As of today, the world is producing 300 million tons of plastic every year, half of which is for single-use purposes! This alarming fact is driving more and more Makers to find solutions to reduce our plastic consumption. And what better way to live a more sustainable life than doing what we do best: DIY sustainable products that will stand the test of time and help us all live more consciously.
One great way to limit our need of plastic is to use beeswax fabric wraps. The idea is to coat squares of fabric with beeswax to create very eco-friendly, reusable wraps you can use for all sorts of things. From covering bowls containing left-overs before storing them in the fridge, to wrapping your sandwich to bring to work, the possibilities are endless. Beeswax is also antimicrobial and will allow your food to breath which will keep everything fresh and safe. Once you start using them, you’ll definitely find a million more uses for these wraps each day.
And lucky for us, making your own reusable beeswax fabric wraps is very easy, quick and will make good use of all your precious fabric scraps. Plus they make great gifts! What’s not to like!
To create your wraps you’ll need the following things:
100% cotton fabrics (This project is a great way to use up all your pretty fabric scraps you’ve been saving!)
Natural beeswax in pellets
Pinking shears or a rotary cutter with pinking blade and a cutting mat
Baking sheets
An oven
After pre-washing your fabric to remove traces of chemicals in it, start by marking and cutting your fabric into squares (or rectangles, circles, you name it...) with the pinking shears. Note that a little trick if you plan on cutting a lot of fabric is to use a rotary cutting with a pinking blade. This will great reduce wrist fatigue and make cutting evenly a breeze.
Now place your fabric on a baking sheet and sprinkle some beeswax on top of it.
The quantity of wax you use depends on the fabric’s thickness and how you like your wraps to “stick”. The best way to work this out is to consider the first couple of wraps as tests and use them to evaluate how you like the amount of wax you’ve used.
Know that using too little wax will not make the fabric stick to itself or the container you’re planning to cover and using too much will leave you with sticky hands every time you use them.
To melt the beeswax, place your fabric in the oven at 100 degrees (or 250 Fahrenheit) and set a timer for 5 min. Your wax should have completely melted by then and your fabric will have taken a nice golden colour. (And your house will smell fantastic!)
Carefully take the wrap out of the oven and let it sit for a few instant before getting it on another baking sheet to cool. Remember that melted wax is liquid and will drip if you don’t wait a little before transferring it.
A great trick to save time is to melt wax on two squares of fabric at the same time. To do so, simply place your fabrics on top of each other in the oven. Sprinkle the beeswax and melt it at the same temperature and during the same time as a single piece of fabric. When you get it out of the oven, let it cool for an instant. Then remove one layer and leave it to dry on another piece of baking sheet before getting the second one out in the same manner.
The amount of wax will increase a little though but you’ll find that technique to be a real timesaver if you plan on making lots of wraps.
If the piece of fabric is too large for your oven, simply fold the fabric in half on itself. Proceed in the same manner for melting the wax taking care to adapt the quantity of wax to the double thickness. When you get it out of the oven, let it sit a few instant and unfold the fabric before the wax hardens. Control that you have enough wax on the fold and and place it flat on another baking sheet to finish drying.
And that’s it!
To care for you newly made wraps, simply rinse or lightly wash with soap and cold water before leaving it hanging to dry. Avoid using them with raw meat or fish but otherwise, everything else is fine. To store them more easily, fold them and keep them away from heat. And if you find that the wax is starting to thin with use, revive your wrap by sprinkling a few wax pellets on your fabric and melting it in the oven.
Now, all that is left to do is to find creative ways to use your beeswax fabric wraps and enjoy reducing your plastic consumption at the same time. If you do use this post to make your own wraps, share with us your creations by using #wearologiezerowasteproject
Have fun making some for yourself!