How To Clean Silk Flowers?

[PattiD]

A furniture store owner told me they use Hair Spray on their silk flowers.

Patti

[Michael A. Ball]

On 3011-04 Phisherman said, "A can of compressed air will do a good job (take them outside). You can purchase compressed air at most computer supply stores."

And Vox Humana said, "You may just be assuming that the arrangements are delicate. If they are really "silk" flowers, they are made of sturdy polyester fabric and are quite durable. I have a number of these arrangement. Periodically, I vacuum them or give them a good blast of air from my air compressor. For a more thorough cleaning there are several alternatives. If you have a steam cleaner, you can use that. Simply direct the steam to the leaves and flowers. You can use a clean cloth to wipe large flat areas to assist is removing the dirt. The flowers will dry very quickly. You may have to repeat this a few times until they are very clean. I did this recently to an arrangement and it worked fairly well.

The method that works best for me is to put some liquid dish detergent and water into a spray bottle and spray the flowers, thoroughly saturating everything. Then I use a hand-held sprayer (or garden hose if outside) and gently rinse them. I hold the arrangement upside down when rinsing to keep the water away from the container. I then shake them off and leave them outside to dry in the sun. I have some large ledge garden arrangements that I actually put in the shower. They get a good spray with the dish detergent as above, then I use the hand-held shower to rinse them. I don't have to worry about water accumulating in a container as the arrangements are built on slabs of floral foam. It is amazing to see how much dirt rinses off them!

An alternative way to clean them is to fill a sink or other large, deep container with warm soapy water. Dip the arrangement (upside down) into the water and swish it around. Remove and let it drip and then repeat with clear water to rinse. It is best to wash the arrangements on warm, sunny days when there is a good breeze-

You can also buy cleaners in spray cans specifically designed for silk arrangement. These sprays contain a fast drying solvent. You simply spray the arrangement and let it dry. The sprays are OK, but not as good as simply washing the flowers. The sprays can be found anywhere that sells silk flowers like craft stores (Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Garden Ridge).

Of course, you can't use water on dried natural materials or with paper flowers. Before cleaning the arrangements, turn them upside down and shake a few times to make sure that they are constructed well. When I die, I want to go where dogs go!

[BonnieJean]

I spray them with water in the sink.