Like a lot of people, you might be trying to cut back on single-use products in your home, whether that means opting for Stasher bags or swapping your paper towels for reusable, machine-washable Swedish dishcloths. The next product that can help make your kitchen even more eco-friendly? Bee’s Wrap, an organic, sustainable and reusable kitchen wrap that can store everything from fruit and vegetables to baked goods and leftovers.
With sustainability top of mind, even Bee’s Wrap’s packaging is recyclable and fully biodegradable. But what we wanted to know is, do they work? Can they replace wasteful plastic wrap and other single-use plastic storage?
When you open the package, which includes three wraps, the texture of the wraps is thick and a little gummy feeling, as there is a layer of bee’s wax, organic jojoba oil and tree resin on the organic fabric that the wraps are made of. They feel a little bit like a reinforced cloth shopping bag mixed with heavy construction paper, and surprisingly, they’re not stretchy at all.
So, when you’re using the wraps, you actually want to warm them with your hands and mold them around what you’re protecting. I first used the wrap to cover a bowl of hard boiled eggs I was keeping in the fridge. Because the bowl was already cool, I had to use my hands to really warm up the wrap in order for it to adhere properly, but it only took a few seconds.
Next, I sliced an apple in half and wanted to store the second half for a snack later, and I used another Bee’s Wrap to pack up the apple half. I unfolded the wrap and placed the flat side of the apple on the wrap; then, using my hands, I wrapped and molded the Bee’s Wrap around the apple, making it as airtight as possible, because — as I learned while working in a cheese shop in college — air is the enemy of fresh. The less air your leftovers are exposed to, the less they will degrade.
Several hours later I needed a snack and pulled the wrapped apple out of my refrigerator. To me, this was the real test, and Bee’s Wrap passed. My apple was not brown at all, and it tasted as crisp as the half I’d had at breakfast. The wraps are best used for leftovers, fruits, vegetables and cheese, but aren’t recommended for raw meat — most likely because of potential bacteria transmission.
You might be wondering, if these wraps are reusable, how do you clean them? Do they get gross? It’s pretty simple: You just hand-wash them in cool water with a little bit of dish soap. I draped mine over an empty dish rack to dry, and then folded it up and slid it in a drawer with the other two wraps. You don’t want to use warm water or get your Bee’s Wraps near too much heat, because the oil and wax will degrade. Otherwise, they should last for about a year, which is a lot better than throwing out plastic wrap every day.
While I’m new to using the Bee’s Wraps, I’m confident that they will replace a lot of single-use plastic wraps and other disposable plastic storage in my day-to-day life. I feel good about lessening my impact on the planet, and honestly, about the savings — a pack of single-use plastic wrap runs about $2 to $5 — that will add up over the next year. Saving the planet and a few bucks, who doesn’t love that?