How to Avoid a Rotten Pumpkin Lantern
Your pumpkin lantern looks so good, bright and orange next to your front door, a harbinger of the season where the tea lamp flickers at night. Or not? Has she started to shrink and wrinkle? Perhaps it stinks a little? Even if it still looks good, what guarantees do you have that it will make it to Halloween?
According to Apartment Therapy, whether you carved the pumpkin a week ago or are just taking out your knives, there is a lot you can do to prevent rotting.
First, if you haven’t carved the pumpkin or are not going to do it, wash your baby with bleach. Find a container or bucket large enough to hold the pumpkin and mix one to two tablespoons of bleach for every gallon of water. Soak this pump and let it sit for ten minutes. If you are going to cut, let the pumpkin dry completely first.
To protect an already carved pumpkin, prepare a bleach spray (with the same proportions) and apply it to the outside and carved surfaces of the pumpkin. (Let it dry upside down to prevent the bleach and water from getting inside.) Re-spray every few days.
Once this is all done, don’t forget how the weather affects the carved pumpkin sitting outside. Place the pumpkin where it will be protected from rain, and if the temperature drops to freezing, move the guy inside overnight. Frozen water expands and can destroy plant cell walls. The walls of bursting cells represent porridge, and porridge is the last thing you want your flashlight to be.
How to Prevent Pumpkin Rotting and Keep Your Flashlight Fresh for Several Weeks | Apartment therapy