You still have some time to get a pumpkin and carve it up before Halloween. Here are some tricks to make sure your pumpkin lasts as long as possible.

  1. Clean it out thoroughly. Get all the pumpkin seeds and guts out so make it as dry as possible. The more stuff left in there, the quicker it will get moldy.
  2. Put some petroleum jelly or oil on the carved portions. This will help prevent those parts from drying out, but they are flammable, so DON'T USE A REAL CANDLE on the inside.
  3. Store it in the fridge. Yes, this can be a bit of a pain in the butt, but if you have room, put the pumpkin in plastic and store it in the fridge. If you can't do that, put it in a cool dark place of your house.
  4. Rehydrate the pumpkin daily. When it starts to run out of moisture, it'll start to shrivel up. Make a mix of water and a few drops of bleach. This will keep it moist and prevent bacteria from growing.
  5. Don't carve your pumpkin. Yes, this one sounds super lame, although there are other things you can do to decorate it. But if you really want to make sure it lasts to Halloween, wait to carve it.

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