How to lighten Pine Cones

~ How to lighten pine cones using bleach ~

This was a simple project that was very easy to do, although a bit time-consuming to accomplish.  I have been asked a few times where I got the light pine cones used in my Fall Table Centerpiece.

As much as I'd like to take credit for coming up with the whole idea, it wasn't mine.  I discovered it via eHow, and I had read a few comments that it didn't work for some people who had tried their method.  But, after succeeding with lightening my pine cones, I wanted to share the process I used to achieve the look I got.   

My fondness for neutral colors has me loving the outcome of this project!  I was quite skeptical when I first saw info about doing this, but my curiosity said "do it!"  I figured, what's the harm in trying?  I have an abundance of pine cones around my yard, and bleach doesn't cost very much!

After I had collected a few pine cones from my yard, I placed them in a trash bag, sealed it up tightly, then left it outside on my deck for a few days.  I figured if there were any kind of bugs or critters in there they wouldn't last long!  I surely didn't want them in my house! (I've read about putting the pine cones in the oven to do this and to dry out the pine cones, but like I said, I didn't want any bugs or critters in my house, or my oven either! YUCK!)   

To bleach the pine cones: 

I placed a large plastic pitcher in my kitchen sink and filled it about three quarters full with pine cones, then slowly and carefully poured in the bleach covering them over half way up the pitcher.  It was approximately two thirds full, then I added water the rest of the way to cover the pine cones completely.  I'd say it was a little over a two-to-one measure of bleach-to-water (I didn't have a lot of bleach at the time so I added water, full bleach may be fine and might produce quicker results).  I used my collected pine cones from my yard, and a few other small ones I had gotten from the craft store last year.  

I placed a saucer over the pine cones and weighed it down with a heavy mug filled with water so the pine cones would stay submerged in the bleach solution.  I let them sit like that for about two days, leaving them off to the side of my sink in the kitchen.  During this time the pine cones closed up, and they then took up less room in the pitcher.  

Next, I removed the pine cones carefully from the bleach and pitcher over my sink and placed them into a colander, rinsed them and left them to drain off in the sink over night.  They appeared only slightly lighter in color at the time and I was skeptical as to whether it had worked.  In the morning they were still not dry or opened all the way, I took them out of the colander, placed them on a large cookie sheet lined with paper towels, set them aside and left them to dry out.

The pine cones opened up again as they were drying, but it did take a few days before they were fully opened.  The pine cones I had collected began to look lighter, a beige and taupe color.  The small store bought pine cones didn't lighten up as much.  I suspect they may have been color-enhanced, and might have just needed more time in the bleach.  I may give those another try! 

Overall this project was easy, it did take a while, but the result was worth the effort.  I'm not skeptical anymore!


I used the lightened pine cones in decorating my fall table centerpiece.

And, also in decorating my fall mantel.

As you can see the bleached pine cones are lighter than the other pine cones.  I like the look of both types, but I am a little partial to the lighter, bleached pine cones at the moment.  I like the color results after bleaching.  They work well with my other home decor, and blend in nicely with my neutral colors.  And, I like using both types together because of their contrast.