Let The Bleaching Begin!

AFTER AND BEFORE

A trumpet fanfare, if you please.  The bleaching of the trees has begun here at the Distressed Donna home.  Leave it to me to take something new and make it worn.

See last year's post on bleaching trees HERE .

This post will be an update with some added tips.

While waiting for the larger trees to be stocked, I grabbed every bag of the small ones with the wooden bases at Hobby Lobby after first testing them to see if they would bleach.  

I also had a bag of trees a friend had given me.

Let the games begin.

 The wooden bases float so I dunked them in an old icing tub.  Do not be alarmed at the brown color.

I use a two to one Clorox to water mix with an open window above the sink to vent.  BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THE FUMES.

This is NOT a pet or child-friendly activity.

It does not take long to bleach the trees.  Just stir them around with a plastic fork until the desired color is achieved.

 The desired color is whatever the trees decide.  Here you will notice the expensive village trees did not bleach at all.

Some bleached creamy white, some tan, some pink, some yellow, and some turquoise.

You have to accept what comes out.

I used the same tub of bleach for bags of the trees.  

Use a fork or tongs to pull the trees from the bleach bath.  I throw them in the other side of the sink to rinse with cold water.  Then place them outside to dry.  They take several hours to fully dry.

Do not handle them much when they are wet.  Lift them by the very tip or the base.

 Here are some of the large ones from the packs at Lowe's.  The longer the needles the more they will mat when wet.  

Let the trees dry completely.

Wait a day.

Find a large tooth and fine tooth comb.

 See how matted this tree was?

I took them outside because this can be messy.

I gently tugged at the mats with the large tooth part of the comb and finished with the fine tooth side.

 

Treat them tenderly like you were pulling the tangles from your child's hair.

There is just no screaming with the trees.

Here they are all fluffed up.

Yes, these are the same trees.

I promise.

You can tell I love to do this.  It is like a magic trick.

If you have questions, just email me or leave a comment.

Remember cheap trees, not expensive ones.

Remember the safety tips.

Remember the Alamo.

Wait, disregard that.



I have finished over two hundred trees.

Yes, you will be reading a number of posts about what I did to them.

If you live close by, I have a number of them already in my booth at Riverfront Antique Mall in North Augusta, SC, waiting to spend Christmas with you.

See y'all!

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