| Step by Step Instructions for Cleaning Gourd Interiors Inside a cured gourd you will find dry pulp and seeds. The amount and how easy it is to remove will vary from gourd to gourd. It may be loose and broken, in a solid mass or partially stuck and partially loose, as in the gourd pictured here. Each gourd is different. The first step in cleaning the interior, is to remove as much of the pulp and seeds as you can easily. You can do this either dry or wet. If you choose to do it dry, you should wear a dust mask as particles from the pulp are a respiratory irritant. They cause a condition referred to by gourd crafters as the gourd flu. Believe me you want to avoid this! Use a spoon or what have you to loosen and break up the pulp. Empty it out ever so often and repeat until you have the bulk of it removed. In the case of the gourd pictured here, almost all of it came out. You can be pretty aggressive when doing this, but be careful not to gouge into the gourd's shell. Also be mindful that you are not damaging the cut area of your gourd during this process. How thoroughly you clean the interior will depend on your intended use. In the gourd to the left, I just got the bulk of the pulp out, then cleaned a small strip around the rim more thoroughly. I plan to use it as a vase and that's all of the interior that might be seen. If the gourd's interior will be seen and it's cut to allow you access to the interior, then I recommend you wet and scour the inside with the same type of scouring pad that was used to clean the exterior. You can use your spoon or scraping tool as well. Wetting the interior prior to cleaning, eliminates the need for wearing a dust mask. Some gourds have a thick membrane that can be quite difficult to remove, soaking will help to loosen it. Once all of the pulp has been removed, the gourd needs to be allowed to dry thoroughly before crafting continues. You may speed this process, by placing the gourd in a warm (170 degree) oven with the door slightly ajar. Make sure you watch it carefully as gourds are flammable! Once dry, the gourd's interior may be sanded with sandpaper to achieve an even smoother finish. |
| Step by Step Instructions for Cleaning a Gourd's Exterior The tools needed to clean the exterior of a gourd are very simple and probably things you all ready have around the house. A bucket or basin for wetting the gourd and a scouring pad. I prefer the metal ones, but plastic ones will also work. In addition I like to use a green scratchy pad to clean the stem and those areas on certain gourds where the scouring pad won't fit. I have recently found that leaving my gourds out in the rain, or repeatedly soaking them with the hose, and letting them sit awhile is easier than trying to soak and submerge the gourds in a bucket of water. Now I keep them wet for awhile, then scrub & rinse with a hose until all the outside skin is removed. The job goes pretty fast. Below is the way I use to clean them and works as well. Trying to keep them submerged always frustrated me. The first step to the actual cleaning process is to dampen the outside of the gourd. Place your gourd in a bucket of water. You may add detergent or bleach to the water, but they are not necessary and I don't use them myself. Because the gourd's interior is hollow, it will float. If your bucket is large enough, press down on the gourd to submerge it. You can apply a weight of some sort to keep it submerged or just let it come back to the top. If your bucket isn't large enough to submerge your gourd, just roll the gourd around until you get it wet all over. If you don't have a bucket, you can do this under the faucet. If you allow the gourd to soak for approximately five (5) minutes it will make the cleaning process easier. Just roll it around a few times during this period to keep it wet all over. Once the outer skin is good and damp, begin scouring it with the scouring pad. You shouldn't have to press too hard, just use firm pressure. If the moldy skin is not coming off easily, you may need to return it to the water and soak it awhile longer. Once you have the bulk of the mold off, look at and feel of the gourd's shell, it should be smooth with no raised areas (I'm not talking about warts or bumps, those will still be present). Sometimes there will be scalely areas that need additional scrubbing. If these are present, try re-scouring these areas with more pressure. If they don't come off, return the gourd to the water to soak a little longer and try again. Keep repeating this process until you have all the outer skin removed. The gourd's shell itself may have mottling patterns and even black areas, these will not come off. What you are trying to do is remove anything that is not part of the shell which might come loose at a later date. Once you have the exterior cleaned, the gourd needs to be allowed to dry before you continue with crafting. Drying time will vary depending on how long you soaked it and whether or not it got damp on the inside. If the inside isn't damp, you can usually just dry it off with a towel then allow it to set a couple of minutes and it'll be ready. If the interior has gotten damp, it may take several hours, even days for it to dry. You can speed the drying process by placing the gourd in a warm (170 degree) oven with the door slightly ajar to allow the moisture to escape. Keep an eye on it as gourds are flammable. This process can also cause the shell to darken, if the gourd is left in too long. |
| Step By Step Cleaning Instructions |
