Celebrate world bee day on the 20th of May

To celebrate world bee day on the 20th of May we want to show you how to make your own beeswax wraps!

We all know that bees play a critical part in our ecosystem. Unfortunately, they are in danger and not enough loved by us humans that profit so much from them. To celebrate these interesting and hardworking insects, we want to show you today how to make your own beeswax wraps. They are so fun to make and will make a huge impact on your household waste production. Every little step counts!

Beeswax wraps are reusable, non-toxic, and biodegradable. It also has natural antibacterial and anti-fungal properties and is a zero-waste product that will help protect the environment by replacing the aluminium foil and cling film.

What you need:

• 100% cotton, linen or hemp fabric (something similar to the thickness of a t-shirt, pillowcase or tea towel), washed and dried
• Scissors
• blocked beeswax (for example Bienenwachs 100% rein from Honigschweiz.ch)
• clothes hanger or clothespins to hang the wraps up to dry
• parchment paper
• a paintbrush

How to make them:

1. Cut the fabric into desired shapes and sizes of your choice
2. Preheat oven to the lowest setting 50-60 C
3. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay the pieces of fabric on top
4. Sprinkle beeswax shavings evenly over the surface. Be sure to get some near the edges of the fabric too!
5. Place the baking sheet with wax-sprinkled fabric in the warm oven until the beeswax is fully melted and has soaked into the fabric (can take 5-10 minutes)
6. Once melted, remove the tray from the oven and run a brush up and down the fabric to evenly spread the melted wax
7. While still wet hang immediately to dry.
8. Once dry, they’re ready to use.

You can use colourful and fun prints for your homemade beeswax wraps. You can also stitch or clip them together to make your own takeaway sandwich bag

Care instructions:

When the beeswax wraps start losing flexibility or are getting brittle, you can restore them easily. Simply pop them back into the oven on a baking sheet on low heat to melt the top layers, then distribute the wax evenly. This will mend any creasing and cracking.

Cleaning:

Wipe them clean after usage. Water and mild dish soap are sufficient. Let them air dry. Important: Do not rinse with hot water!