Driftwood Cleaning Options?

Hello everyone,

Well i have a question regarding some used driftwood i currently purchased. I purchased some aquarium driftwood (dont know what kind) from someone who had snakes and I wanted to make sure it was ok to use for my enclosure. It smelled kind of funny when i got it (prob snake poo) and so I placed it on the deck until I figured out what to do with it. A few days later i noticed a tiny bit of mold growing on it in a certain area (I'm assuming from the rain) and wanted to see if anyone on here knew how to sanitize it.

I did some digging around and found the following ways to sanitize driftwood some are more popular than others:

1. Using Boiling water
2. Using salt water
3. Using a Potassium Permanganate solution
4. Using the oven
5. Using bleach (least popular/wood retains bleach)

I was leaning towards using the Potassium solution, because I dont have a pot big enought to boil and I don't want to cause a fire by placing it in the oven. I'm also not a fan of the whole using bleach on wood option. Anways, I wanted to know if anyone on here would recommend one method over the other, or was aware of a method i didnt mention above.

Thank you,

I wrap mine in aluminum foil (this seems to keep it from catching fire) and put it in the oven for a while while keeping an eye on it then take it out and run it under hot water in the shower to get any remaining debris off. After it dries it is ready.

First, I would never buy used drift wood.

Second, you are correct there is poo on it, hence the smell and mold. Also why I wouldnt buy it. Soak in alcohol and vigorously rub until clean.

Finally, I would go with the oven method personally. Set temp to 160 degrees F, after oven heats up, place the wood in there for 15 mins. 141 degrees F is enough to kill the bacteria, 160 just to be safe in case of a incorrect thermostat on the oven. Remember paper ignites at 451 degrees F, and is much thinner than a branch of wood. Honestly,200 degrees F would be fine and will absolutely make sure everything on it was dead. But thats JMHO.

Good luck with it and hoped I helped!

If you're fortunate enough to live in a dry sunny area, leave it in direct sunlight for a few days. (Oh, you're in NJ - never mind.....:-))

I have scrubbed mine with vinegar with some success - and then left it in sunlight enough to dry out and for the smell to go away. (Vinegar is also great for dissolving white urate stains by the way)

I think the oven is fine, as long as it's on a low setting.

Originally Posted by rcpreis3

First, I would never buy used drift wood.

Second, you are correct there is poo on it, hence the smell and mold. Also why I wouldnt buy it. Soak in alcohol and vigorously rub until clean.

Finally, I would go with the oven method personally. Set temp to 160 degrees F, after oven heats up, place the wood in there for 15 mins. 141 degrees F is enough to kill the bacteria, 160 just to be safe in case of a incorrect thermostat on the oven. Remember paper ignites at 451 degrees F, and is much thinner than a branch of wood. Honestly,200 degrees F would be fine and will absolutely make sure everything on it was dead. But thats JMHO.

Good luck with it and hoped I helped!

I agree, I've never purchased used driftwood before for this same exact reason. However, these were some sweet looking pieces for only $15 for both so i figured they could be sanitized and reused, just like if it was my own piece of used driftwood (didn't notice the smell till i got in my car). The main reason I was asking though was because I had another huge piece of wood from a tree that I purchased about a year ago. However, I misted my melinus enclosure to much and the water didn't dry off as quickly as it should of, so green mold started to grow on it when i noticed i immediately removed it and threw it ouside (figured it could no longer be used or sanitized). Eventhough I plan on just purchasing another piece for my enclosure, it got me thinking if I could actually sanitize something like that and if so how would i do it. Considering it was a huge piece and wouldn't fit in my oven, I started trying to find alternatives. Even the small pieces im trying to sanitize don't fit in my oven, so that is not an option. I searched on here and couldn't find anything, so i figured I'd start a thread to help others who might have the same question.

As for the vinegar.... My mom told me to use vinegar, but i never heard of it until now so I wasnt really convinced either. The product I was planning on using and probably still planning on using is used extensively by salt water and fresh water hobbyist to sanitize their driftwood before they place it in their aquariums. I figured if its good enough to put in a tank full of water with fish without harming them, than it should be good enough to work for me and my reptiles.

I might try the vinegar tonight to give it an initial cleaning till i figure out the way im going to do it. I'll look up the alchohol you suggested as well...

Thank you for all your responses!!!