Five tips for maintaining faux florals

Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020.

Faux florals can be a creative way to add a bit of nature to your decor without worrying about maintaining or replacing real flowers. And the faux florals on the market today are nothing like the tacky plastic-looking things I remember when I was a kid! The one drawback to faux florals is that they must be dusted occasionally, just like anything else in your home. So here are five tips for caring for your faux floral decor.

Image from Pixabay.

1. Keep them dusted to keep them looking vibrant. I have found the best way to clean my faux florals without damaging the delicate parts is to use a combination of the following: a hair dryer on a low, cool setting, damp paper towels, and damp Q-tips for nooks and crannies (I dip my Q-tips into a little bit of basic spray cleaner). You can also use a can of compressed air for blowing dust off keyboards. Or you could take the display outside to dust it off so that the dust does not resettle. 

2. Keep your faux florals indoors. While many faux florals are durable, most are not designed to be used in the elements, where they would be battered by wind and rain or exposed to hot and cold temperatures.

Image from Pixabay.

3. Piggybacking off tip 2, keep your faux florals out of direct sunlight. Direct sunlight may cause the artificial flowers to fade and lose their luster or damage the material due to heat. 


4. Be aware when using in wet/humid areas. Some decorative items with faux florals are not waterproof or meant to be used in wet areas such as bathrooms where frequent build-up of steam could cause damage to the finishes, colorants, and adhesives.

Image from Pixabay.

5. If your candleholders have artificial flowers, use LED candles instead of real candles. LED candles are safer than traditional wick candles and less messy. A wax candle will eventually have to be cleaned out of the votive holder, which could potentially cause damage to the decor around it. If you decide to use wax candles, I recommend using a hair dryer or heat gun set on low to melt the wax so it can be easily wiped out with a rag or paper towel.

Photos by Diane M. Lilly, 2019.

So those are five tips for caring for your faux floral decor. If cared for properly they can last years! An added trick some florists use is to mix faux florals with real flowers to add extra levels of visual interest. Just remember to water the right ones!


Related blog posts you may want to read:
Tropical themed projects with repurposed dessert cups
Strawberry themed projects with repurposed dessert cups
Repurposed vintage candy dish and cocktail glasses
DIY with faux florals, birds, and repurposed thrift finds