Seriously, how many candles does one woman need?

These days, beeswax is mostly an ingredient in candles and beauty products, but there are plenty of household beeswax uses as well. Here are 9 ways you can put it to work in your humble abode:

1. Swap out your plastic wrap

When beeswax is applied to cotton, the cotton’s no longer breathable, making it the perfect replacement for that icky plastic wrap. Not only are cotton wraps uber-economical, reusable and eco-friendly, but you can choose fabrics that go with your kitchen décor – even the inside of your fridge will be fashionable. Cha. Ching. Here’s a fab tutorial on how to make your own cotton wraps.

2. Grease cookie sheets

This is one of the more intriguing beeswax uses I discovered: Pure natural beeswax can be used to grease cookie sheets and baking molds instead of butter or oil. Warm up your sheet or mold slightly and simply rub a block of beeswax over it. Eventually, it will take on a permanent coat of wax, so you won’t need to grease it every time. Interesting, no?

3. Clean your iron

Over time, your iron begins to look scorched or a gummy residue starts to build. Luckily, you can make a chemical-free DIY iron cleaner with beeswax. No muss, no fuss. (Okay, maybe a little fuss.)

4. Waterproof your shoes

Rub beeswax over leather shoes to protect them against weathering. Rain or shine, your shoes will always look fabulous.

5. Unstick a drawer / unsqueak a hinge

One of my favorite beeswax uses is to unstick furniture joints and unsqueak hardware (my front door never sees it coming). Rub the wax in to distribute it (use a cloth on wood products to avoid splinters) and make friction a thing of the past.

6. Coat nails and screws

When you’re putting together or repairing furniture, coating your nails and screws with beeswax will help ensure the wood doesn’t splinter when you hammer them in.

7. Condition your wood furniture and accessories

Speaking of wood, you can combine food grade mineral oil with melted beeswax and use it to condition your butcher block, wooden bowls, spoons, and of course furniture. Here’s a super easy wood polish DIY.

8. Seal an envelope

This is such a gorgeous finishing touch – and with how rare it is to even get a letter in the mail anymore, I feel like we need to step up our game on the correspondence we send out. Use this envelope seal tutorial to accent wedding or baby shower invitations – or you know, use it because it’s Tuesday.

9. Get rid of the itchies

When a bug bite or rash is driving you batshit, you can make a salve using beeswax to give yourself some relief. Here’s a DIY salve recipe you and your skin will love.

What interesting beeswax uses have you discovered?

Related on EcoSalon

A Guide to Eco-Friendly Beeswax Candles & Honey

Pucker Up for this Sweet and Easy DIY Homemade Lip Balm Recipe

The Many Wonders of Beeswax

Image: Peter Shanks

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