My loofahs are hanging out to dry, but they’ve started getting moldy. Any advice on how to salvage them or avoid this in the future?
Peel off what you can and blast them with the highest setting on your hose to get most of the plant matter out. Leave in a bucket with some soap or vinegar overnight, spray again to rinse the rest out the next day, and hang back up to dry.
My mom used to peel them before hanging them to dry. Also, don’t let the mist from overnight fog get on them.
I’ve been doing this for years and selling them as well. All I do is peel them and put them in a water/bleach solution in a 5-gallon bucket overnight. I put a bottle on top of them to keep them from floating. They come out looking great no matter how bad they looked going in. Then I dry them in the sun and smash them against something to get the seeds out.
I hang them from the chandelier in the dining room. They dry perfectly inside.
Shan said:
I hang them from the chandelier in the dining room. They dry perfectly inside.
How fancy that you think we all have chandeliers 
I got a ceiling fan and a boob light.
Shan said:
I hang them from the chandelier in the dining room. They dry perfectly inside.
How fancy that you think we all have chandeliers I got a ceiling fan and a boob light.
What about a leg lamp?
Shan said:
I hang them from the chandelier in the dining room. They dry perfectly inside.
How fancy that you think we all have chandeliers I got a ceiling fan and a boob light.
Ceiling fan is just an unlit rotating chandelier, so I don’t know why you’re complaining. /s
I don’t have too much knowledge around loofahs, but my suggestion would be to dry them in a cool, dark, well-ventilated area. The sun might be burning them.
Onyx said:
I don’t have too much knowledge around loofahs, but my suggestion would be to dry them in a cool, dark, well-ventilated area. The sun might be burning them.
You think? Everywhere I’ve read says they need sunlight to dry. Maybe you’re right—I’ll have to read up more, thanks.
@Bennie
They can be processed when completely green, right off the vine. Peel the skin, blast with a hose, soak in a bleach-water solution, and dry on a rack. Been doing this for years in rainy weather, works great.
A YouTube gardener named Bre Ellis has quite a few videos about processing homegrown loofah.
When I grew mine, I would peel them before they turned brown. When they dried, they had an off-white color that looked way better than letting them dry fully before peeling.