Directions on Painting & Drying Gourds | eHow Paint the Gourds Step 1 Clean the gourds off in a well-ventilated area. Soak the dried gourd in warm water, and then prepare a bleach solution that contains 1 part bleach and 9 parts water. Advertisement Step 2 Saturate a towel in the solution. Wipe away the mold carefully. Use a scouring pad if you need to remove stubborn mold. Step 3