Dry flowers using laundry borax

If you have every tried to dry flowers, you may know that there are several methods. Hanging is one method, pressing flowers is another. You can also use laundry borax to help dry flowers and keep them looking beautiful.

What you need:

• Borax powder
• Rolled oats or ground cornmeal
• Container with a lid or shoe box
• Fresh flowers

Types of flowers

There are a number of blooms that you can dry using this method. Here are a few of the top options to choose when you want to dry flowers using borax:

• Asters
• Carnations
• Chrysanthemums
• Daisies
• Dahlias
• Delphiniums
• Gladioli
• Hydrangeas
• Marigolds
• Peonies
• Roses
• Snapdragons
• Tulips
• Zinnias

Method:

• Before you dry flowers, you will need to prepare them. Do this by removing any leaves and trim the stem to the desired length.
• If you have flowers in your garden that you wish to dry, you should cut them in the earlier part of the morning. If you buy flowers from you florist, allow them to drink up some water for about 20 minutes before you start the drying process.
• To create the drying medium, you will need to combine one part borax with two parts oats or cornmeal.
• Place approximately one inch of this mixture in the bottom of your container or box.
• Place your flowers horizontally or face up on top of the mixture depending on the type of flower.
• Cover the flowers with more of the drying medium. Do so slowly so that the flowers are not damaged in the process.
• Cover with a lid and place in a warm, dry place.
• Do not disturb for at least one week.
• Check on your flowers to see if they are dry. Drying types will vary depending on the type of flower.
• If they are not yet completely dry, cover once again and leave for another week.
• Once dry, remove the flowers from the mixture and gently dust them off. You can blow the borax mixture way or gently brush them, depending on the type of flower.
• Place the dried flowers in an airtight container and store or use immediately if desired.
• If the borax mixture is damp, you can dry it out in the oven. Spread out on a baking sheet and place in the oven at 150 degrees F for 30 minutes. Once dry and cooled, place in an airtight container until you need to use it again.

This is a simple yet highly effective way to dry flowers. You can use these blooms to create various types of art as well as decorate gift boxes for friends and family. If you have children, you can also allow them to create seasonal projects for school.