The GREEN Page

Wax Food Wraps

Our Pathways Sustainability students learned how to make food wraps from cotton fabric scraps and beeswax. These are versatile covers for snacks, sandwiches, and fruit. Once you make the food wraps, just let the heat from your hands warm up the wrap, and then pinch it into place so that it sticks to itself. Create a scrap box for fabric to reuse old fabric and create food wraps.

Materials

Baking sheet

Parchment paper (optional)

100% cotton fabric squares cut to your preferred size.

Beeswax or candelilla wax.

Paintbrush   

Cooling rack

1. Line your baking sheet with parchment (if using). Place your fabric on the sheet. Sprinkle two tablespoons (18g) of wax evenly over the fabric.
2. Put the baking sheet in the preheated oven for 5 minutes at 150C or gas mark 2.
3. Take it out of the oven. If there are dry spots, use a paintbrush to spread the melted wax around to the dry spots or sprinkle a few more pieces of wax on the fabric. Put the baking sheet back in the oven. Lift the fabric. Make sure no wax is dripping off. If too much wax scrape some off.

       4. Lay the fabric on a rack to dry. Once cooled it will be stiff, so                   warm in your hands before using.

       5. To clean your wraps, rinse them in cold or lukewarm water. If                  you use regularly you may need to rewax in a few months.                      When the wax starts flaking off, repeat the process with less                wax. 

Make sure you protect your hands with gloves and aerate your workspace. We put on gloves to brush wax over the squares and had the fan and air filter on whilst we worked.