If you want a simple, pretty way to dress up your home for the season, forage some pinecones and give them this easy makeover! Bleached pinecones can add a touch of woodland whimsy to any space in your home. Here’s how to make them in minutes!
Are you a squirrel? Do you pick up chestnuts, seed pods, and pinecones every time you go for a walk and add them to your collection? I certainly do, and pinecones are one of my favorites. They come in so many different shapes and sizes, from almost-round stubbies to giant oblong cones.
Pinecones are iconic natural items to use for seasonal decor, whether you adorn a wreath with them or simply display your collection in a pretty basket. Instead of painting or bedazzling them with glitter this year, try giving them a softer, weathered look by bleaching your pinecones!
This post will cover…
- How to Make Bleached Pinecones
- Materials
- Make It!
- Drying Pinecones
- What to do With Bleached Pinecones
- FAQs About Bleached Pinecones
- More Seasonal Decor Ideas To Try
How to Make Bleached Pinecones
Bleaching pinecones requires very few supplies and is an easy project. Even so, it does take some time. When I started researching how I should tackle this process, I came across many people who said it didn’t work for them. Don’t worry, for the sake of crafting science, I will guide you on how to successfully bleach pinecones to use in your holiday decor!
Materials
- Pinecones (various shapes and sizes)
- Bleach
- Large bucket
- Water
- Rubber Gloves
- Bricks or large rocks
Make It!
It doesn’t matter what type of pinecones you use. I gathered several different species and sizes. Each species of pinecone will bleach differently. Also, bleaching them will not turn them totally white. They will become lighter, but not pure white. It’s more of a patina or weathered look (kind of like driftwood).
I used two parts water to one part bleach. It’s best to do this part outside or in a well-ventilated area because of the fumes. Make sure you are wearing clothes that you don’t mind ruining just in case you splash yourself with bleach water, and wear rubber gloves to protect your hands.
Put the pinecones in a large bucket (I used a 5 gallon utility bucket). Fill the bucket with water first and then add the bleach. The cones will float. Push them back down into the bleach water and lay the bricks or stones on top. You might have to add another rock or two and tuck any floaters back under the rocks.
Let the pinecones sit in the bleach solution for 24 hours, but no more than that. I did a check after 12 hours or so and noticed some of my smaller pinecones were already whitish.
Pinecones close up when they are wet, so if you can’t see any change because they are closed, that doesn’t mean it’s not working. Let them sit submerged in the bleach water for the entire 24 hours for the full effect. Any longer than that, and the pinecones will start to deteriorate in some spots.
After 24 hours, put on your gloves and work/craft clothes and remove the bleached pinecones. I laid them out on a large piece of paper outdoors so the fumes would dissipate. To dispose of the bleach water, I poured mine in a bathtub slowly, being careful not to let any twigs or dirt go down the drain.
Drying Pinecones
As they dry, the bleached pinecones will start to open up again. If it’s a sunny day, perfect! Leave them outside to completely dry. It can take a few days for them to fully open.
If you are in a hurry or have a stretch of wet weather, you can dry them in your oven. Set your oven to the lowest setting (it’s usually 170-200°F) and let the pinecones dry for a couple of hours. As soon as they are open, remove them.
As they dry, you will be amazed at the transformation! Once dry, bleached pinecones get a silvery sheen that makes them perfect for any holiday crafting. They are even pretty on their own, displayed in a tall vase or bowl. However you decide to use them, making bleached pinecones is a simple project that yields beautiful results.
What to Do With Bleached Pinecones
And just look at what you can do with them! I made this wreath entirely out of bleached pinecones. Carefully store it, and you can use it year after year for your fall and winter decorating.
You can also make an outdoor decoration like this Simple & Elegant Natural Pinecone Swag. Combine it with fresh evergreens for a quick but beautiful seasonal decor.
You can also make some pinecone spheres. I used untreated pinecones for mine, but it would also look amazing with the bleached effect.
