Carved pumpkins look their best one to two days after carving, and without some care, rarely look good after seven days. If you want to keep your pumpkin all-natural, we recommend waiting until October 27th to carve it, otherwise, here are some tips to keeping your pumpkin designs fresh.
- Make sure your hands and any tools are both clean and sanitized. Then wipe the outside of the pumpkin down with disinfectant before making the first cut.
- Once carved, you can keep your pumpkin fresh for up to a week by wiping or spraying the inside and cut areas with disinfectant, or using one of the pumpkin sprays available in craft or party stores.
- Carved pumpkins decline the fastest in warm weather. It's best to keep them out of direct sunlight and move them into a garage, cool basement, or a refrigerator when temperatures exceed 70°F. If your climate is humid or it is rainy, it will help to dry off and refrigerate your carved pumpkins at night. Freezing temperatures also speed decay, so move them to a protected location when temperatures outside are below freezing.
- If a pumpkin starts to shrivel or get moldy, you can soak it for a couple of hours in a bucket of water and disinfectant to revive it.
- To light up your carved pumpkin for more than one night, use a battery-operated candle or small flashlight instead of a candle. This will prevent soot and heat damage that could shorten the pumpkin's lifespan.
Now all you need is a design to get carving!