# cleaning driftwood guidelines?



## evgeney96 (Jun 5, 2011)

So I found a very nice large piece of drift wood when I went freshwater fishing this morning.
So far I steamed it and engulfed it in my tub in hot water mixed with bleach and soap.. I tied it down so it would not float and would absorb the water.
any other steps?


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## Jonny Rotten (Feb 17, 2012)

Ya,Throw it back in the woods.I dont trust bleach or soap.You should have gotten a large bin,boil a ton of water,let it sit a few days,and then do it again for two weeks. Maybe some others will say different but thats what I would do.

#1 you dont know if youve gotten all the bleach and soap out,and then putting it in your tank with LIVE plants and fish.
#2 steaming is only good for "steamed dumplings" and did nothing.
#3 A minimum of 2 weeks soaking to release tannins or your tank will be very yellow.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

People bleach wood by sitting it in the sun for a few weeks. The sun provides uv rays and with the wood drying out coupled with extra heat from the sun. Even parasitic cysts will get nuked


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## iRun (Apr 12, 2011)

I'll second Jonny Rotten. I'd proceed with caution now that the wood has soaked in bleach & soap. The soap actually sketches me as much or more than the bleach.

Safest thing is to consider it a new yard ornament.

*Warning* the following is purely wild speculation. I suspect that if you do several alternating rounds of boiling and rinsing using fresh boiled water each time, with a few days of soaking and replacing soak water daily, that may remove any of the soap that has soaked in. Just a guess. 

As far as found DW, boiling to kill baddies and soaking to remove tannins. Don't use pine or spruce, and don't use green wood.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

If the wood was fairly smooth, not a lot of pits, cracks or holes then the soap might have stayed on the surface, then been rinsed off just fine. Working it quickly and lots of rinsing and scrubbing is the key. But if the soap got deep into the wood it may not have been removed with just a few rinses. Soaking the wood in soapy water practically guarantees the soap will have soaked in. 

Alternate soaking and drying and hope the soap comes out. The bleach will not be a problem. If you smell chlorine, then use some dechlor in the water. 

Then test it in a tub with a few fish.


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## evgeney96 (Jun 5, 2011)

fruck any other expert advice?


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

I'm soaking all the wood I found in bleach. been soaking for two weeks already. then im going to soak it in fresh water daily for a week with dechlor.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

and i've been doing some heavy scrubbing with a wire grill brush.


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

Bleach, not an issue. thats how I have cleaned my pieces use a 55 gallon barrel and soak with bleach water then soak for a week with heavy amounts of dechlorinator. have yet to have a fish death.

Scrubbing with a said bristle or boiling works good to. soap though is where you gave issues soaps tend to leave residue which is not fish friendly

From my desk where I am supposed to be working


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## Robert H (Apr 3, 2003)

Wood is very porous, like a sponge. That is how wood gets water logged. It absorbs water, forcing air out and adding more weight. Bleach residue may be small enough as to not pose a threat, but I would not risk it. I never found a reason to use bleach. I always boil wood. If its too big to fit in a pot, I have have run it through a dishwasher or even a laundry washing machine, (with no soap) This not only kills anything on the wood and neutralizes tannin, but it also helps to water log it.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

you run wood thru your laundry machine?? why so worried just soak with bleach for a week and soak without with heavy dechlor for a week. no big deal.


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## Mike Hawk (Mar 9, 2012)

Soak driftwood in 10% bleach for 3-4 days moving it around every 4-8 hours. After soak it in dechlorinator for 3-4 days moving it around every 4-8 hours and your good to go. I have been using this method for a good while with no damage done. Make sure the wood your using is a hard wood as you don't want the wood to fall apart in your tank. Also for smaller pieces of wood you can boil them for a few hours to kill off anything bad.


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## NWA-Planted (Aug 27, 2011)

Actually.. The dishwasher idea is pretty awesome!! wonder if the wife would let me try that... 

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## evgeney96 (Jun 5, 2011)

damn.. The wood piece is very aesthetic and large and best of all I found in near a freshwater river thus its perfect for a freshwater tank...








When I initially soaked it, I soaked it in the tub with bleach and I ran some hand soap bar through the rinse (not a super amount).
I cant boil it as its way to large for any possible pot, I was thinking of putting it in a steel garbage can but it didn't even fit there.
What can I do to guarantee this will not kill off my tank?

soak it in bleach for a week then dechlorinate?


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

If there is any soap residue that may have soaked into the pores the only way I can think to remove it is soaking with lots of water changes. Mild acid might help, you could add vinegar to the water. Alternately, baking soda might help.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-remove-soap-spots.htm

The first set of instructions (uses acid) includes Burlap (a plant-based material)
The second set of instructions (uses baking soda) includes Bamboo and Cork (cork is the bark of an oak tree)
Vinegar or baking soda are generally safe in an aquarium in small amounts that might linger after several water changes/soaking. (Certainly much safer than soap)
Adding peat moss to the water will acidify the water with tannic acid. I do not know if this would actually help with removing the soap. 
At the very bottom is removing soap from wood (such as furniture). Cold water. 

Then test it in a tub with some fish.


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## evgeney96 (Jun 5, 2011)

Diana said:


> If there is any soap residue that may have soaked into the pores the only way I can think to remove it is soaking with lots of water changes. Mild acid might help, you could add vinegar to the water. Alternately, baking soda might help.
> 
> http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-remove-soap-spots.htm
> 
> ...


wish I could rep you


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

erg, I'm thinking since you didn't soak it in soap for a week straight that it didn't seep very far into the pores. I say soak it for a week in boiling hot water with dechlor and a water change everyday. really, after this you should be good to go.


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## evgeney96 (Jun 5, 2011)

jeremyTR said:


> erg, I'm thinking since you didn't soak it in soap for a week straight that it didn't seep very far into the pores. I say soak it for a week in boiling hot water with dechlor and a water change everyday. really, after this you should be good to go.


I really cant boil it as simply it is too large, I'm starting to doubt I can take its buoyancy? Anyone have any ideas..
So far its been soaking in hot water for about 2.5 days and has complete buoyancy


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

i mean boil hot water and pour into soaking container.


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## Jonny Rotten (Feb 17, 2012)

evgeney96 said:


> I really cant boil it as simply it is too large, I'm starting to doubt I can take its buoyancy? Anyone have any ideas..
> So far its been soaking in hot water for about 2.5 days and has complete buoyancy


 Go get a plastic bin at home depot,boil a ton of water on stove,put in wood,cover to retain heat.VERY simple.


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