This is a guide to help all harvest gourds. Part of a Texas Traders, Inc. How-2-Do It tutorial and garden know how. See our other guides for more easy help. We are Pro Growers of Monster Gourds. (Only plant seeds you can trust)!

Yuck!

When the gourd crop finally dries and cures, there will be piles of filthy dirty, moldy gourds stacked up in the drying area. After a long wait, the next step of the process has arrived. It is time to wash some gourds. Washing a gourd is an easy job, unless the job is multiplied by 50 or 100 or more. Washing loads of gourds can pretty tedious, but there are definitely steps that can be taken to ease the process.

The Wash Pot

First, decide on where the gourds are going to be washed. Many people set up outdoor sinks as gourd washing stations. This keeps the mess out of the house, and provides a set location for all gourd washing activity. On a larger scale, abandoned heating oil tanks make excellent gourd washing stations. Split in half, each tank yields two large wash tanks. For those that only wash a few gourds per year, and really don't need an official gourd washing area, a hose and a few old towels are all that are really needed. A cheap plastic wading pool, like the ones that little kids play in, can also be very useful. The old-time galvanized wash tubs make for good scrub sinks as well, but they can be hard to find anymore. Find an old table, and set the tub on top to create a gourd washing station of the perfect height. Or, for simply washing the occasional gourd, just take it in the shower or bath. Scrub the gourd clean, wash up, and rinse the bath clean. Better than a rubber duckie.

Gourd Washing Supplies

Not much is required for gourd washing. A source of water, by hose or sink, is obvious. Next is to select the scrubbers, for washing off the dirt and grime. The little round copper or stainless steel scrubbers, which can be found at most any grocery store, are ideal. A few of both is the best way to go. The copper ones are the first stage of attack. They usually give excellent results, with little risk of scratching the gourd. To look at these scrubbers one might think that they would easily scratch the gourd. Not to worry, this is simply not the case. A hard shell gourd is, in fact, quite resistant to scratching. The copper scrubbers do not last as long as the stainless steel ones, but the lifespan is more than sufficient, in exchange for the results. Scrubbers, either stainless steel or copper, cost a couple of dollars for a package of two. Be careful not to confuse these scrub pads with steel wool, which is a different product altogether, and really not a very good choice for gourd washing.

Stainless steel scrubbers do have their place, and are very useful. They give a little harsher scrub for working at the tough spots. Sometimes, the steel scrubbers can be a bit too harsh, and actually scratch the gourd, particularly if the gourd isn't of the highest quality, or is a thinner shelled ornamental. If the gourd has been left in the field, and not brought out and set up on a pallet to dry, the skin of the surface area which was in direct contact with the ground during the drying process may have formed a bond with the shell of the gourd. The skin, mold, and dirt in this area are sometimes almost fused to the gourd, and can be very difficult to remove. The steel pad is often necessary for these spots. Also, certain combinations of skin, mold, and dirt are just a whole lot harder to remove than others. When one can describe the nuances of gourd washing, they have done their time in the trenches.

A true gourd purist would use a luffa scrubber for their gourd washing. And actually, for gourds that don't have bad problem areas, luffa scrubbers work quite well and are especially impressive when used for demonstration purposes. Truth be told though, demonstrations are the only time that I use the luffa gourd as a gourd scrubber. The copper and steel scrubbers do work better when all is said and done. Also, I can't bear to actually use up my luffas.

Steel or copper brushes are another important tool for gourd washing. These are used to get at and around the stems. These brushes can get in where the scrubbers can't quite reach, and cleaning the stem is also important. The brushes don't seem to last very well, but the expense is minimal, at just a dollar or two.

Soap of Bleach?

It is often suggested that soap or even a bit of bleach be used in the gourd washing water. It is mentioned just often enough that I now mention them, but without a recommendation. They certainly won't hurt anything, but there is really no benefit either. When the gourd is officially declared to be clean, just give it a last rinse or hosing with clean water and set it aside to dry. With all the scrubbing and rinsing involved in cleaning the gourd, a bit of soap or bleach is not going to do anything to improve the already excellent quality of the job done.

Sheets and Towels

An old, but clean, sheet is the perfect spot for the freshly washed gourds. As each gourd is washed, it needs to be set in a clean spot to dry. Very often, when outside, all the handy spots will just get the gourds dirty again. Spread out the sheet, and place the clean gourds on it as they are done. A few old towels will be very helpful in preparing the gourds for washing. Like most things, the most important steps to a quality job, and an easier job, take place before the job even starts. The most important step for gourd washing is not to get the washer ready, but to get the gourds ready.

Soaking the Gourds

With the gourd washing station established, and supplies at the ready, the work can commence. As alluded to above, with everything in place, the job is half done already. The most important step is to prepare the gourds for washing. This involves giving them a thorough soaking. A well soaked gourd will generally be much easier to wash than one that is not. The purist might set their gourds out for the rain, which provides the perfect soaking, and use the sink or washtub as a rain barrel. On the next wonderful day, when the sun is shining, and the birds are chirping, the gourds will be ready to wash.

Another option, less romantic, though more realistic, is to fill the sinks, or tubs, or what-have-you with water, toss in the gourds, and then cover the gourds with those old towels. Thoroughly soak or hose down the towels. This is the most important part of giving a good soaking to the gourds. Just putting them in the water will only affect a small part of the surface area. Their great buoyancy makes submerging them unrealistic. Utilizing these big, wet, and heavy towels maximizes the soaking, and makes a tremendous difference. Leave the gourds to soak an hour or so and then get started. Some will respond more readily to soaking than others.

Scrubbing the Gourds

There is no avoiding the actual work now. However, the preparation should minimize the work. Start scrubbing with the copper scrubber. If one gourd is being recalcitrant, just set it back under and try another. It can be hard to predict how much soaking or scrubbing will be required. Some batches will go lickety-split, while others will be much more trouble. Just be sure to keep the waiting gourds good and wet all the time. Those sopping wet towels will make this part really easy. Don't be dead set on doing the whole gourd all at once. If it is not cleaning readily, stick it back under with the waiting gourds again. It may be necessary to work through several layers of dirt, mold, and skin. The soaking process will make this much easier. Switch to the steel scrubber as necessary.

Use the brushes to get at the stems, but taking care not to break them. Stems are fragile to begin with, and more so when soaked through. Some stems will be lost. Those are the breaks. It is a good idea to keep a pair of scissors or shears handy for trimming the stems to length.

Drying the Gourds

This is simple enough. Set them out in the sun and let them dry. If an old sheet was used for corralling them during the washing, that sheet can be dragged out to a sunnier spot if necessary. It is a good idea to turn them occasionally, as the bottom sides will dry much more quickly.

Production Washing

Commercial growers have found that they can sell more gourds, and get more money for them, if they wash their gourds before selling them. Believe you me, that they don't take the care in this that the end user or artisan does. This is strictly a high volume, Return On Investment technique, but one which is quite effective for a general cleaning of large quantities of gourds. Commercial production growers use high pressure washers to literally blast the gourds clean. Very large quantities of gourds can be "cleaned" in a short period of time. It is quick and effective. These gourds are rarely "ready to use" when bought by the crafter. The priority is to clean them up enough to get more money for them, not to actually get them completely clean. Most gourds washed in this manner will require another minor washing to clean them fully. It is not cost effective for a commercial grower to wash gourds in any other way, if they are to be resold at a profit.

This tutorial has been created by Texas Traders, Inc. We may be production gourd growers, but we still do everything the old fashioned way. Make take some time, but we do get the job done.

Be sure to check our other helpful gourd tutorials.