# How do you disinfect LARGE driftwood?



## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

Hi all,

well, I did a search on boiling driftwood, and have come across a few references to wood being too big to fit into a pot to be boiled. BUT...... what do you DO if that's the case? 

My largest stock pot is simmering two modest sized pieces of driftwood even as I write this (don't tell my BF, he'll never eat anything cooked in that pot again - he already gives my african violets the hoary eye, saying plants/soil should NOT be in a kitchen, HA!), but the third piece is very long, and will not fit. 

Will straight soaking be enough? I could soak it in a big tub outside for awhile, but what about killing off any fungus spores or other "nasties" I've read about?

One person mentioned a dilute bleach solution (and what dilution?), but another cautioned against this. 

How about a salt scrub? Or a vinegar scrub? Or both?

Trenac, you mentioned pouring boiling water over driftwood. How much? how long? I envision my neighbors calling the mental ward when I come out with my 5th kettle of boiling water to pour on a piece of wood on the driveway, LOL!

So what do you folks do with larger driftwood?

Thanks!
-Jane


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Campfire, witch's kettle, eye of newt, and slamander tail, all mixed together under the light of a full moon should do the trick.

I think a soak in any old basin or tub for a couple of weeks to get the tannins out, followed by a good rinsing down with boiling water is about the best you can do. I'd be a little worried about using known toxins, since the wood is bound to absorb some of them.


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

Why is it important to disinfect something you are going to drown anyway?
Fwew things can live underwater that live terrestrially.

I cut off any rot, soft stuff, wire brush the piece etc.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

You might try pouring peroxide over it, all you need to do afterwards is rinse if off good. Tom's got a point though.


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## cwlodarczyk (Sep 18, 2005)

Do you know anybody who works in a restaurant? Maybe you could use the kitchen before / after business one day. Big italian places actually have gas powered kettles that will hold 30 gallons or more of liquid.

If you're a churchgoer you may be able to use the kitchen there as well - quite often they have large roasting pans that could be filled with water and used on the stovetop.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

If my church saw me cooking driftwood in their pans they'd kick me out -- either that or they'd want to know what kind of soup was on, and oh, could they just try a little?


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

If I want to try and kill off stuff on wood, I usually use a few bottles of inexpensive H2O2.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Yummm, driftwood soup! with some taters (Po-taaa-toes)? 

1) Rinse off driftwood
2) Use a few bottles of Hydrogen Perioxide, and sponge it down
3) Place in kitchen sink, either plug up the sink or let it drain
4) Pour boiling hot water on it to rinse
5) Place in tank

(Optional) Save driftwood broth for soup...

-John N.


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## cwlodarczyk (Sep 18, 2005)

Potatoes?

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/taters.php


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

I'm with Plantbrain, I hardly ever clean driftwood. If I have a piece that is covered with algae I use bleach with a stiff brush.

Hawk


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## anthonysquire (Mar 15, 2006)

Upton? Would that be Upton WY by chance? Anyway...I had a large piece of drift wood that I soaked in really salty water in a cooler for a while. I let mine soak for 2 weeks, but I think shorter would be ok. When I mean salty I mean Dead Sea salty. My ice chest was about 30 gallons or so and I used 2 or 3 containers of salt (you know the ones you get to refill your shakers at home...one usually lasts me, well forever), so it was really salty. I used some bricks to weigh it down, then I rinsed it really really well and let sit in fresh water for a few days and rinsed again. A lot of work, but I wanted to be as certain as I could. Soaking also had the added benefit of releasing some of the tannins before it went into my tank.


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## KungPaoChicky (Oct 11, 2005)

If soaking it for sanitary purposes is an issue, you might want to consider some of the previous options listed above. If soaking to realese tannins or get the wood to actually sink (wich is a big problem with the wood we have at an LFS i work at) try your bath tub. I run the water as hot as it will go and drop the wood in. I then boil 2 large pots of water and continuely poor the boiling water into the tub. Though Tom may have a point that most things that are terrestial wont live under water, remember to take into consideration the source of your wood. If you found your wood at a popular local park floating on top of the water. Chances are that water isnt very clean. Releasing that water into your tank via the wood is not a good thing.


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## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

First of all, THANK YOU for all the responses!

And I'm in Upton, MA - but I'm sure Upton, WY is lovely, too!

Hmmm, well, I'm looking not only to get tannins out (first large peice was obtained at a fish auction, second is "found") but to disinfect. I've seen weird stuff growing on driftwood in posts here, and would be concerned not just about the stuff growing, but the chemicals it could potentially release upon its demise. 

The restaurant and church kitchens are great ideas, but trying to coordinate that would be tough. So, I'm leaning towards soaking, then the H2O2, followed by boiling water. I hadn't thought of the H2O2!

Thanks for all the great ideas!
-Jane

PS - I already had a "what's cooking?" incident. My BF came over when I was boiling a batch of long strand sphagnum moss for my terrariums. He looked at the pot on the stove, and his eyes lit up. Poor guy - his face fell when I said it was sphagnum moss! He was hoping for something tastier.


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## jeff63851 (Feb 23, 2005)

I had a really long driftwood too (it's like 3' long). All I did was let it sit in a large rubbermaid tub for about a month. 

Just wondering, but had anyone found any bugs in their driftwood? There is this small hole in my driftwood. But I don't think anything came out of the driftwood when poured hot water in the hole...

Anyways, good luck with the driftwood!

-Jeff


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