Want to enhance the look of your room without getting into the hassle of watering and maintaining live plants? If the answer is in the affirmative, then you are not alone. In fact, a growing number of people today are opting for silk flower arrangements and artificial plants to accessorize their homes and work areas. However, there is a catch here as well. Even the best silk flower arrangements would need to be cleaned from time to time to keep them looking like new. It does not take as much time as watering actual plants and looking after them. All you need is spend a couple of hours in the weekend, and you are sorted.
What is the right way to go about cleaning your artificial
flower arrangements? The first rule would be to determine the material being
used. These could be anything from silk or velvet to polyester and also some
elements of plastic. For instance, the stems of the flowers are often made of
plastic. Keep in mind that the commercial cleaning ingredients readily
available off supermarket stores are generally too harsh for the sensitive
petals and leaves. You also cannot chuck in your silk flower arrangements in
the washing machine and hope that they would come out unscathed.
A bit of care is all you need to make sure that the silk
flowers and artificial plants keep looking exotic, vibrant, and natural. Dust
the silk flowers with a feather duster; hold the flower arrangements in one
hand and use the duster with the other for best results. Make sure that the
dust falls to floor and does not settle into the flowers.
You can then remove the individual elements from your best
silk flower bouquets and place them in a salt bath.
To prepare the bath, mix two cups of table salt with water in a container
spacious enough to fit all the individual parts of the flower arrangement.
Close the lid and give it a mild shake to dislodge the accumulated dust
particles.
Alternatively, you can prepare a mixture of white vinegar
and warm water in equal parts. Feed the mixture onto a sprayer and use the same
to lightly spray each of the elements in your silk flower arrangement. Use a clean
cotton towel to pat dry the flowers for optimal results.
Another method you could use would to be to run warm water
in a sink or tub. Add a dab of a relatively mild detergent to the water. Gently
run the flowers in the bath and pat dry the same to remove the excess water.
This removes the dirt and grime that tend to settle down on the flowers over
time and make them look all resplendent and beautiful.
Make sure that your silk flower bouquets or artificial
greens are dry before you reassemble the same. One of the ways you can make
them dry would be to place them on a towel and keep them away from direct
sunlight. This way, the colors would not fade and your flowers would keep
looking like when you bought them.
Follow these rules for cleaning and the peonies, lilies,
eucalyptus, or amaryllis arrangements would continue adorning your bathroom
counters, kitchen tables, or office desktops, just like the day you bought
them.