Autumn is finally here! We're already thinking ahead to Halloween and coming up with ways to give our homes a spooky update.
We spotted people making cute decorative pumpkins from Poundland mops - sounds like a bonkers Halloween decorating idea, but bear with us. We're not ones to miss out on a bargain, so we gave it a go ourselves.
We headed to Poundland and bought two double packs of mop heads. The exact type I'd seen people using online comes with another less woolly mop head with flat rectangular threads - always handy to have a spare on for cleaning.
I decided to pick up two sets, just in case things went drastically wrong. Plus, I think candles, succulents and many other decor pieces look much happier in 'couples' rather than on their own. Just me?
Mop head pumpkin hack
To make these little DIY pumpkins, you first need to tie a hairband a bit further than halfway down the mop head. Tie it nice and tightly (or things will not go well).
Then, you have to make a hole in the middle of the mop by separating out the strands. It's one of those things that's tricky to explain, but you then push and rotate the plastic part of the mop head down into the centre.
So the plastic part should now be on the inside, upside down. Next, you start to push the loose ends inwards, too, while covering up the messy bit with the outer strands by gently pulling them around.
It will be fiddly - much more so than the Instagram reels make it seem. The first time I tried the hack, I didn't have any plain, thin hair bands to hand, so used a scrunchie. It kind of worked, but the pumpkin didn't really hold its form very well.
On the fourth or fifth attempt - as well as questioning my life choices - I made it work. You definitely don't want to tie the band too low down - just a little bit further than half way.
Otherwise, it'll be too loose and won't really look like a pumpkin. The woolly material catches and frays quite easily - definitely don't try it if you've got a broken nail or the wool will start to look battered.
You then need to go foraging for a short twig and put it in the hole on the top of your mop pumpkin. Overall, we were really impressed with this budget trick - meaning more cash to spend on these beautiful autumn wreaths. It sounds totally crazy, but for £1.50 per pumpkin, you really can't complain.
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