How to Preserve a Gingerbread House

If you've created one of the seven architectural wonders of the Christmas world, you may not want to let it die a natural death. Here's how to preserve it for next year.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spray Varnish Or Polyurethane
• Sturdy Boxes (preferably Airtight)
• Gingerbread Houses

1. Repair anything that needs repairing - candy or trim that's fallen off, or a porch railing that's broken.

2. Remove any pieces you don't want to keep (vegetation; plastic animals) and toss them or store them separately.

3. Put the gingerbread house in a warm room for at least 24 hours to dry out any ambient moisture it may have picked up in your house.

4. Place the dry house in a well-ventilated room and spray well with varnish. (It is possible to use a brush, but you'll probably end up knocking a lot of the candy off.)

5. Make sure to cover the house completely with varnish - inside door frames and windows included. Spray the inside first, then circle the outside.

6. Allow to dry completely.

7. Store in a sturdy box in a dry place.

Tips & Warnings

• If you didn't build the house on a sturdy, moveable platform such as a sheet of plywood, your best shot is to gather all the spatulas in the house, slide them under key points such as corners, and on the count of three have as many hands as you can corral lift it up while you slide a platform underneath it.
• No matter how carefully you try to preserve your house, remember that it is an organic creation. Unless you've got an airtight, temperature-controlled glass case to keep it in, it won't last forever.

on 11/22/2005 Another thing to consider when storing your Gingerbread House; ants. Perhaps a tight sealing heavy plastic container would work.

on 11/22/2005 If you don't want to spend the money on a good decorating kit, use a zip-lock bag and snip the tip off of one of the corners.