GUIDES
Wrap it up
What you'll need
- Cosmetic-grade white beeswax beads (15g makes one 30 x 30cm cloth; you can easily purchase these on Amazon or Ebay)
- Clean, plain, cotton fabric pieces, one piece per girl (30 x 30cm will make a medium-sized wrap)
- Fabric pens
- Fabric scissors
- Baking paper
- An iron
- Ironing board or towels
Aim of the activity
How much do you think about what your food is kept in? Learn about alternatives to plastic packaging and create a beeswax wrap that can be used over again!
Tape a sheet of baking paper to your ironing board before you start ironing. If your iron has a cotton setting, use this when ironing the wraps, or the lowest possible heat setting. If you don’t have an ironing board, put down towels instead. You can also use patterned fabric if you don’t have fabric pens.
Step by step
1
Each take a piece of fabric. Decorate one side of your fabric using the fabric pens. You can create any pattern you want!
2
Once you’re done decorating, take turns placing your fabric on top of the baking paper on the ironing board (use a clean piece each time). Make sure the side you’ve decorated is face down on the paper.
3
Take some beeswax beads and sprinkle them over your fabric. Don’t completely cover it, but spread them out evenly, covering the majority of your fabric.
4
Place another piece of baking paper on top of the pellets and iron gently over this. The heat will melt the beads and cause them to spread out, creating a layer of wax.
5
Once your beeswax has melted and covers all areas of your fabric, take the top sheet of baking paper off and let the beeswax cool for a couple of minutes.
6
When cool enough to touch, peel your fabric off the ironing board and leave it somewhere to cool completely. You now have your very own beeswax wrap!
Using your wrap
People have used beeswax to help store food for thousands of years. Beeswax wraps let food breathe while keeping it fresh – although you can’t use them to store meat or fish. They’re naturally anti-bacterial and are easily cleaned with water and a bit of soap (but don’t use hot water as it will melt the wax!). Each wrap should last for several months, making them the perfect way to help cut down on single-use plastic!
Stay safe
Never leave an iron unattended when it’s switched on.
•
Always put irons on heatproof surfaces.
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Place the iron near to a plug socket and keep the cable length as short as you can.
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Never touch the iron to check if it’s hot enough; always use material to do a heat test.
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Make sure that the iron is fully cooled down before you put it away.