of suggested ways to make these non-toxic food wraps. One involves putting a piece of fabric on a cookie sheet, putting it in the oven and heating it at 200 to 225 degrees F until the beeswax pellets melt. I tried this, because I thought it would be easier. However, I was less than happy with the results. It didn’t cover the entire fabric. So I ended up melting beeswax on the stove and dipping the cloth inside the hot liquid. This is the method I recommend.

The first wrap I made wasn’t a smashing success. You can buy cotton fabric by the yard, and cut it size you need. But I wanted to make a wrap immediately. Also, I like using what I have on hand first, before buying something else. So I scoured my house for a piece of cotton fabric. It was too thick.

Beeswax Food Wraps DIY

Beeswax wraps work best when the fabric is thin. The wrap I made was functional. But it was more difficult to make because of the material. Also, it wasn’t attractive. I can use it. So I wouldn’t want to give it away as a gift. (Homemade all natural gifts are so much fun to make, and highly appreciated, from what I’ve seen.) Beeswax wraps are very practical. You can use them to wrap large glass containers. Also, you can fold them and use them to wrap sandwiches. You can tie the wrap together with a piece of twine.

How to Make Beeswax Food Wraps

Anyway, it’s easy to make your own beeswax food wraps, even if you don’t think of yourself as particularly crafty. (I certainly don’t fit this description.) Here’s how to do it and here’s what you’ll need.

A large stainless steel fry pan

Natural white beeswax pellets (They’re available here)

Sheets of cotton cloth (They’re available here)

A wooden barbecue stick

Melt the beeswax in the fry pan over low heat. Watch it closely so it doesn’t smoke. As soon as the beeswax turns to liquid, drop one cloth sheet into the liquid and stir with the wooden barbecue stick until the cloth is covered in beeswax. Use the stick to remove the cloth from the pan and hold in the air for a minute or two until the wax cools. (This happens fast.)

Making Beeswax Food Wraps

When working with beeswax, here’s a cleaning tip. Take a paper towel and thoroughly wipe the pan out while it’s still slightly warm, before the wax hardens. Then throw the paper towel away. This prevents hardened beeswax from clogging your kitchen sink. (I do the same whenever I’m working with coconut oil and shea butter.)

Update: Beeswax wraps don’t last forever. Eventually the wax will flake off. You may notice whitening of the dried beeswax when you fold it. The wrap is still good to use. Periodically, you can reapply a thin layer of melted beeswax.