how do i clean artificial silk flowers?

Question

I have 2 bouquets that my daughters had when they were bridesmaids 2 years ago but they now need cleaning any ideas thanks

Answer 1

Most silk or fabric flowers are easy to keep clean by washing in a weak solution of washing up liquid in tepid water, rinse a couple of times in fresh, clean, cold water then shake as much moisture off as possible before hanging upside down to dry thoroughly in a warm room or outside if good weather or in the airing cupboard. Or you can try placing the flower in a bag of salt, give it a shake then remove flower and shake off all the tiny granules and you have a 'dry' cleaned bloom!

Answer 2

I would suggest using water mixed with a little dish soap and either use an old spray bottle or just a soft cloth and wipe it down. There are also silk flower cleaners available online or at any local craft store if you want to go with something a little more professional -- but warm water and a bit of soap should do the trick just fine.

Answer 3

Pour some salt into a bag. Put the silk flowers head first into the bag. Hold the bag closed firmly and shake. After some shaking remove the silk flowers and gently shake off any excess salt. The salt will remove the dust/dirt etc and they should look good. I saw this as a tip from flower arrangers on the telly. Hope it helps.

Answer 4

the best way is to place flowers upside down in a plastic bag with a load of cooking salt. half a bag say. fix bag securely with elastic band around stems and give a good shake. the salt is abrasive and takes all dust away. also no risk of shrinkage or ruining shape of flowers. i've used this method on white silk lilys for years and they still look perfect.

Answer 5

Put a small amount of salt into a plastic bag,then put the heads and leaves of the flowers into it, seal as best you can and shake thoroughly, result, clean fresh flowers
Never use water as this loosens the heads and fades the silk

Answer 6

To clean silk flowers just take a damp cloth or paper towel and wipe each leaf/petal with it. It won't damage anything and it'll get the dust off. Plus, it dries really fast so you can wipe it down and put it back up in no time.

Answer 7

I have found the cans of compressed air that you buy to clean your keyboard of your computer works great. It will knock all of the dust off without affecting the shape of the arrangement.

Be careful though while using the can. It will get very cold and uncomfortable if you use it for extended periods. Wrap a towel or something around it to protect your hand.

Answer 8

Put some salt into a bag, place flowers in - petals down and holding the bag around the stem, give it a 'bally' good shaking. The salt grains will effectively scrub the petals without causing any damage and any salt left withing the petals will naturally liquefy and evaporate without causing damage.

Answer 9

I prefer the canned air... quick spray every so often seems to get the job done, I did buy a solution from Michael's craft store some time ago.... and i dont think it worked any better than a bit of water would have.....

Best of Luck =)

Answer 10

We have old flowers that were given to our program to use here's what the elders did; they washed them with a little dish soap & 1 tsp of starch, then gently arranged them upside down on a dishwasher rack. The starch help to keep them stiff feeling & they look nearly brand new.