How to Wash Cannabis Flower Buds After Harvest
Last Updated on August 18, 2023
Growing your own medicine outdoors? Come learn how to rinse and wash cannabis buds after harvest using lemon juice and baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide. It’s easy to do, 100% organic, and effectively helps remove potentially harmful debris while still maintaining maximum quality of your cannabis flower. Cleaner herb equals a more smooth, safe, and tasty end product – whether you’re using it for tinctures, edibles, topicals, or to smoke!
Should I wash cannabis buds after harvest?
While not mandatory, it’s definitely a good idea to wash cannabis flower buds that were grown outside. The process reduces outdoor air pollutants that may have accumulated on the buds such as dirt, dust, pollen, toxic wildfire ash, caterpillar poop, insects, bird debris, and other particulate matter. You certainly want to avoid inhaling or ingesting all that stuff if possible.
If you think about it, you wash fresh produce before eating it, right? We always do, even our organic homegrown produce from the garden. So why not wash your buds? Especially considering our lungs are far more sensitive and susceptible to harm from contaminants than our guts are.
Since it’s so resinous, sticky cannabis flowers are particularly good at attracting and holding on to pollutants. That said, cannabis isn’t as easy to simply rinse off with water as other plants are. Yet the bud washing process we’ll show you today does an excellent job at dislodging and stripping contaminants without harming trichomes or terpenes.
It’s not usually necessary to wash cannabis that’s grown indoors, unless you’ve used foliar sprays that you’d prefer to rinse off before consuming the flower (though foliar sprays are usually not recommended during the flower phase anyways).
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Disclosure: Homestead and Chill is reader-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Does washing cannabis flower cause mold?
No, washing your cannabis buds shouldn’t cause mold – as long as you spread it out to thoroughly air dry that is, and don’t leave it in a wet heap after washing. Note that washing cannabis buds does add a couple days of drying time to your post-harvest routine. We’ll talk more about how to properly dry cannabis after washing below.
On the other hand, the baking soda and lemon juice used to wash cannabis can kill mold spores and therefore may help prevent mold from growing during drying, curing and storage. However, washing cannabis will not remove advanced mold or “bud rot” that is already present at the time of harvest. We don’t recommend using, consuming, or inhaling obviously moldy cannabis. Cannabis with only a small amount of mold on the plant (e.g. powdery mildew on the leaves, not moldy buds) could still be used for topical applications, such as homemade cannabis salve.
Why baking soda and lemon juice?
Often described as an “old school organic produce wash”, baking soda and lemon juice has been used to remove impurities from fruits and vegetables (and even greasy kitchens) for many decades. The mixture acts as a natural surfactant that gently encourages dirt, dust, and other debris to dislodge from deep within the plant.
Lemon juice is a natural antimicrobial and baking soda is mildly anti-fungal. When combined, they create a chemical reaction that neutralizes the solution and generates non-toxic carbon dioxide gas. This appears as fizz and bubbles that further help deep clean your bud! Hydrogen peroxide acts very similarly, is safe and organic, and can be used to wash cannabis as well.
Does washing bud decrease cannabinoids or trichomes?
Cannabinoids are fat-soluble; they only like to attach themselves to fats – like oil. Thus, this gentle wash will not strip the cannabinoids or decrease the potency of your flower. Try not to bang the branches into the sides of the bucket too much while washing, but also keep in mind that the few loose trichomes that may get knocked off during washing would’ve likely fallen off during the trimming and drying process anyways.
Supplies needed for bud washing
- 3 five-gallon buckets (or similar)
- water
- ½ cup baking soda and ½ cup lemon juice
- OR 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide (3% strength)
*Note: Some cannabis bud washing recipes call for as little as ¼ cup of lemon juice and baking soda each, while others say to use 1 cup of each. We feel that ½ cup of each is more than enough to adequately clean the cannabis, but not be overly strong or wasteful. An alternative bud washing method uses 1 cup of 3% household hydrogen peroxide (per 5 gallons of water) in the “wash” bucket instead of lemon juice and baking soda, which is also effective. Use what you have!
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
- Clean three 5-gallon buckets. The first bucket is for the cannabis “wash”, followed by two “rinse” buckets.
