How to Clean and Cure Pine Cones for DiY Projects

 This is an outdoor DIY task!

Plan to clean and cure at least 3 dozen pine cones if you are going to make the time and effort to do this project.  If you only need a small number of pine cones, then it might make more sense to buy what you need. 



Supplies:

  • Pine cones
  • White Vinegar
  • Large bucket or pail
  • Water
  • Oven

Process:

  1. Gently tap pine cones on hard flat surface, like a sidewalk, driveway or deck. Knock out the loose debris as much as possible.
  2. Fill bucket with 1 part white vinegar to 5 parts water.

  3. Add pine cones. Allow to soak for 30 minutes.  They will close up when wet. 
  4. Remove pine cones from water and allow to dry.
  5. Tap pine cones again on hard surface to remove any remaining debris.

  6. Line cookie trays with foil. This is very important as the pine cones may release a gooey resin when they bake.
  7. Lay pinecones on cookie trays. Space them slightly apart as they will expand as they dry.
  8. Place trays with pine cones in oven at 200 degrees. 

  9. Check them after 90 minutes to see if they are opening up.  Remove from oven when pine cones are mostly open and allow to sit at room temperature for 1-2 days until they finish opening completely. 
  10. Pine cones will be ready to use in your own DIY home decor projects

If you would like to flock your own pine cones, read our earlier blog post to see how we do this!


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