How to make wax fabric food wraps

Here’s my step by step guide on how to make re-usable food wraps. They provide a great way to keep your food fresh and protected instead of using plastic cling film. They are easy to make and are made using cotton fabric and melted wax. All you need is some fabric and I used those little tea lights (you know the ones you have loads of under the kitchen sink!)

Your wax wraps can be re-used over and over. Simply wash them in cool water and air dry. Don’t use hot water or heat to dry as that’ll melt the wax. Don’t use them to wrap hot things either.

You will need:

I used fabric offcuts, but you could use an old shirt or dress – it just needs to be cotton. You can make them any size. I made them 15″ square as it seemed like a useful size for wrapping up cheese or a sandwich!

• Fabric – you’ll need cotton for this project
• Wax candles. Do not use scented! I used tea lights
• A cheese grater
• Grease proof paper x 2 sheets
• A hot iron

Step 1. Cutting out

Cut your fabric to the required size. I used crinkle scissors to avoid the edges from fraying. You could hem your fabric if you don’t have these scissors. You can make your wraps any size. Mine are 15″ square.

Step 2. Grating the wax

Put a piece of grease proof paper down first and lay your fabric (right side facing up) on top of the first layer of grease proof paper.

Use your grater to grate the wax over your fabric – you’re looking to make a nice even layer so it looks like a layer of Parmesan cheese!

Step 3. Melting the wax

Place your second piece of grease proof paper over the top of the wax.

Now iron all the layers together. Turn the steam OFF. And set to ‘cotton’ level heat. Iron the layers like normal – ie. no need to go slower, you don’t want to burn the paper and the wax will melt quite quickly. You can check how it’s doing, by peeling the top layer of grease proof paper away.

Peel your fabric away from the paper layers. It will stiffen up as it cools, so just lay flat on a table to cool down. I went over the fabric with a second layer of wax to add extra stiffness.

And there you have it! A fab alternative to using cling film and much more sustainable.