Homemade beeswax cloth: put away with cling film, that's the alternative!

"What is that hipster eco nonsense again?" was my first thought when on Instagram an influencer mom shone a beeswax cloth, radiant and of course exuberantly enthusiastic. You could then wrap the sandwich for the kids in it, or cover glasses, cans and bowls for which you would otherwise have used cling film. So I googled, felt too expensive at first glance and put it aside under "I don't need it".

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Two weeks later a friend proudly presents me with hers DIY Easter gifts: Beeswax towels for everyone. Sustainable, practical and also really easy homemade and I like: "Ooookayy, maybe quite good, the eco alternative". And I also thought the idea of ​​giving away the towels was pretty good. Now everyone gets ecologically valuable, practical, environmentally friendly and, above all, pretty beeswax towels – grandma, mom, sister, brother, relatives, best friends … just everyone! And woe, they're not happy!

Homemade beeswax cloth: how it works

You need this:

  • Cotton fabric (pre-washed, organic quality is even better)
  • Beeswax lozenges (available online or directly from beekeepers)
  • normal scissors and zigzag scissors for fabric
  • Ruler and pen or tailor's chalk, alternatively cutting roller and cutting mat
  • Iron and ironing board
  • old towel
  • Baking paper

Instructions: How to make a beeswax

1. Think about which sizes are practical for you. For a sandwich, a cloth with the dimensions 25 x 25 cm is recommended, for small bowls or glasses 15 x 15 cm and for a baking dish it can be 40 x 40 cm or even larger. It is best to measure generously once.

2. Cut your pre-washed fabric to your desired dimensions. So that the fabric does not fray at the edges, it is best to use zigzag scissors. If you work with the rotary cutter, you can also edit the edges again with scissors afterwards.

Homemade beeswax cloth: cutting mat, fabric, rotary cutter and scissors

3. From there on the ironing board. To prevent the wax from messing up the ironing pad, place an old towel on your ironing board for safety. Now sprinkle your cotton fabric with the wax lozenges and place it between two layers of baking paper.

Homemade beeswax cloth: cloth on towel with wax lozenges

Homemade beeswax cloth: cloth on towel with wax lozenges

4. Now get to the iron: The heat melts the wax and binds to the fabric. With a little pressure, the wax can also be spread out a little.

Homemade beeswax cloth: iron on baking paper

5. If your fabric is now evenly soaked with wax, detach it from the baking paper as soon as possible and hold it smooth in your hands until the wax has cooled. This process only takes a short moment and I then put my beeswax towels on a flat surface.

Voilà, yours is done Superduper karma cling film replacement product, that looks a lot nicer too!

Homemade beeswax cloth: Cucumber and bowl covered with beeswax cloth

And how do you use that now?

By Body heat the beeswax cloths become malleable. You can use it to wrap the sandwich, cover the rest in the baking dish or keep cut fruit and vegetables. Simply rinse after use, let dry and reuse.