Make Your Own Beeswax Wraps At Home With This Simple DIY

Whether you're trying to be more budget-conscious or have an eye on the health of your environment — both in your home and around the planet — you've likely considered ditching your single-use, plastic food storage bags. And it's a good idea for a variety of reasons. Not only are plastic bags nibbling away at your budget and wreaking havoc on the environment, they are also likely leaching toxic chemicals into your food.

Breaking up with plastic bags doesn't have to be difficult. There are loads of recyclable, biodegradable, and/or reusable sandwich bag options available that are not only healthier for you, the planet, and your budget — but they're often more fun, especially if you DIY your own and add a little of your personal style.

Instagram user Alexandria Smith (@lovedaphnemae) illustrates how to make your own DIY beeswax wraps in five simple steps. Choose a material — ideally 100% cotton because the fiber is less toxic and super absorbent — and cut out sizes and shapes to your liking. Cover an oven-safe baking surface with parchment paper and lay your fabric pieces on top. Sprinkle them with a layer of beeswax pellets and heat in an oven preheated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes. Then, simply let the fabric cool and absorb the wax. This project ranks delightfully low on the difficulty meter and is cost-efficient, too. You can snag 3 yards of 44-inch wide Organic Cotton Fabric from Craftido for around $20, and the ENCANLIGHT Beeswax Pellets go for less than $15 on Amazon.

A word of caution, however. While beeswax is lauded for its antimicrobial properties (meaning you can often get away with just rinsing and drying your wraps), using 100% beeswax will make your wraps quite stiff, and it will take a lot of heat and pressure to really create a seal, at least for the first dozen or so uses. Some DIYers mix about 2 tsp of pine resin and 1 tbsp of jojoba oil into their melted beeswax to combat this.

Additionally, while these alternatives to cling wrap and tin foil do wonders for detoxifying food storage, they are slightly more high maintenance. Beeswax melts — obviously — so they aren't great for transporting super hot foods, and the wraps need to be washed in cold water for the same reason. If that sounds like a little too much work, there are lots of other ways you can ditch the plastic for a more eco-friendly home. Reusable silicone bags, for instance. They're a little more expensive — a set of 2 bags from Zip Top would set you back around $20 — but they are designed to last. They also stand up to extreme temperatures, so it's no problem to pull them from the freezer and throw them directly into the microwave to reheat your soup or add them to the dishwasher when they need to be cleaned.

In her Instagram reel, Smith brilliantly suggests making these DIY wraps as gifts. You could also take it a step further and use your beeswax wraps to wrap a small gift! Double the eco-savings and double the gifting!