- Gather your plant material. It will be easiest to both wash and dry if you leave the branches as large as possible, but still cut short enough to fit completely inside the buckets (e.g. don’t cut it down into too many small pieces or individual buds yet). You can also roughly trim off leaves now, or wait until after washing. Removing at least some of the larger fan leaves upfront will help expedite drying.
- Fill the first bucket with warm water (not hot), and the other two with tepid or cool water. The warm water helps the baking soda and lemon juice dissolve and mix. We fill the warm bucket in our laundry room sink, but if you don’t have access to a large sink or hot water outside, add a couple tea kettles of hot water to a bucket of otherwise cold water.
Wash & Rinse
- In the first 5-gallon bucket, add ½ cup of baking soda and ½ cup of lemon juice to the warm water and stir. It should fizz and bubble. (Or, add 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide instead).
- Dunk, swirl, and rapidly wiggle the cannabis in the first wash bucket for about 30 seconds. Then hold it up over the bucket to drip off excess liquid and give it a few shakes.
- Next, submerge and swirl the branches in the second bucket to rinse, then rinse one final time in the 3rd clean bucket of water. 15 seconds in each rinse bucket is adequate. This washes off remaining impurities as well as the baking soda and lemon juice residue.
Dry
- After giving each one a good shake, hang the washed cannabis branches outdoors to drip dry for a few hours (up to 24 hours). For the best quality, choose a shady well-ventilated location out of direct sunlight. A nearby fan (but not blasting right on them) will provide additional airflow to expedite drying, as will trimming off leaves. For smaller branches or buds, consider using an herb drying rack.
- Finally, proceed with drying and curing the cannabis as you normally would.
That’s all there is to it! Isn’t it satisfying to see that gross dirty water, and know that isn’t in your bud anymore? If you found this information to be useful, please consider leaving a rating below – or sharing this post! If you need any tips more tips on when and how to harvest, trim, dry, cure and store you cannabis, check out this guide. Otherwise, have fun and enjoy your harvest!
Don’t miss these related articles:
- How to Grow Organic Cannabis at Home: Seeds, Soil, Containers, and Care
- Homemade Cannabis Oil Recipe
- Homemade Cannabis Salve Recipe
- How to Make Cannabis Tincture: Easy Cold Alcohol Extraction
- How to Feed Cannabis, Organically: Top-Dressings, Teas & More
- Sexing Cannabis: How to Tell the Difference Between Young Male vs Female Cannabis Plants
- Organic Cannabis Pest Control: How to Keep the Bugs Off Your Nugs
How to Wash Cannabis Flower Buds
Equipment
- 3 five gallon buckets
Ingredients
- cannabis flower
- 1/2 cup lemon juice and
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- OR 1 cup hydrogen peroxide (3% household strength)
Instructions
- Clean three 5-gallon buckets.
- Collect your plant material. Keep the cannabis branches as large as possible, but short enough to fit completely inside the buckets. Optional: remove large fan leaves before washing.
- Fill the first bucket with water (not hot), and the other two with tepid or cool water.
- In the first 5-gallon bucket, add ½ cup of baking soda and ½ cup of lemon juice to the warm water and stir (OR 1 cup hydrogen peroxide and water)
- Dunk, swirl, and rapidly wiggle the cannabis in the first wash bucket for about 30 seconds. Then hold it up over the bucket to drip off excess liquid and give it a few shakes.
- Next, submerge and swirl the branches in the second bucket to rinse, then rinse one final time in the 3rd clean bucket of water. 15 seconds in each rinse bucket is adequate.
- Shake out then hang the washed cannabis branches outdoors to drip dry for a few hours (up to 24 hours). For the best quality, choose a shady well-ventilated location out of direct sunlight. A nearby fan (not blasting right on them) will provide additional airflow and expedite drying, as will trimming off fan leaves. For smaller branches or buds, consider using an herb drying rack.
- Finally, proceed with drying and curing the cannabis as you normally would.
Deanna Talerico
Deanna Talerico (aka DeannaCat) is a garden educator and writer with over 15 years experience in organic gardening. She is a retired Senior Environmental Health Specialist, and holds a M.A. in Environmental Studies and B.S. in Sustainability and Natural Resources.
19 Comments
Roy
Very informative and explained nice and simple.
