Black walnut trees are a beautiful addition to any property. They produce delicious nuts that are great for using in baking or eating on their own. One downside, however, is they contain a juice that can stain your hands, clothing, or if left sitting for too long, your driveway. If you love the beauty, shade, and nuts provided by your trees, there are solutions that can help with these stains.
Garden Guide shares a great natural solution for removing black walnut stains from your hands. They explain if you pour lemon juice on your hands and rub them together for a few minutes, the acid will remove the stains. After that, just wash your hands with warm water and soap. Soap alone doesn’t get rid of the harsh staining, so the lemon juice is a great, healthy way to clean your hands.
They also share a solution if your clothes get stained from black walnuts. Run the stain under cold water and add 2-3 tsp. of dish detergent to the stain. Next, add 4 drops of vinegar and rub it in. Wrap the stain in a paper towel for 5-10 minutes. Rinse with water and repeat until the stain is gone. Depending on the type of fabric, you could try this on rugs or other similar materials. You can also try bleach if the stained fabric is white. It’s also important to not let the fabric dry until the stains have been completely removed.

Cement is another spot that might be susceptible to black walnut stains. This method comes from Hunker and it requires a few precautions since you’ll be using chlorine. Make sure to wear old clothes, eye protection, rubber gloves, and rubber boots. First, wet the stains with your hose and sprinkle them with granular chlorine. Mist with water and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Next, add a gallon of water, 1/3 of a cup of liquid dish detergent, and 2/3 of a cup of borax to a bucket and mix well. Use a stiff scrub brush to scrub the stains for about 2 minutes with the solution, then rinse well with water. The stains should be gone. You can also apply a coat of concrete sealer to areas where the nuts tend to fall. This will make future stains easier to clean and may prevent them all together.
Prevention is always a good strategy, so if you’re planning on working with black walnuts, wear gloves next time. To prevent the staining of concrete, make sure to pick up the fallen nuts before their juices leak out. Bag-A-Nut’s Black Walnut Harvester is a fast, fun, and efficient way to do this. You’ll get the nuts up to prevent staining and have a good amount for recipes and snacking!
Check out the many Bag-A-Nut options available for harvesting black walnuts here: https://baganut.com/collections/pick-up-black-walnuts
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