Community Corner
5 Steps to Make Your Halloween Pumpkin Last Longer
Here's help on how to avoid having a moldy, rotting jack o'lantern greet your trick-or-treaters on Halloween night.

Halloween is coming. Is the scariest thing in your house a moldy, rotting jack o'lantern? We have some tips to help your pumpkin survive until the last ghouls and goblins come knocking at your door.
Here are the five simple steps:
- Clean the carved pumpkin's exterior with a damp cloth.
- Mix one tablespoon of bleach with a quart of water and put it in a spray bottle and spray inside the pumpkin and in the cut areas with the solution. This will kill surface bacteria and mold.
- Let the pumpkin dry for about 20 minutes.
- Rub the interior and cut surfaces with petroleum jelly. This will keep out bacteria and prevent the pumpkin from dehydrating.
- Keep the pumpkin out of direct sunlight and keep it in as cool a place as possible.
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