driftwood - alternative to boiling?

laurabb

laurabb

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Jan 7, 2007
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I've been unsuccessfully trying to boil some driftwood for the past several hours on my screened-in porch. It's just too cold outside, and although the water is hot and steaming, it can't reach the boiling point.

I'm trying to boil outside because I read in some previous posts that boiling inside really stinks up the house, and that the smell lingers for a long time. Any alternatives? I doubt the temperature will rise anytime soon.

I heard you can bake driftwood in the oven, but at what temp and for how long? And wouldn't that smell as well? Just how badly does it smell to boil driftwood in the house? Any ideas?
 
It smells like earth, I did not find it that bad or that it lingered all that long. Put your kitchen vent fan on while you do it.

You can run it through the dish washer too. No soap and just the wood in the dish washer.
 
I never had any problems with lingering smells either.... however, I have had pieces that were too big to boil inside.... I just took it outside and let them soak in hot water, changing the water as needed.
 
I usually get Mopani Driftwood and small enough to get a bucket. So I use the bathtub hot water and just leave it there for 20 mins than change the water and do it again. If the driftwood is huge could always fill up the tub.

I never had stinky driftwood before. But if it does stink you now have a reason to clean the tub :).
 
I usually don't bother boiling it anymore


i just soak it (add some chlorine) then swap water every few days for a couple weeks(unless i forget about it)
 
i put mine in the bath tub for 1 week changing the water daily as it would start at 150 degrees and then go to about 60. after 5 days it stopped leeching most of it tanin and then i added kosher salt to the tub for 1 day, then took it out for the next and then baked it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 250 (flipping it periodically) then put it back in the bath for 1 day and put it in my tank. Hasn't leeched yet! My peice was too big to boil, but I would suggest bioling it (inside doesnt make the house stink unless you have some crap on your wood) for a long time 2-3 times, then letting it sit in bath water for 1-2 days. If you dont care about the tanins then just soak it in salt for 1 day and in water for 1 and put it in your tank. The tanins dont hurt your fish! (some actually like it)
 
The water doesnt have to be boiling per say....just hot enough to steep the tannins out. Like a teabag....
 
247plants is right. The only reason you'd need it boiling is if you wanted to sterilize it because it was in another tank that you aren't sure about.

I boiled my mopani wood on the stove and didn't notice any smell. Since then, I have added several peices that were either heavy mopani wood or attached to slate that I never boiled or soaked at all. I didn't have any trouble with floating or tannins, but then all those pieces (except the original one that I boiled) were ones that I bought with a used tank. So, those peices had been used in the past but had been dry and in storage for 6+ years.

I'd just boil it on the stove or soak in warm/hot water in the bathtub if you are worried about tannins.
 
Instead of trying to boil the water outside, boil the water inside then bring it outside and pour it in the tub with driftwood.

But seriously, you could bake, stir fry, fricasee, or curry it rather than boiling it.
 
I boiled are DW for about 5 hours, no bad odors.........:)
 
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