Using pine cones collected outdoors can result in mold, mildew, or creepy crawlies invading your home unless they are correctly preserved for indoor use. Learn how to prepare pine cones for crafts NATURALLY and bring fresh evergreen scented pine cones to your home decor.
Fresh pine cones are a beautiful, natural addition to your home decor. They are available for free in the great outdoors and are eco-friendly.
Many craft sites suggest the use of chlorine bleach on pine cones. This is a mistake! Pine cones are porous and will absorb the bleach. They will continuously release these noxious fumes in your home.
Pine cones are available at many craft stores, but commercially purchased pine cones have often been treated with artificial scents that also contain noxious fumes that will be released into your home.
Fortunately there is an easy, all-natural, and FREE way to prepare fresh pine cones for crafts.
How to Prepare Pine Cones
1 – Collect pine cones. The pine cones pictured are Eastern White Pine (Pinus Stobus) from my yard. The white appearance is from the dried sap on the outside of the pine cones.
2 – Remove any debris or pine needles stuck on the pine cones.
3 – Soak the pine cones for 10-20 minutes in a bucket of water with ½ cup of white vinegar. This helps to kill any bugs or mildew and remove settled in debris. The pine cones will close up more tightly when they get wet.
4 – Place the pine cones on old newspapers to dry overnight.
5 – Line baking sheets with parchment or foil. Place pine cones on baking sheets and bake for several hours at 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit. Check the pine cones frequently while baking so they do not catch on fire. (Your home will smell wonderful!)
6 – The pine cones will be fully open, dry and shiny when finished baking. The shiny finish is due to the sap melting into the pine cones. This acts as a natural finish and preservation agent.
7 – Cool the pine cones completely and use in your favorite crafts.
Stages of Pine Cone Preparation
This images shows (from left to right):
1. Freshly collected pine cones.
2. Washed and partially dried pine cones.
3. Fully oven dried pine cones.
Pine Cone Crafts
Pine cones can be used for all kinds of crafts. I love making an easy pine cone garland.
Need more pine cone craft ideas? Check out these easy pine cone holiday decorations!
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I want to prepare spruce cones. Do you use the same steps for pine cones?
I’ve never tried spruce cones but it should work. Let me know how it goes.
How do you get those poking tthing off? Will they come off when you soak them
I don’t think they come off, but when you bake the pine cones the whole surface gets shiny/smooth/hard with the resin so you don’t really get poked anymore. Hope this makes sense!
Nip them with toenail for fingernail clippers.
Great suggestion, Kim!
Will apple cider vinegar work as well?
Yes, you can use apple cider vinegar. I generally use white vinegar because it is cheaper and I have it on hand for cleaning.
Will this work for cones that I have had around for a while to get rid of dust?
The water rinse would remove the dust. If the pince cones are fresh with no preservatives this will work. If they have been shellacked or somehow painted/treated they should not be baked. Baking is only for fresh, non treated pine cones. You can simply shake dusty pine cones in a bag with some table salt to dust them.
Hi Bren Last night I found your site I was so excited we soaked all our pine cones, theres alot of them , I sat them out to dry & went to bed during the night I relized I cant heat them in my home, my husband has toxic poisoning & fragrances set him off , do you have any suggestions of another way of heating them ? I dont want to give up before I even get started.
Thank you, Sandra
Sandra, you could try air drying them or place them in a unlit grill on a warm, sunny day. The sun should heat the pine cones and help them dry. Good luck!
Because the pine cones have already been washed & dried overnight — are you saying that the unlit grill would work in place of baking them for hours?
Rosemary, the reader asking the previous question could not bake the pine cones indoors because of an allergy. On a hot sunny day and unlit grill can each a high internal temperature and MIGHT work so I recommended that she give it a try. If you do not have a problem with allergies baking the pine cones in the oven is the best way to prepare the them for crafts.
You are very informative. I have some old ones and will give them a try.
Thanks, Julie. Good luck!
I am afraid that they will catch on fire in the oven!
You definitely need to use very low heat!
Love the long cones where to. Get them
Thanks, Yvonne. The pine cones pictured are Eastern White Pine (Pinus Stobus) from my yard.
I was wondering could you use dehydrated to dry them.
I’ve never tried dehydrating them so I’n not sure how well it would work. Sorry!
What temperature did you bake them on and for exactly how many hours. I have pine trees in my yard and would love to try this!
Cynthia, I bake them for several hours at 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure you check the pine cones frequently while baking so they do not catch on fire. You want them to get shiny.
I just found your site and I am so excited! My husband and I collected some pinecones yesterday for me to make a wreath. Thank you for the good information!!
Thanks, Jen!
Thank you so much for this information! I grew up with these Eastern pines but did not know how to use the cones due to the pitch on them. I gathered some up yesterday and am going to give this a try. Can’t wait!
Thanks, Laura!
Hi Bren,
Just came across your site tonight. I was wondering if the pine cones would close back up after they have been baked if you use them for outside arrangements, (grave blankets, door wreaths, etc.) where they would get wet? Thank you.
Donna
I’ve hung mine outside on my porch where they are snowed on and not had any trouble with them closing up. Good luck!
I’m not sure what type of pine trees my cones are from, but they were all closed when I picked them up from my yard. I cleaned in water and vinegar and I baked for an hour on 200 … they still didn’t open up. Any other Suggestions?
I would try soaking them longer or perhaps soak, leave to dry overnight to see if they open, then bake. You could also use Google image search to try and identify the type of pinecone. Good luck!
Once they have baked long enough the sap will no longer be sticky?
Yes, the sap with dry out and harden.