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How to keep your jack-o'-lantern from rotting before Halloween

How to keep your jack-o'-lantern from rotting before Halloween

Worried that your freshly carved pumpkin won’t last until Halloween? We’ve rounded up some of the best tips and tricks to keep those jack-o’-lanterns from rotting before the big night.

Bleach it.

The top tested-and-recommended tip online involves bleach.

Before carving, fully submerge the pumpkin in a bleach-water mixture — 1 tsp of bleach per gallon of water — for about eight hours.

Pat dry with paper towels before carving your pumpkin.

Once you’ve carved the pumpkin, spray the outside and inside with the bleach solution, then, to prevent mould from growing in any moist spots, soak up any excess moisture.

Repeat the bleach-spray method every day.

Lifehacker suggests using a bleach-based spray like Clorox Cleanup with Bleach if you don’t want to mix your own mild bleach mixture.

What if that pumpkin starts to look wilted? Rehydrate it the same way.

"Pumpkins put out for less than a week, especially in a cool climate, generally don’t need to be rehydrated. If your pumpkins are starting to look wilted, fill up a large enough bucket, bin, or bath tub with cold water and throw in a couple tablespoons of bleach. Soak the pumpkins in the cold water overnight to rehydrate them and make them nice and firm," writes Lifehacker’s Jason Fitzpatrick.

In multiple experiments — like this one, this one and this one — where bloggers used different preserving methods, the bleach method was consistently the clear winner — even beating out Pumpkin Fresh, a pumpkin preservative sold at Halloween specialty stores.

What helps: Petroleum jelly.

Petroleum jelly on its own won’t stop your pumpkin from rotting, but try smearing a thin layer of petroleum jelly on the interior of your carved pumpkin — including the cut-out spots and the lid — after you’ve sprayed it with bleach and blotted out all residual moisture.

According to BobVila.com, “the jelly provides a barrier to keep bacteria from reaching the flesh.”

What doesn’t work:

Acrylic spray, white glue and petroleum jelly on its own all failed pumpkin-preservation tests, as did furniture polish, hairspray, vinegar, K-Y Jelly and ammonia.

And freezing a pumpkin that was carved too far in advance will only make it mushy.

The sun and the rain can also do a number on your carved masterpiece, so try to shelter your jack-o’-lantern from the elements until Halloween.

Do you have any pumpkin-longevity tips? Please share in the comments.

Happy carving!