How to Preserve a Carved Pumpkin with 3 Household Items

How to preserve a pumpkin!

My kids love carving pumpkins for Halloween. I don’t like to carve them too soon because of the inevitable wilting and molding that comes along with it. It’s such a disappointment to find your pumpkin rotted before the actual day! But you’re in luck because we show you how to preserve a carved pumpkin.

If you want to make sure your jack-o-lantern survives until Halloween, there is a very simple solution to help preserve a carved pumpkin! Ready?

Here is what you will need:

• Carved Pumpkin
• Bleach
• Water
• Bucket*

*If you don’t have a bucket big enough for your pumpkin, don’t worry! Grab a clean garbage bag (without any holes, of course) and your pumpkin and head to the tub! Follow the next steps. Once your mixture is in the bag, tie it off.

Step 1. Place your carved pumpkin gently inside the bucket or bag.

Step 2. Pour 2/3 cup bleach into the bucket, then fill the bucket with enough water to submerge the pumpkin.

Place the jack-o-lantern lid in there too! (My carved pumpkin kept floating up out of the water, so I set a rock on it to keep it submerged.)

Set your bucket somewhere out of the way because you want to leave your pumpkin sitting in the bleach water for 24 hours! During this time the pumpkin will be thoroughly disinfected and the water it soaks up will aid in the prevention of mold.

Step 3. After 24 hours of soaking, pull your pumpkin out of the water and pour out any excess that might be sitting inside.

So fresh and so clean!

*If you’re using a garbage bag instead of a bucket, simply untie the bag to open and let the water drain out into the tub.

Set the pumpkin out to dry, then it is ready to grace the scariest of haunted houses! That’s all there is to it! Super easy, right?! Now your pumpkin will be set to party on Halloween night!

How long will the carved pumpkin last?

Doing this won’t keep the mold off forever, but it will hinder the growth and help preserve your carved pumpkin for longer! Exactly how long is hard to say, but it should last about 2-3 weeks long.

Thanks for reading! Please share with your friends so their pumpkins make it to the party too! 🙂

More Halloween ideas:

• Halloween recipes
• 20 Kid-Friendly DIY Halloween Decorations
• 28 Easy Halloween Party Treats
• Classroom Halloween Activity Stations and Simple Fun Decoration Ideas
• 15 Candy Alternatives For Halloween (Super Fun!)