Make your own beeswax wraps

They are reusable, sustainable and free of plastic: beeswax cloths. And the best thing about it is that you can easily make them yourself. In 5 steps to your own beeswax cloth.

Make your own beeswax wraps: it's that easy

Cling film and aluminum foil are practical, but end up in the trash after just a few uses. Beeswax wraps are more sustainable. After use, you wash them off so you can reuse them. If you use motif fabrics for the production, they are also a colorful splash in the gray everyday life. Making it is pretty easy. Cut the fabric, soak it with melted beeswax, let the wax solidify and you're done!

What you need:

• Beeswax pastilles from Röösli
• Leftover fabric, preferably cotton
• normal iron
• baking paper
• baking tray
• Coconut or jojoba oil (optional)

Step-by-step instructions for beeswax wraps:

1. Cut the pre-washed, dry fabric to the desired size. Line the back of a baking tray with baking paper and place the fabric on top.

2. Spread some beeswax pastilles on the fabric. The amount depends on the size of the fabric. One or two heaped tablespoons are enough for two small oilcloths (25cm x 25cm). Distribute the wax pastilles evenly over the fabric.

3. Cover the fabric covered with beeswax pastilles with a second piece of baking paper.

4. Using an iron on the lowest setting, iron the second baking paper until the wax underneath has melted. Make sure that your iron is not too hot and does not emit any steam. The fabric should be able to completely soak up beeswax. If this is not the case, apply wax pastilles again to the appropriate areas directly on the fabric and repeat the process until the cloth is completely covered with beeswax.

5. Remove the still warm material from the baking paper and let it cool in the air. To do this, you can hang it on a clothes horse using clothes pegs for a few minutes.

Tips:

• If you want, you can also melt coconut or jojoba oil onto the fabric. These ensure that the material becomes more flexible and can be used better.
• Alternatively, you can put the fabric covered with beeswax pastilles in the oven and let it melt over low heat (90° top/bottom heat). Then use a brush designed for this purpose to smooth out the wax until the fabric is completely soaked with wax.
• Various tree resins (e.g. spruce resin) can also be added. These allow the beeswax to bond even better with the fabric. Warning: Do not use if you have allergies.
• If the beeswax cloth shows a lot of creases after a long period of use, you can simply freshen it up by ironing it again. To do this, place it between two pieces of baking paper and iron it at low heat.

The Röösli team wishes you good luck!