FAQs About Bleached Pinecones
UPDATE: After posting this originally, we got a lot of questions about bleached pinecones, so here are the answers to your bleached pinecone FAQs:
Nope, not once they dry. Bleach dissipates quickly in the air, so although making the pinecones is a stinky process that should be done outdoors or with good ventilation, once they are dry, the bleach smell will go away.
The results of this project will vary with different pinecones, and I suggest trying a bunch of different kinds until you get a final product that you like. In my experience, really fresh pinecones don’t take to bleach as well, and it’s best to use those that are older, dry, and fully open.
The final product is very safe, but as with any project that involves bleach, make sure to take appropriate safety precautions. Work in a well-ventilated area, and when you leave the pinecones to soak, keep them somewhere that will not be accessible to children or pets.
More Seasonal Decor Ideas To Try
- DIY Stamped Fabric Napkins for Christmas
- Gather Around and Make DIY Christmas Candle Rings
- Simple Christmas Decorations to Brighten Your Space
- Crafty Terrarium Ornaments for Your Christmas Tree
- Rustic Chic: Crafting a Cedar Garland for Your Festive Home
- Homemade Scented Pinecones and a Pretty DIY Diffuser
How to Bleach Pinecones
Equipment
- 5 gallon utility bucket
Supplies
- Pinecones forage them in various sizes and shapes
- Bleach
- Water
- Rubber Gloves
- Bricks or large rocks
Instructions
- Add pinecones to a large bucket.
- While outside, or in a well-ventilated area, add 2 parts water to 1 part bleach to the bucket.
- To keep pinecones submerged in the mixture, lay bricks or large stones over them.
- Let the pinecones soak in the mixture for 24 hours. Then, use your gloves to gently remove the bleached pinecones and place them on a roll of paper to dry out and allow fumes to dissipate.
- It may take a few days for the pinecones to dry naturally. If you need them to dry faster, set your oven to the lowest setting and let them dry for a few hours.
Debbie Wolfe is a mom of two rambunctious boys, wife, and work-at-home mom from Georgia. In her free time (when there is such a thing), she is in the garden or hidden away reading the latest post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama! As interests, Debbie is an obsessive crafter, home chef, and gardener. She is a freelance writer, blogger, and is a co-author and photographer behind the garden blog, The Prudent Garden; a collection of tips, crafts, and articles that highlight home gardening.
What should the bleach to water ratio be for these?
The post says 2 parts water to one part bleach. I have used a 1:1 ratio with success.
The very first batch I ever did came out a beautiful vanilla color— very light reddish gold. Fantastic. I have never been able to duplicate that result. But it is fun to do and I still do it every year and top with a lite coat of glitter or snow. Still very pretty.
Thanks for the info. Always wondered how to get rid of the bleach. Nobody said
WOW – I did this and they came out amazing! I made sure to get open and closed pine cones. I did 1 small bottle of bleach and added water (used bleach bottle filled twice) – recycled bleach bottle and when done with my project, I put a kitchen strainer in my bathtub and poured strained bleach water down the drain – threw the pieces of the pine cone and lil debris in the trash can. It was so neat to see that the opened pine cones absorbed all the bleach water and shut back up – then as they dried (on my patio glass table top in the sun for 1 full day – the ones that were fully open started to slowly open back up – awesome process – then once completely dry I put on cookie sheet with some regular natural pine cones – 200 degrees for 45 min to dry out bleach ones and get rid of any lil bugs in the natural pine cones. They came out fabulous!! I have bins set up for each project – ornaments – wreath and decor’ Thank you for sharing and I will do more as I want to make ornaments for all the family this year for Christmas and make each one different with a little paint, glitter, ribbon, name tags etc. LOTS and LOTS of ideas – Thanks again!!!
The bugs are in the natural pine cones that she didn’t bleach.
Won’t the bugs die in the bleach solution ?
She mentioned using non-bleached ones in the oven beside the bleached ones- those to get rid of bugs- bleached to dry out…
Doesn’t work..????
Hmmm, I wonder what went wrong. They worked wonderfully for Debbie and I tried them a few times successfully (you can see my wreath project).