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How long does a balloon garland last?
The good news is quite a long time.
Balloon garlands aka balloon arches are made using latex air-filled balloons, with no helium required. Balloon garlands are such a huge trend that’s definitely one to stay.
They can make a major impact at any kind of party & special birthday. If this is your first balloon arch and you are wondering if you can make your balloon decorations the night before, because let’s face it who wants to be stressed on the day of the party – the short answer is YES, in fact, it’s the best way to do it, any time of the day it doesn’t need to be the evening just whenever you have enough time to give yourself an hour or so to make it.
Once your gorgeous party garland is made, if you would like a really simple tutorial on how to make a balloon garland, be sure to check out my blog post found Here
In my experience, air-filled arches look best for approximately 2-3 days but can last for about a month sometimes more depending on the quality of the balloons and if they have been treated. Let me explain the process
1-3 Days = The balloons will still have their shape and look new and shiny.
4-7 days = The balloons will have started to decrease in size and oxidize, which means the balloons start to biodegrade on the outside, they lose their shine and start to go powdery matte almost like velvet.
1-4 weeks = depending on the quality of the balloons and if the balloons were double stuffed (a balloon inserted into another to create a custom color) or treated a balloon garland from a distance will still look ok but over that period of time will start to lose its appeal some balloons can lose all their air and resemble a saggy sack, yuk.
The life of your balloons also depends on different aspects, for best results the ideal conditions to keep your garland until use is in a dark room or in large black bin bags. If the air-filled balloon arch is kept in direct sunlight this will affect its life span. If it’s a hot day, it’s best to keep them in a cool room until use as heat can make the balloons pop really quickly.
How long do balloons last outside?
The life span of balloons outside will depend on the weather conditions on the day. Balloons will pop easily if it’s a really hot day or windy, I would recommend not taking the balloons out until just before your guests arrive. Balloons outside will also oxidize really quickly more noticeable on darker balloons they will lose their shine and have a white powder mark on them this will likely happen over a few hours.
Another thing to consider is where you place the balloon garland, when hanging it outside its best to place it away from anything sharp like tree branches, spiky plants, or ruff textured walls, if hanging on a fence check there are no nails visibly sticking out, or big splinters
How long do helium-filled balloons & foil balloons float?
Latex helium balloons float for around 8-12 hours, latex is porous so over that period of time helium escapes through tiny holes. You can prolong the float time by using a product called high float. This is inserted into the balloon prior to inflating and is massaged all around the inside of the balloon to coat it in a special gel formula that when dries acts to trap the helium inside longer. If done correctly the balloons can float for several days.
Foil mylar balloons can float for around 2-3 weeks, these are really popular as they come in letters, numbers, shapes, and character figures. These can be personalized using sticky back vinyl and a digital cutting machine, the most popular being a Silhouette cameo or a Cricut.
How long do Deco bubble balloons float?
Deco bubble balloons are a plastic balloon that stretches, enabling you to insert mini balloons, large balloon, confetti, etc., inside before inflating. Because these are plastic helium can’t escape quickly, these typically float for 1-4 weeks if tied correctly.
They come in 20-inch size and the most popular 24 inch, because of its size they can hold the weight of the mini balloons, vinyl and added decorations like tassels, mini balloon tail and ribbon.
Deco bubbles are a popular choice to be personalized using vinyl because they are clear you have a large blank canvas to really go to town with vinyl, business logos etc.
How long do balloon garlands take to make?
The bigger the garland and more complex in design the longer the process will take, but once you get into the swing of it you should be able to make it within a couple of hours. Check out our balloon garland tutorial Here with step-by-step instructions to have you create one like a pro.
If you are creating your diy balloon arch at a venue, a good idea is to make your cluster sections of the garland at home even the night before then you only have to assemble them together at the venue and add your finishing touches like your larger balloons, mini balloons, flowers etc.
Tips for making a balloon garland
Pro tip is to never overinflate the latex balloons, you want the balloons to look round. That is achieved by slowly releasing some of the air while pressing it against your body, hand, or hard surfaces like a wall or table until you get a round shape then tie a knot in the neck. You don’t want the traditional balloon shape with a thinner neck no egg or pear shapes please as this will make your balloon garland look very amateur and were wanting to achieve a professional finish.
Balloon garlands aka balloon arches are made using latex air-filled balloons. The easiest way to make a balloon garland effortlessly is using a balloon inflator either hand-held or an electric balloon pump, can you just imagine blowing up a lot of the balloons by mouth? find our recommendations Here.
The best way to hang a balloon garland is using a key tool which is command strips you can place these wherever you want the garland to hang and if used correctly will not damage your paintwork when removed, you can purchase these Here.
If the diy balloon garland is to be hung outdoors these stronger adhesive hooks are what you need as they are much stronger than the command hooks, available Here ideal for windows or brickwork.
Balloon garlands are a really inexpensive way to really add the wow factor to your special events.
Please check out our other posts
How much does a balloon arch cost? Here
The easiest way to make a balloon garland Here
How many balloons do you need for a balloon garland Here
