Silk flowers, while reasonably maintenance free, will not maintain their maximum beauty and long-term potential without some degree of care. Routine dusting of your silk plants will go a long way to maintaining their fresh appearance for a very long time if that dusting is done properly.
How you go about dusting your silk flowers is the most important thing in long-term maintenance. Poor technique can do far more harm than good and result in a floral arrangement with a dull, lifeless look that is neither appealing nor easy to repair. Common household dusting equipment such as paper towels and spray cleaners are the absolute worst things you can apply to your silk flowers. They leave behind residues such as lint and grind dirt and dust into the flower, which dulls the colors and leaves them looking lifeless.
There are many commercial preparations available for the purposes of cleaning and preserving your silk flowers. I have tried many of them. However, I would recommend two techniques in place of the commercial preparative route. There is not anything wrong with the commercial cleaners, but if you are trying to avoid aerosols and other allergy and asthma inducing sources, then these two techniques are ideal.
The first one is to spray your floral arrangement with a light application of common hairspray. There are many non-aerosol varieties. I look for two main factors when selecting a hairspray for this purpose: cost and fragrance. The cost should be as low as possible since you are not using this product for any other purpose and you should avoid anything with a fragrance to avoid any contaminants and potential allergens. I recommend doing this outdoors to let the any fumes disperse quickly.
The second method, which is the one I use most often, is to use compressed air to remove any dust from the floral arrangement. Compressed air can come from many sources: canister or air compressor. If you are using a compressor (as I do) make sure you have a pressure regulator so the air velocity is not very high and that you use an oil trap. Nothing will ruin your floral arrangement faster than the equivalent of a 100 mph wind and a light coating of oil.
Proper cleaning at regular intervals will keep your silk flowers and floral arrangements looking their best for years.
Larry D. Yablow is a proud contributor to Ganderstone Galleries. Specializing in handmade and custom silk flowers, silk floral arrangements and unique home decor for all occasions, they strive to use allergen-free products in everything they make. See some of Larry's custom design work at Ganderstone Galleries.
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