How to Care for Beeswax Wraps
- Clare Freeman
- Jul 16
- 2 min read
Beeswax wraps are an excellent eco-friendly swap for clingfilm, but if you’ve ever watched in horror as a member of your household helpfully cleans one by giving it a good scrub under hot water, you’ll know the importance of caring for them properly!
Basic rules when caring for beeswax wraps
There are three important rules to follow when caring for beeswax wraps:
Never use hot water! Nothing more than tepid or just warm, otherwise you will start to melt the wax.
No harsh chemicals, as these will damage the beeswax coating.
No vigorous scrubbing, for the same reason.
Note that because you can’t wash the beeswax wraps in hot water they are not suitable for wrapping foods such as raw meat or fish.
How to clean your beeswax wrap safely
Usually, if you've only used your beeswax wrap to cover a bowl or to wrap a sandwich, only minimal cleaning will be required:
If the beeswax wraps is just a bit crumby or mildly dirty, you can just rinse it well under tepid water.
If the beeswax wrap has got more stubborn residue such as dough, jam, or bits of cheese, you can use a small dab of gentle eco-friendly dish soap or washing up liquid and rub that over the surface using your hands (not a brush), then rinse well with tepid or only just warm water.
Once your beeswax wraps have been rinsed you can leave the wraps somewhere flat to air dry. If you're in a hurry and can't wait that long, you can blot them gently with a tea towel (no rubbing).
When your beeswax wraps are dry, fold them carefully, pop them in an envelope or just tuck them inside a folded sheet of paper to keep them clean, and store them somewhere flat.
Further information
Over time your beeswax wraps will start to go a bit limp and to lose some stickiness as a result of the beeswax gradually wearing away with use, but the good news is that you can easily refresh them by adding a little more beeswax. For step-by-step instructions on how to do this, see our blog post:
For more ways to use beeswax around the home, see our blog post: