I am a big believer in walking. It’s part of my daily life and has been for a year. I could probably write an entire blog post about walking, but maybe another time. A side benefit of walking is that you can collect pretty fall leaves or rocks or pine cones.
Incidentally, until writing this post, I didn’t realize that you could spell it pine cones OR pine cones. Both are correct. I swear I learn something new every day.
I was collecting pine cones on walks last month and decided that I wanted to learn how to bleach pine cones so I could use them in any type of project.
Of course, you can buy bleached pine cones. You can also bleach pine cones without bleach by diluting white paint and dipping or painting them. But I was curious to actually bleach them, how long it would take, and what ratio of bleach to use.
I actually did a couple of experiments and most of them didn’t work. Ha! But then the simplest method turned out to be the best.
How to Bleach Pine Cones. You will need:
- Pine cones
- bleaching
- a glass container
- Plastic or other non-porous bags (like a gallon-sized Ziploc)
Place the pine cones in the plastic bag in a glass container.
Fill the bag with bleach (don’t thin it; believe me, I’ve tried).
Use things in your house or stones to weigh down the pine cones so they are soaked in the bleach. Otherwise you will want to float.
Let the pine cones soak for at least 12 hours. You may need to twist or turn the pine cones while still in your pocket so you can aim to reach all sides.
Rinse the pine cones in the sink or bathtub and always be careful not to get bleach on your clothes or other fabrics. In general, be careful when working with bleach. It’s a strong substance and can damage surfaces and skin, and even give off a fairly strong odor.
Let the bleached pine cones dry in the sun for another 12-24 hours.
You can use bleached pinecone in crafting, including making a bleached pinecone wreath. I did – I love making wreaths. To be honest, I already have way too many in my house. Lol.
Other projects you could do with bleached pine cones:
There is so much you can do with bleached pine cones. Leave me a comment if you do anything with this because I’d love to hear your ideas! xx. Emma
Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman.
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