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I am so excited to share this homemade carved pumpkin preserving spray with NO bleach!

Bleach is very effective at killing mold and preserving pumpkins, but bleach is toxic and bad for people with breathing issues. Many of my family suffers from allergies, asthma, and reactions to chemicals like bleach. So, I wanted to share something you can use instead! For more important information on bleach, please read this article!

This spray is safe for everyone. It won’t harm your hands or smell up the house.

It’s great!

This is probably my favorite fall project to share on Chemistry Cachet to date! Be sure to follow us on instagram for more fun tips and behind the scenes.

Homemade Carved Pumpkin Preserving Spray – No Bleach!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp borax
• 20 drops peppermint essential oil (I’m using this one)
• 20 drops tea tree essential oil ( I always use this one)
• Spray Bottle

Directions: Mix up ingredients in a jar, then add to a spray bottle. Keep in mind borax won’t dissolve all the way, so be sure to stir well before pouring!

How to Use:

Carve your pumpkin, make sure to scrap EVERYTHING out! Don’t leave any membranes (I let my husband do this, he gets them clean lol). Spray the entire inside of pumpkin including the carved areas and lid. Make sure to really saturate it! IMPORTANT –> When you spray the lid area, leave the lid OFF and allow to dry before putting back on. Spray this solution on everyday. It will extend the life of your carved pumpkin for a few days to a week depending on your climate. See photos below for details.

DOWNLOAD AND PRINT Carved Pumpkin Spray Instructions HERE!

Other Important Tips to Keep in Mind

• • Remember, weather plays a huge factor in mold. I live in Texas, so it can be in the 90s when we carve pumpkins. This means mold can start within a day! I bring my pumpkins inside where it is cooler.
  • If you live in a cooler climate, you can keep them outside.
  • This solution also deters bugs, but insects can also bother carved pumpkins if they are left outside. If you have bug issues, bring pumpkins inside when they aren’t being used.
  • Borax is a salt, so it can leave a residue on pumpkins, just brush off 🙂 I left the residue on the pumpkin in the last photo you can see. It brushes off very easy.
  • Since borax is a salt, make sure to shake really well before spraying and if nozzle gets clogged, just rinse out!

Tips for Disposing of Pumpkins After Using This Spray:

Many readers have asked over the years if this can be left out for wildlife or thrown out to cows. This solution is very mild and safe, but I wouldn’t feed it to wildlife when the spray is still wet. Once the spray has dried for several days, there is not much residue left.

A safe option for this is to scrap the inside a few times, then throw out for wildlife. We do this before feeding it to our cows.

If you plan to throw this in compost, nothing additional is needed. It can be added right away to a compost pile!

About Spray Bottles

Glass spray bottles are always best for heavy essential oil solutions like this. If the solution is only in a bottle for a day or two, chemical grade plastic is fine. You can read more about spray bottles here.

Here is a comparison I did of these two pumpkins over four days.

How This Preserves Carved Pumpkins

This will keep mold away for longer. Anywhere from a few days to a week (depending on your climate!!). My pumpkins last about 5-6 days with this spray when weather is cooler than 80.

Our spray also helps with wilting. As you can see in the photos, this spray will keep the wilting less than when you are not using it. Wilting will still happen when the weather is warmer though.

Last, it deters bugs! Warm climates can have bad gnats and other insects that will attack the flesh, this helps deter them! When I compared the two pumpkins, the one without spray had really bad flies and gnats!

The Chemistry Behind Homemade Carved Pumpkin Preserving Spray

Now for the fun part! Why this works!

Tea Tree Oil

This essential oil is probably my favorite for anything relating to mold. It kills mold growth, but also prevents it. You can read more about tea tree oil in this post. Also, be sure to check out this tea tree oil mold remover spray for bathrooms!

Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil does a few things. It’s an anti-fungal, so it will also prevent mold growth for longer. It also deters bugs and keeps the pumpkin fresh.

Borax

Borax is one of my favorite home cleaning items! The boron atoms make it a unique salt. It’s good at cleaning, but it also has anti-microbial properties.  Adding borax really isn’t necessary because the oils work so well, BUT it will helps keep the pumpkin even more fresh for longer, so I like to use it. Get more details on Borax in this post. Also, Borax is safe to use. If you have a sensitivity to salts, be sure to use gloves.

Other Tips to Keep Carved Pumpkin Preserved Longer

I have tried so many different things when it comes to pumpkin carving! Not only did I carve them growing up, but my husband and I carve them every year since we’ve been married (11 years). He is the best at it!

Here are some Other tips to keeping your Carved pumpkin thriving a bit longer. If you are having a party and need to carve a day or two in advance, this spray, and these tips will help!

• Refrigerate your pumpkins! Cold air is probably the best thing for preventing wilt. I’ve put my carved pumpkins in the fridge for a day or two to keep them fresh!
• Keep then away from direct sun. The sunlight will cause wilt really fast! They do better in shade.
• Like I mentioned above, keep them inside until it’s time to use them. UNLESS you live in a colder climate 🙂

Enjoy using this!! Let me know how you like it 🙂

If you want to save this, be sure to pin it!

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