Is all sand sterile?

I just bought some "play sand," I guess intended for sandboxes, from homedepot. I haven't used it yet.

Is all sand sterile, or do I need to do something to it to sterlize it? Will pouring boiling water on it be enough?

Thanks as always,

Maureen

I would hope "play sand" would be sterile, but you can put it in the oven for an hour or two, just so it gets above about 160 degrees to be sure. I'd use a large clear pyrex cake pan or corningware.
The boiling water would work on all that gets the water actually that hot, but the sand will draw heat out as you pour.
Let us know how it goes.
Sidney

The sand will not be sterile. Microbes and fungus can live anywhere and can even survive in deserts. An easier way to sterilize (or pasturize) any soil is to nuke it. Put 1/2 gallon of soil in a microwaveable container with at least 1 cup of water. If the soil is very dry, use more water. It is the temp of the water that is going to be most important and it needs to penetrate the soil as steam. Cover the container while heating but allow enough of an opening to allow steam to escape rather than pop open. Nuke for 10 minutes on high. Keep the cover on while it cools. The longer it takes to cool the better. Jessamine

This message was edited Jan 14, 2005 1:10 AM

Thanks Jessamine, I appreciate the info for nukeing sand too. Now I know why I've been saving therometers.

I neglected to mention that nuking also kills insects and their eggs and weed seeds. And it doesn't stink up the kitchen. Jessamine

The "stink-up the kitchen" is a real biggie. I haven't baked, play sand, but won't bake beach sand in the house again. Might be good use for an old elecrtic turkey roaster. Hmmm

Thanks for the responses, especially the part about the smell, that was going to be my next question... I've read that baking soil for sterilization smells really bad.

I'll definately nuke the sand before I use it for anything.

Thanks,

Maureen