Testing Cling
These wraps’ success depends on how well they can adhere—both to themselves and to containers. Each wrap’s components are very similar: fabric dipped in beeswax or soy wax, as well as jojoba oil, coconut oil, and/or tree resin for added stickiness and flexibility. Manufacturers were reticent to disclose their exact formulas, but we noticed some differences in texture and clinging ability that suggested that companies use different proportions of wax, oil, and tree resin. Two of the wraps were extremely sticky and malleable. They folded and stuck well to themselves and the bowls we tried them on, creating seals that held fast during the grape test. But there was a downside to those supersticky wraps. While all left some oily residue on our hands and the bowls’ rims, the especially sticky wraps left gunky, waxy residue everywhere. We were able to easily scrub away the residue from our fingers and the bowls’ rims with soap and a sponge, but it was messy and inconvenient nonetheless. Two of the wraps were stiffer and difficult to manipulate. They didn't adhere well; during the grape test, the wraps came unstuck and fruit went flying everywhere. But they also left behind less waxy residue on our hands and dishes, a sign they were likely made with less wax or oil. The remaining two wraps were just right. They were flexible and clingy enough to seal the bowls tightly, all while keeping the bowls’ rims, as well as our hands, relatively free of oil and wax. The wraps adhered to the bowls just as well as plastic wrap but without all the pesky tangling and sticking.
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