Cleaning Silk Bouquets In 3 Simple Steps

How To Clean A Silk Bouquet

A Silk bouquet can last a lot longer than a bouquet made of real flowers, but it will still droop, and get dusty, over time. Fortunately a little bit of preventive care can go a long way towards keeping your bouquet looking like new.

It doesn't take long either. 5 minutes spent caring for your bouquet every 3-6 months will keep your bouquet looking as good as it did they day you bought it.

Read on to discover the 3 simple steps to keeping your silk bouquet in pristine condition. You'll also discover the one thing you should NEVER do to clean your bouquet. Make this mistake, and you might ruin your bouquet forever!

Step 1: Rice Cleaning

Place your bouquet in a plastic shopping bag, along with half a cup of white rice. Twist the bag closed, and then shake the bag for about 60 seconds.

The rice in the plastic bag will get statically charged, and the dust will be attracted to the rice. In the past, people used salt instead of rice, but salt was found to be too hard, and would scratch the flowers. White rice is softer, so it won't damage the flowers at all.

Step 2: Fluffing

Once you have cleaned your silk flowers, hold the bouquet by the handle and then turn it upside down and give it two or three good hard shakes, dropping the rice back into the bag. This should loosen any rice caught in the flowers and also clear away any left over dust. It will also "fluff" the flowers, and give them back their original shape.

Step 3: Plumping And Teasing

After fluffing the bouquet, it is time to make sure all the flowers are in the right position. Using the back of your hand, go around the back of the bouquet and lightly push the flowers back into position, to "plump up" the bouquet. Once you are happy with the general shape, then tease the flowers into the correct position by lightly pulling and pushing on the individual flowers and petals until they are correctly placed.

That's it! Simple, wasn't it? Now, you may have read that you can lightly spray your bouquet with soapy water to get it clean. Regardless of what you may have read, don't ever do this! Never spray your bouquet with water because the wet dust will run and stain your flowers. And stained flowers do NOT look right!

If you follow these simple steps every 3-6 months, your bouquet will stay beautiful, and will be around long enough for future generations to enjoy.

Peta D'Silva has been making silk bouquets for over 14 years. She is the webmaster of http://www.visionsofsilk.com, a website featuring a catalog of bouquets that you can buy, as well as easy-to-understand articles about creating your own silk bouquets.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Crafts-Hobbies Information:

Related Articles

Tips for Flower Arranging at Home
Floral design is an art and for some it comes easy. If you have tried and failed or never tried at all, take heart, all is not lost.
Stress-Free Scrapbook Journaling Ideas
Do you find it intimidating when you come to journal your scrapbook pages?You are not alone! Many scrapbookers find it hard to get started when it comes to adding journaling to their scrapbooking layouts.If you are one of those people who go blank at the thought of having to journal, don't worry.
Using Your Dogs Hair
Dog hair (called chiengora)can be spun into yarn, much like sheeps's wool, alpaca, or any other animal fiber. The process is the same.
Soap Making For Beginners - Melt And Pour Process
As you will learn, soap making can be simple or complex. Some people enjoy the challenge of going all out professionally, which is fine.
Treasure Hunting - The Unusual Ways
When you think of treasure hunting, maybe gold coins and precious stones come to mind, but it doesn't end there. You can start in your own attic to see what treasures you find.
The Wonderful Art of Bonsai
The potential for enjoyment of Bonsai trees is enormous. These are the dwarf-sized trees that have been developed in the Asian countries of China and Japan for many hundreds of years.
Idle Hands Beget The Devils Work
As a southern girl, sewing was a rite of passage. You never questioned if you should learn, it was a matter of when.
Scrapbooking Those Memories!
You will find scrapbook supplies for photos and pictures in a craft store or online. Scrapbooks are used to combine photos and pictures to make a picture story album.
Depression Glass Companies
Just before the advent of the Great Depression, more than ahundred companies manufactured glassware in the UnitedStates. At the end of the Depression, fewer than fiftypercent of these companies remained in business.
Rubber Stamping: From Maya Indians to Scrapbooking
Who would have thought that your scrapbooking and card making had a connection to the Maya Indians? Rubber Stamping is certainly one of the fastest growing hobbies today, and for good reason. With its inexpensive materials and creative versatility, rubber stamping provides millions with hours of fun and creativity.
More Than A Memory- A Legacy
Everyone has that box of pictures either in a close or in a garage. Even worse yet in a magnetic album.
Getting Started With Radio Control Cars
Take note that you need to decide whether you want a radio control nitro or gas car or perhaps one that has an electric engine. You could purchase either one which is ready to run (rtr) or a kit.
Antiques From Europe...Is It Really The Goose That Layed the Golden Egg?
Many dealers and auctioneers have been bringing container loads of antiques from Europe for years now. The lure of getting "fresh to the market" antique furniture and "smalls" is something that can bring renewed excitement back into your antique business.
Make A Stunning Dried Hydrangea Wreath
Dried hydrangea wreaths are so beautiful and versatile in a home, and a lot of fun to make as well.You can either purchase already dried hydrangea flowers from your local craft store, or you can dry your own.
How to Make Your Civil War Uniform Shirt
Your own shirt designed and made by you for your own Civil War Uniform Impression is easy and economical. Follow these simple directions, and your Civil War uniform shirt will be exactly how you want it.
Bartering: A Modern Day Phenomenon
Back in the early days of America, families didn't have much in the form of money. What they did have was skill, creativity, and a desire to help each other out.
Diecast Collectibles: The Collectors' Guide to Making a Profit
Millions of people have made a hobby of collecting items ofone sort or another, but some take it to a higher level. These collectors view their collections as more than just an accumulation of trinkets that they happen to enjoy; to them, it's a business, and they're not in it to lose money.
PE-Design Embroidery Digitizing Software: Getting Started
This article is in response to the emails I receive from my website asking for my thoughts on PE-Design. If you are considering purchasing embridery digitizing programs, I hope this information will help your research.
Production and Pricing of Craft Show Items
This is where you can really make or break your craft showcareer. Being able to produce quality crafts as efficiently andaffordably as possible is the key to making a tidy profit fromcraft shows.
Starting A Coin Collection
The best place to start collecting would be with pennies, we will focus on the Lincoln Cent for the years 1909 through 1958, which are the Wheat Cents. There are still a number of "wheat cents" showing up in circulation, so it is possible to start a coin collection without spending a great deal of money.
>