We love receiving flowers. A flower arrangement can instantly brighten up our rooms as well as our days. And depending on what kind of flowers are included in a bouquet, you can also expect a lovely floral aroma for the few days that the flowers last.
As much as we might love having fresh flowers throughout our house, they won’t last forever. Some flower types even shrivel and wilt much quicker than others. It’s always a shame when we have to throw out our dead flowers, but using some common household items, we might be able to delay their inevitable demise and enjoy them for just a little longer.
Check out some of the tips below:
1. Sugar
Sugar not only helps to make your flower buds bloom, but it will also provide the flowers nourishment while they’re in the base. All you need to add to the water of the vase is 2 tablespoons of sugar.
2. White vinegar
Who knew that white vinegar would be able to help delay the death of flowers? It’s good for stopping bacterial growth on your fresh showers. Simply add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar into the water and mix thoroughly. If you don’t have any white vinegar you can substitute lemon-lime soda.
3. Proper Care (change water + recut flowers daily)
Re-cutting your flowers can actually be very important as it allows them to soak up the water that they need. Therefore, every time you change the water, you should trim the stems as well. But it’s important to keep in mind that you shouldn’t cut your flowers straight across, but at an angle. This allows more surface area of the stem to access the water. Another good idea is to clip the stems within the water as a way to avoid giving your flowers an air embolism. This would make it difficult for them to absorb water.
4. Bleach
Prior to placing flowers into a vase, place 1/4 of a teaspoon of bleach, sticking to the measurement of 1/4 bleach for every liter of water. You can also put 3 drops of bleach and 1 teaspoon of sugar into every liter of water. Not only does bleach stop bacteria growth, but it also keeps the water from becoming cloudy.
5. Sterilize the vase
Most people don’t think to sterilize your vase prior to placing the flowers inside. The best tool to use is bleach in order to make sure it is completely clean and ready to hold your fresh flowers.
Do you have any flower tips of your own? Let us know!