I want to share a tip we have been using for years on how to clean out a pumpkin in 2 minutes. Yes, 2 minutes! Also, you don’t even have to touch any of the slimy guts! Seriously this is so easy, you will love me after this. Check out our video at the bottom of the post to show you exactly how to do it!
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Here are the supplies you will need to do this:
- A drill – we use a Dewalt drill that came as part of a combo set. We use these all the time and love the Dewalt brand.
- A hand mixer beater
- A knife
One bit of advice, use an old mixer beater. We learned this the hard way after Mr. Wonderful broke one of my beaters one year after doing several pumpkins. But it was one we had for a long time anyway. After that, we just went to a thrift store to find some to use.
First thing you will do is cut your hole in the top of the pumpkin just like you normally would. Slice the guts off the top.
Mr. Wonderful clamped a couple of 2×6″ wood boards to the work bench so he could stabilize the pumpkin. This also is a good way to keep hands out of the way. This is optional, you could have someone just hold the pumpkin down low. However, be careful to keep hands away from the beater and watch out for some occasional flying guts.
Insert the mixer beater into your drill and run along the insides of the pumpkin to start clearing material. Start at the top and work your way down going around the pumpkin.
This is what you will be left with after your first pass around the pumpkin. Dump these guts in the garbage or keep the seeds to be baked.
After dumping the guts out. this is all that was left in the pumpkin after our first pass!
You will have some strings built up on the top of the beater after your first pass. Just hold the knife against the beater and slide it down to slice the strings off.
Now do another pass with the drill around your pumpkin and dump any remaining guts. There should not be much at all.
Using the tip of the beater, Mr. Wonderful usually makes an indentation at the bottom of the inside of the pumpkin. This gives us a nice place to put a candle. This year we decided we are going to use some outdoor LED lights in our carved pumpkins so he drilled out a hole with the mixer beater. We will put the lights inside the pumpkin and let the cord run out of the bottom to be plugged in.
Look how clean that baby is!
Here is a video we made to show you the process of how to clean out a pumpkin in two minutes! If you don’t see the video, turn off your ad blocker.
That is it, so much easier than using a spoon and less mess! A bonus tip…rub or spray a little bit of diluted bleach on the inside of your pumpkin. This will make your pumpkin last a lot longer. It does not allow the bacteria to grow and decompose your pumpkin as fast.
Do you have any good tips to share about cleaning or preserving your pumpkins? I would love to hear them!