Gourds are fruits of some flowering plant species. Many gourds are edible while some are not edible. Such gourds are mostly used for decoration purposes. The gourds can be used for making beautiful, unique, and creative bowls, birdhouses, rattles, and what not? Gourds are used for decorating once they are dried out from the inside out. But before digging into painting the gourds for decoration purposes, they need to be cleaned first. Therefore, our article will mainly focus on the techniques and methods about “how to clean dried gourds properly.”
How To Clean Dried Gourds?
Cleaning dried gourds is quite a simple task but it can be challenging for beginners. In order to clean the dried gourds, follow the steps given below:
- Take a bucket of size in which your gourd can be easily submerged. You can also use a sink for this purpose.
- Submerge the dried gourd in medium warm water. Also, add some bleach into the water in order to properly clean the gourds.
- Let the gourd soak in the water for about 20 to 30 minutes. This will make sure that all the dirt can come out easily.
- Next, cover your mouth and nose with the help of a mask. Also, use gloves to protect your hands.
- Clean the gourd by the process of scrubbing. Use a wire mesh scrub or a cereal spoon for this purpose.
- Remove all the dirt by scrubbing the gourd.
- Ensure that you clean all the dirt and mold.
- Once the dirt is removed from the gourd skin. Take the gourd out of the water.
- Dry the gourd. You can use a towel or cloth for this purpose.
- Once dry, sand off all the leftover skin present on the gourd.
Gourds can be preserved and used for years if you handle them properly. If you are using dried gourd for painting and decoration, you will be needing a spray of water-based primer. This will prevent the paint to bleed through the cracks on the surface.
In case, you are painting and decorating the gourd to be left out in the sun, it is recommended that you apply 3 to 4 coats of sealer to make sure that the paint lasts longer and does not fade away. Also, use paint that is UV protected and will not fade away in direct sunlight.
The Bottom Line
Dried gourds are amazing for painting and are mostly used by kids for their creative projects. However, they need to be properly cleaned before you do anything with them. They are used as ornaments on many occasions. The gourds can also be used to make small birdhouses for the birds near your house. If you cannot clean the gourd by yourself, you can also find pre-cleaned gourd at any local gourd farm. If you don’t have a gourd farm nearby, you can also use the shipping process as they are cheap and budget-friendly.