How to Clean Silk Flowers

Using Dry Cleaning Methods

Use a bag of rice. Rice can help pull unwanted dirt and grime off of flowers that have been sitting in storage for long periods. Place a cup of uncooked rice in a paper bag. Then, add your flowers. Give the bag a few good shakes and then remove the flowers. Some of the dust and dirt should come off this way. This can work great with dried flowers and wreaths as well.

Shake your flowers in cornmeal. Cornmeal can help remove dust and grime from very dirty flowers. Fill a Ziploc bag with four to five tablespoons of cornmeal. Cornmeal can act as a tiny sponge and remove unwanted grime from flowers. Place the flowers in the bag and seal it. Shake the bag for about 60 seconds. When you remove the flowers, shake them lightly to remove excess cornmeal and then remove the flowers. Dust and dirt should be removed.

Try compressed air. Compressed air can be used to remove small amounts of dust and dirt from silk flowers. You can buy compressed air at most department stores and then use it to remove dust and dirt from silk flowers. You can use the compressed air to blow light coverings of dust and dirt off the flowers. However, you should avoid compressed air on very delicate silk flowers. It may cause petals to crumble.

Use a hairdryer on low speed. If you have a hairdryer, you can use this on silk flowers. This may work on very delicate compressed flowers that would not respond well to compressed air. Turn the hairdryer to a low setting and use it to blow any unwanted dirt and grime from the flowers. This is very effective with very light layers of dust. Heavier dust or dirt may not respond as well to a hairdryer.

Cleaning Your Flowers with Liquids

Wash your flowers in water. If silk flowers have been in storage for a while, they may build up dirt and grime. In this case, you can wash flowers in water with dish soap in a sink full of warm water, mix in two to three tablespoons of gentle dish soap. You can then gently swish your flowers in the water. This should remove any unwanted dirt and grime. When you're done, set your flowers on a towel. Allow them to air dry. Make sure to add water to a small portion of the flowers first to make sure it does not damage them.

Use vinegar. Take a spray bottle and fill it halfway with distilled vinegar and halfway with water. From there, shake the bottle until the water and vinegar are mixed together. Spray the flowers with a light amount of the mixture and then let them dry. If you've never exposed your flowers to water before, spritz a light amount of water on a small corner of the flowers to see if it causes damage first.

Try cleaning sprays. Many cleaning sprays are sold specifically for silk flowers. Some of these sprays can work well, but use discretion. Make sure the spray is designed for silk flowers, as sprays made for artificial flowers in general may not work on silk. You should also keep in mind flower sprays may be more expensive than other methods.

Use the dishwasher. If you have a dishwasher that can be a set to a gentle cycle, you can wash your flowers on the top rack without detergent. A mild amount of water will wash off set-in dirt and dust. However, make sure the manufacturer's instructions first as some silk flowers are not dishwasher friendly. This can result in your dishwasher getting stained and flowers getting damaged. As always, make sure your flowers respond well to water by adding a small amount to the flowers before washing them.

Maintaining Clean Silk Flowers

Use a duster. A regular duster, such as a feather duster, can be used on flowers on a regular basis. This does not work well for removing built-up dust or debris, but can remove a light gathering of dust. During your regular dusting, make a habit of lightly dusting silk flowers. If some of the dust is stuck on, use a soft bristle brush instead of a regular duster and brush them flower by flower. Do this outside to prevent getting dirt and dust on your floor.

Vacuum your flowers. If you vacuum regularly, you may want to use a vacuum on silk flowers. Use a detachable hose and hold it a few inches away from your flowers. The vacuum cleaner should collect some of the dust.

Try a blow dryer. A blow dryer can be used as part of your regular cleaning regimen in addition to removing set in dust. If you clean regularly, try blowing dust off your flowers each time you clean. This will prevent dust from becoming set in and difficult to remove.