Molly Field
Hi! This was great — thank you so much. I performed the hydrogen peroxide method and I’m so glad I washed! Wow, that water was yech.
Question: when I dumped my bins from the washing, I noticed the interior rim was sticky as was the floor of my washing bin; my first rinse bin was less so, but still had sticky residue.
Please tell me I didn’t just wash off all my trichomes?! 😩
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Molly, growing outdoors, your plants are essentially a sticky trap to anything floating around in the air like dirt, dust, pollen, animal hair, dander, etc. so the resulting water from the wash is always quite “yech”, and even surprisingly so. The washing process may knock of some of the trichomes but I doubt you will notice a difference in effects when it comes to the end product, hope that helps and congratulations on your harvest!
Dean
I will do this in the fall, for the 1st time. How often do you change the buckets? I’m thinking maybe 2 times per plant? I normally grow 3 large plants outside and after wet trim, hang in the garage with an ocillating fan – not aimed directly of course, and a dehumidifier set to 60%, for about 12-14 days.
Thanks!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Dean, I would just go by how much the color of the water changes during your washing. If you have large, outdoor plants, you will likely need to change the first bucket multiple times per plant. Good luck growing this season!
Trent Greaves
Hello Deanna,
Can a single cannabis plant have both male and female structures?
Thanks
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Trent, your plant can show hermaphroditic traits and have both male and female parts. However, this is typically not something you want in your plants, especially if they exhibit these traits fairly early on in flower I would cull the plant. If your female plant has a few male flowers mixed into the female flowers in the later stages of flower, that is sometimes common and not as much of a problem as long as they are more few and far in between. Hope that helps and good luck!
Peter Monaco
Perfectly written article. Good Job.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it!
Jen
Awesome article. First time for fun grower. Your directions are clear and concise. You answered all my questions. Going to subscribe. 😃
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Jen, so glad to hear you found the article helpful and we hope you enjoy our content once you have a chance to look around.
Matt
Hello I been looking for something like this washing bud, I had a question if I wash my bud will it’s remove sevin bug spray?? I want to try 3 % hydrogen peroxide but since you been doing this longer then me which one do you recommend baking soda with lemon or hydrogen peroxide?? Or should I just toss my plant since I mess up for using sevin bug spray thanks you for time hope to hear from you soon
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Matt, we aren’t familiar with Sevin bug spray so we can’t advise as to whether you should toss your plants or not. I guess it depends on what stage they were at in flower while you were spraying them, it isn’t a product that is safe to use in organic agriculture so it is something that we typically avoid. The label says its safe for fruits and veggies but those are eaten as opposed to smoking, not sure if or how long Sevin stays on the plant matter or not? Either way, if you are going to wash the plants, I would go with the peroxide route in hopes that it does a better job of “washing” the flower. If you did spray later in the flowering stage, it may be a better idea to turn the plant material into edibles as opposed to smoking or vaporizing it? Hope that helps and good luck!
Kristen
Mine have been drying for several days now, is it too late to wash them? I haven’t trimmed anything yet, just cut the main stem and hung them up.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Kristen, that is tough to say, if you grew the plants outdoors it may be worth the effort. I would just be sure that they have good air flow to make sure the extra water doesn’t sit on them too long, this doesn’t mean pointing a fan directly at the plants, hopefully you have a dry and well ventilated area (inside or out) to let them dry off some before moving them to your drying space. Hope that helps and good luck!
Kristen
Thanks for the fast response!
They were grown indoors in a grow tent. I definitely have the ventilation to be able to dry them after washing. I just wanted to make sure it was ok to do the washing process after they’ve already been cut & drying.
There has been a lot of construction in our neighborhood and it’s causing a lot of extra dust, even with a filter in my intake it still gets dusty in there. Thanks again!
MJ
Wish the instructions about washing cannabis was in the original growing/processing instructions! I already harvest and am drying mine🫤
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Sorry about that MJ, it wasn’t something we were really doing when we wrote that article a couple years ago, now our property is much more open with more dirt and wind. We did update the harvest/dry/curing guide last week with a note about washing now too. Glad you had a successful harvest and enjoy!
Vallorie
Thanks. First time grower and tips and instructions like these have kept my process going nicely! Now I am ready