7 Ways To Use Your Vegan Wax Wrap

A vegan wax wrap is your kitchen’s right-hand mate. These wraps are washable, reusable, and fully compostable at the end of their useful life.

What goes into a vegan wax wrap?

At No Trace, we start with GOTS-certified organic cotton fabric. It gets coated in a blend of candelilla wax, pine gum rosin (aka sap), organic coconut, and organic jojoba oil. This special blend lets your wrap, bend, and mold to whatever your needs and stick to itself or whatever you’re wrapping.

How do you use a vegan wax wrap?

You have to wrap it around whatever you want to cover, apply a little pressure with your hands, and it’ll stick to itself like magic. You can wash your wraps in cool soapy water. If you need to scrub them a little, that’s a-okay too. You just don’t want to get them too hot, or the blend will start to melt or wash away.

What do you do with a vegan wax wrap?

It’s a great moisture-resistant replacement for plastic wrap and tinfoil in your kitchen. It works well at room temperature, cold and freezing temps, but not so great in the heat. Did you know there are at least seven different ways to use your vegan wax wrap? I’ll bet at least one of these will surprise you 😊.

1. Cover a jar, bowl, or plate of food

Jars: You know how jar lids get rusty over time?  Or did you lose one?  A small-sized vegan wax wrap makes a PERFECT replacement for that lid.  Just use a little pressure to seal it onto your jar - voila!

Bowls: One of my favorite ways to clean up quickly after dinner is to put a vegan wax wrap on top of the bowls of whatever we eat and put them straight into the fridge. This keeps the food fresh and speeds up the clean-up. No need to transfer leftovers into a special container. So easy.

Plates: Sometimes, your kids can’t quite finish their dinner, but you don’t want to toss it out. Just cover the plate with a vegan wax wrap! And other times, you want to send a loved one a dinner plate so they can taste your masterpiece. A vegan wax wrap will keep everything in place.

2. Cover half a fruit or veggie

If we use just half an onion with a meal, I love wrapping the other half in a vegan wax wrap and tossing it back into the fridge to stay fresh (& keep those onion odors contained)! A small vegan wax wrap works great for half an avocado, half an apple, some carrot sticks, or even covering the end of cucumber or squash. A larger wrap can cover watermelons & cantaloupes so they stay fresh in your fridge and don’t get their yummy juices on your other food.

3. Wrap fresh herbs or greens

A vegan wax wrap helps keep fresh basil, cilantro, and other herbs crisp.  It’s also great for lettuce and sturdy greens. You can wrap them up gently - no need to squish down too hard. The water barrier of the wax wrap will help keep them fresh.

4. Open a stubborn jar

I didn’t even know about this until my friend told me she uses my wraps to open tough jar lids!  Just wrap a vegan wax wrap on top of the jar and twist.  It comes off so much easier.

5. Wrap a sandwich, burrito, or wrap

This is a classic role for the wax wrap. Just wrap up your lunch and pop it in your lunch bag, backpack, or purse. Bonus - when you’re done, you don’t have a large container to carry around. It folds up neatly and even fits in your pocket.

6. Use it as a placemat

If you’re picnicking on the go, it’s a great little placemat to keep a protected or germ-free spot for your meal. It also works great at home for your kiddos and keeps the plate from moving around on your table!

7. Use it under your cutting board

If you don’t want your cutting board to move around while you work, a large vegan wax wrap will help it stay put. If any wax gets on your counters over time, it comes off with a little soapy water and elbow grease.

Bonus tip

For all you bread makers, use your wrap to keep your bread fresh. If you make your own bread or get it in paper bags, a wax wrap will help it stay super fresh. It works for freezing bread or keeping it in the cupboard.

There you go, seven different ways to use your vegan wax wrap, plus a bonus tip! You can get vegan wax wraps from The Mighty Bin. Happy wrapping!

About

Liz McDade teaches others how to craft a zero waste life with sewing, crafting, & mending projects & zero waste lifestyle tips.  She’s been featured in the San Jose Mercury News, and several podcasts including Hippie Haven; Sustainably Now; Etsy Conversations; & Measure Twice, Cut Once.  Learn more about her current work at NoTraceShop.com.