A complete guide on how to clean artificial and fake silk flower arrangements without destroying them. Some people prefer fake flowers because they are practical. Fresh flowers are significantly more expensive compared to artificial flowers.
Flowers are awesome and great to look at. Creating and placing different floral designs of flowers in vases or pots brings instant color and pop to any space.
However, fresh flowers require constant attention such as adding water, and have a short shelf life of several days. This makes many people go for fake plants and fake flower arrangements.
Additionally, some people cannot be near fresh flowers and floral designs. People who are allergic to flower pollen have to avoid them.
People with such allergies find artificial or fake silk blooms as appropriate alternatives. There are several benefits to using artificial blooms when decorating a space.
As mentioned above, artificial blooms bring the wonder and joy of flower spaces without triggering sensitivity to anyone.
If you decide to get artificial plants, they are relatively inexpensive and can last for many years as long as they receive excellent care.
One of the disadvantages of using artificial plants is that they can sometimes look too fake. This is especially common with fake flowers that have unrealistic blooms.
I recommend getting artificial flowers and fake plants that look almost as good as real flowers such as theâ Real Touch Flowersâ. Although they are a little bit more expensive, they look so real that some people have to touch them to confirm that they aren’t real.
Why Clean Artificial And Fake Flower Arrangements?
Even if artificial and fake silk blooms aren’t real flowers, they still must be cared for. It’s very easy to stick them in a beautiful vase, position them in the desired location, and forget all about them. Â
These flowers donât need a change of water every few days or moving them around to reduce or increase light exposure.
However, artificial plants need cleaning because they gather dust. Allowing a layer of dust to gather on the leaves and petals of fake silk blooms causes them to lose their beauty and shine.
Dust on the leaves and petals can also trigger allergic sensitivity in people. Therefore, to maintain the vibrancy of the silk flowers, you have to make a point to clean them frequently.
The cleaning process doesnât have to be difficult especially when performed frequently. It can be as simple as giving them a dusting with a lightweight feather once weekly.
Your artificial silk blooms will maintain the beautiful and new look they had the first time you brought them home from the shop.
How To Clean Artificial And Fake Silk Flower Arrangements?
Cleaning artificial flowers step-by-step guide:
1. Separate the branches of your artificial arrangement. If the branches are attached and cannot be separated leave them as they are.
If your arrangement has detachable leaves and blossoms separate them too. You want to separate the parts as much as possible. Â
2. Take the arrangement to an empty sink or any space where you will be able to clean them properly without creating a mess.
Large arrangements such as those bought-in planters and pots might require to be cleaned outside.
3. It is critical to check and make sure that your fake silk blooms donât have paper fillings. If they have paper fillings you donât want to get them wet at all, otherwise, you will irreversibly damage them. You can use other ways of cleaning fake flowers without using water.
 4. Some artificial arrangements are designed in metal containers such as copper or brass. Itâs advisable to cover the container first with a plastic sheet to avoid water getting on these parts.
Also, ensure that as you conduct the cleaning and even after the cleaning process all the metallic parts remain free of any water.
Any moisture or water droplets left on the metallic surfaces and items will cause them to rust and rot.Â
5. It is also important to give the flowers a decent feather dusting before you get any of them wet. Dusting the excess dust and dirt minimizes the likelihood of the dust particles clumping and discoloring the flowers.
6. If you have tiny silk flower arrangements, you can just use a small water spray bottle or a misting bottle. Use them to apply water thoroughly to the arrangement.
After the floral arrangements have been properly cleaned, shake the leaves and blooms gently to get all the water out. Put them aside and allow them to dry slowly.
7. If you have large silk flower arrangements usually set in containers, dust them down before using any water. Next, hose them down outside while keeping the spray pressure light to avoid damaging them.
Once you are satisfied you have removed all the dirt, shake excess water out from the leaves and flowers. Set the whole thing aside and let it dry.
9. For best cleaning practices, clean the fake flowers once every three to six months. In between the cleaning cycles, dust your fake arrangements every day or as frequently as possible. Â
Alternative Methods of Cleaning Artificial Fake Silk Flowers
There are very many types of fake flowers available in the market. Some of them can’t be cleaned using water. This is especially the case with any type of flowers that are made with any form of paper.
If you want to clean a small arrangement, you can put it in a paper bag or plastic and add some coarse salt. Shake the bag until the flowers are all clean and free of dust and dirt.
Salt absorbs the dirt and dust leaving your small silk flowers all clean. If you donât have salt you can also use baking soda.
If you have silk flowers that are made with materials that can withstand heat, you can clean them using a blow drier. Set the blow drier at minimum heat to reduce the risk of damaging the leaves.
The last alternative is to use an ozone-safe aerosol spray cleaner. There are some aerosol spray cleaners specially developed for artificial flower cleaning that will not cause any damage.
Interesting Posts:
Related posts that you might want to check out:
- How to use silk floral foam for artificial flower arrangements
- How to make simple silk floral flower arrangements
Final Thoughts
As a personal preference, I don’t keep fake plants or artificial flowers in my house. However, I do understand why some people would prefer this option.
If you are one of them, I hope you found this post on how to clean artificial plants and fake flower arrangements helpful. Please, subscribe to our newsletter and also follow me on @flowerthings Pinterest for more useful flower care tips.
Great helpful Blog.