It is easy for beeswax wraps to become part of your day- to-day life once you know how and when to use them but…for someone who is new to them, it can seem like they are a strange concept.

Let me promise you, they’re not! And this blog is to help you get started using your wax wraps and make sure that you get the very best out of them so you love them as much as we do here at Queen Bee Wraps.

Here are some of the more common questions we are asked.

How do I use my beeswax wraps? 

Honestly, that is very straightforward.

When you get a new wrap you should scrunch it up in your hands gently as this ‘warms’ the fabric. Cold wraps are stiff and therefore quite difficult to mould around things.

To mould them round food/plates/bowls, you simply use the warmth from your hands to soften the wax and they ‘stick’ to whatever it is you are using them on. Make sure you use a wrap that is significantly bigger than what you are trying to cover.

Keep away from heat sources (such as the oven, microwave, dishwasher and full sun on a hot day or anything hot enough to melt wax). Beeswax melts at around 60-67°C, but it begins to soften before that. Letting your wraps get too hot will ruin them.

What are wax wraps made from, and how do they work?

Here at Queen Bee Wraps we use our own secret recipe but that is made from a combination of sustainably sourced, certified food grade beeswax, natural tree resin and jojoba oil infused into 100% cotton fabric. (We just can’t tell you how much of which ingredient!)

 

Beeswax is the magic ingredient, providing antifungal and antibacterial properties helping keep things clean and reducing risks of contamination. Beeswax is also waterproof, yet still breathable, protecting your food from getting wet or wilted while locking in moisture, flavour and freshness.

The jojoba oil (a plant wax) keeps the wrap malleable from the fridge and the resin allows the wrap to stick to itself and containers.

These ingredients are all food grade, therefore safe for wrapping food.

There is another significant benefit to the wraps, beyond the reduction of single use waste. All kinds of fresh food will keep fresher for longer inside a beeswax wrap; an extra couple of days at least. By decanting traditionally plastic wrapped foods such as salad, mushrooms, leeks etc into a beeswax wrap, they will last longer for you. A wonderful bonus of much less food waste too.

What can you use wax wraps for? 

This could be a long answer but the short version is…..anything! You can use them to wrap leftover fruit and veg (think half an onion or avocado), cover bowls and plates, jars, tins, cheese boards, bread, cake……the list really is endless.

Just make sure you avoid raw meat, fish and hot food

These wax wraps are a perfect way to ditch the cling film, foil, plastic sandwich bags and more.

With many uses (including folding to make little snack pockets), you need never waste time finding the end of a roll of cling film again! And your fridge will look so much more colourful too!

What size wax wrap do I need?

This is something that you may need to figure out as you go along but as wraps come in many different sizes, we always recommend starting out with one of each (check out our variety packs), and then working out which you use the most and getting more of that size.

The wraps come in various different pack sizes so you can pick and choose what will work for you. Here is a rough guide:

  • Small wraps (18x18cm) great for veg savers (half a lemon, onion, cucumber etc), tins, jars and ramekin dishes.
  • Medium (26x26cm) good for cheese, herbs, fruit, cereal bowls, jars, snacks.
  • Large (32x32cm) perfect for large bowls, plates, sandwiches, cheese boards and more.
  • XXL (45x55cm) – Bread, Serving Bowls, Dinner Plates, Large Cheese Boards, Cakes ‘n’ bakes. You can also cut these up into your own custom sizes.

How do I clean wax wraps?

Hand wash, like a plate, in cold water with mild washing up liquid, air dry and reuse.

The wraps are not dishwasher or microwave safe.

Hopefully this will really help you to start (or continue) using your wax wraps. They are a wonderful addition to your routine and are so much better than disposable alternatives! And don’t panic – all of our wraps come with full instructions on their recyclable card sleeve!

We will cover how to refresh wax wraps and what to do with them at the end of their life in a future blog so please do subscribe to our newsletter so we can send you updates.