Beeswax Wraps: Frequently Asked Questions

Allergies Advice (ingredients)

If you have highly sensitive skin that reacts to many natural properties, you should always test your skin prior to use. 

Other ingredients:

- 100% Pure food-grade beeswax
- 100% Pure NASSA Certified Organic Coconut Oil
- 100% Organic Certified Cotton Fabric
- 100% Certified Gum Reson
 

Care & Maintenance

Always eat leftover food covered with beeswax wraps within the appropriate time-frame to avoid turnover.

Freezer-Friendly
Works well in the freezer however we recommend allowing the wax to gently thaw to prevent cracking before unwrapping your goodies. Great for bread freezing!

Cold Water Only, Gentle Cleansing
It is vital that beeswax wraps are not washed in hot water or in the dishwasher as it destroys your wraps melting by melting the wax off the cotton, where it starts to leave cracks and in worst cases, completely dissolves wax leaving nothing but cotton fabric.  They must be cold water hand washed only.

Fill your skink with cold water and wash with mild, gentle, plain soap/dish soap. Gentle wipe down (no scrubbing) with a soft cloth. Rinse of soapy suds and dry.

Do not use any acidic substances to cleanse your wraps, such as vinegar, bi-carb, acids, solvents or even bleaches.

Stay Away from Heat
Keep it away from heat sources, such as microwaves, ovens, fireplaces, heaters, heating/stovetop elements, kettles and dishwashers.

Never cover food, plates, cutlery or bowls which are still hot or warm with a beeswax wrap. Foods must be completely cooled before use.

Storage
Store in a cool, dry closed place such as a cupboard pantry or drawer which is not exposed to direct sunlight, hot car, shed or next to some sort of heating element such as a microwave, BBQ, oven or stove top.

Alternatively Apiwraps recommend rolling them up next to your tea towels in a drawer or container on the bench.

No Oils, Sauces, Liquids, Rich Coloured Foods or Raw Meat
Oils, sauces and some fruits such as watermelon are liquid which cannot be contained in a beeswax wrap and will also stain your wraps. Anything that is in liquid form should be contained in a jar or container that is sealed. They are not recommended for use with Beeswax Wraps.

Rich coloured foods such as turmeric, curry and beetroot will transfer some colour. Stains can occur naturally overtime so always stay top of the gentle cleansing processes immediately to reduce this impact.

Additionally, for food and safety reasons you must never use Beeswax Wraps to cover raw meat.
  

Are Beeswax Wraps considered hygienic for food and kitchen use?
Absolutely, with the correct use, care and maintenance, Beeswax Wraps are naturally awesome and eco-friendly alternative to plastic.

Despite their natural antimicrobial and antifungal properties, if you leave food to spoil in a beeswax wrap they will inhibit decaying growth such as Salmonella & Staphylococcus. Information can be found online by researching broad and varying studies.

Are Beeswax Wraps safe to use for food fermentation?
Absolutely! Beeswax wraps are great for being water-tight on top of jars with the help of string or twine to tighten. Being breathable, they allow little circulation but don’t allow external factors such as bacteria or yeast to enter the jar. 

I've got food residue on my wraps or wax on my food. What do I do?
Sometimes after unwrapping your beeswax wrap from around food, a little bit of wax may be left behind on your food or alternatively, food residue may be stuck to your wrap. It means that the food was warm when wrapped which has resulted in melting the wax wraps.

If food residue is left on the wrap, don’t worry, just follow gentle cleansing instructions and revamping techniques and it’s as good as new.

Wax on food or kitchen ware? Never stress! The beeswax is 100% food grade quality and safe. If wax is stuck on kitchenware following gently cleaning instructions with warm water.

I have a white fold crease mark in my wrap after using it. Is this normal? 
Yes, this is normal and natural, nothing to worry about. The white crease line (beeswax) will disappear once it has been warmed with your fingers. Depending on how much you use your wraps, if creasing overtime doesn't disappear, use the guidelines to re-vamping your wraps with a dry warm iron and parchment paper. Complete!

Bringing Life Back to Well-Used Wraps
Beeswax wraps can be used time and time again, all they require is a little re-vamping every now and then. When your wrap has been used well (approximately 1-6 months) and is becoming tired it may start to crack or crinkle.

You can revamp these wraps and make them as good as new by placing your wrap on top of parchment paper (eco-friendly baking paper alternative), sprinkling grated beeswax onto your wraps and placing into sun.

Alternatively, you can use your oven (approximately 50-60°C) on very low heat for a small period of time (approximately 3 minutes depending), under constant supervision until it has melted and has spread out. This method is great just for cracks by backfilling the area.

Another method is by placing your wrap on top of parchment paper, sprinkle grated beeswax onto your wrap where it is crinkling, place another piece of parchment paper on top, then use a warm iron over the top of the paper to seal it in.

If you feel your beeswax wrap has been revived too much overtime and want to dispose of them, simply cut into smaller strips and place into your compost where they will bio-grade. Beeswax wraps are also known to be great fire starters by simply wrapping them around kindling to naturally get your fire started.

Please Note: Light and white coloured wraps may show brown discolorations in places due to the natural rosin. This is normal and does not affect the wraps in anyway. Wrap pattern colours will vary depending on bee foraging behaviour. Apiwraps have been tried and tested for many, many years and this is something they have thought of, which is why the majority of the wraps have dark colours and artistic illustrations.

 

I've accidentally got Beeswax on my iron, how do I fix this? 

No worries, easy fix! Place your hot iron on top of paper towel and watch the melted beeswax absorb into the paper to towel.

This technique also works well if you have accidentally spilt wax on carpet. Simply place paper towel over the top of the spilt beeswax, then iron over the top of the paper towel. You will see the beeswax absorb into the paper towel.

Fixed!

 


RECOMMENDED DEMONSTRATIONS & FOLDING TECHNIQUES

Learn the correct folding techniques to get the most from your wraps. Please click on the demonstration videos below by Apiwraps for more information: