Reusable Food Cover- Beeswax Style

Intro: Reusable Food Cover- Beeswax Style

Use these puppies like regular ole' plastic wrap and ditch the BPA!

Getting rid of plastic in my life has become a new hobby. Sandwich baggies, plastic wrap, tupperware, sporty water bottles and anything containing hormone disturbing bpa and other nasties that are leached from plastics. Now I don't consider myself particularly crunchy nor do I sport dreadlocks. I eat out, I buy things that are wrapped in plastic, and I am not lying to myself about my consumerism and the fact that plastics are everywhere. But I have an autoimmune disease and changing my habits to support a healthier immune system is something that I should be doing. I have thrown out all the cheap plastic food containers, cups, bowls, and even our electric tea kettle with a plastic inner liner all in the name of ridding my home of BPA. So these reusable food covers are just what I need to keep my food fresh and my body from self destructing.

STEP 1: Supplies

These are super easy and cheap to make. So get yourself some stuff and lets get started.

Cotton fabric

sewing machine (or just use pinking shears)

beeswax (I found some pellets on Amazon for $10)

cookie sheet or cake pan

parchment paper

oven

paint brush of some kind

STEP 2: Cut or Sew

First, cut your cotton fabric into a shape that you think will work for your particular food needs. I cut several squares and rectangles: 1ft x 10 in, 10in x 10 in, and 13in x 11 in. Any shape that will form around a bowl, block of cheese, or other dishes is what you are going for.

If you are short on time and own some pinking shears then just cut and go. This is to prevent fraying down the road.I lost my lovely pinking shears so I improvised and just sewed some easy and pretty stiches around the edges.

STEP 3: The Climax

Here is where you are actually making the food cover.

Heat oven to at least 200 degrees.

Lay your fabric on some parchment paper, that is in a pan of some sort. (I neglected to use parchment paper and the cleanup was a mess, so learn from my mistake!)

Sprinkle some beeswax pellets or shavings on to your fabric.

Put in oven.

Wait no longer than 2 min, before checking!

When the beeswax is melted, pull out of the oven.

STEP 4: Move It and Done

Now that your beeswax is melted, its time to spread it around.

Use your brush, I used a foam brush but a paint brush of most any size will work. Just remember that you will probably throw it out when you are done!

Spread that wax around until the entire fabric is evenly coated.

It shouldn't be super hot at this point so pick it up and let it harden.

You are all done! Just wrap these new food covers around any dish like you would plastic wrap and enjoy fresh, non-hormonal disrupting vittles!

Comments

[mrsmerwin]

Does the wax come out when you launder them?

[porklips]

I wouldn't recommend washing these in a washing machine/dryer. If food gets on them just rinse off with soap and warm water. A dryer would definitely ruin them!

[Riffifi]

... and would probably ruin the dryer too XD
does the wax flake off the fabric during a wash? i mean, does it need some new waxing sometimes?

[porklips]

No, I haven't experienced any flaking. But if it does happen, rewaxing would be very easy to do.

[mrsmerwin]

Thanks. I was wondering if the heat would mess with the wax.