There are few things as special as being given a bunch of flowers, whether it’s from a loved one or just a personal treat. With such a short life span, sometimes big bouquets just don’t seem worth the purchase.
This is why anyone who’s a fan of flowers should learn the process of drying them! Dried flowers not only give an instant vintage or rustic look and feel to the blooms, but it also means they’ll last for months or even years to come in some cases.
If you don’t have the time or patience to wait weeks for the perfect dried flower, you need to try this insane modern microwave hack! DIY expert Georgina Burnett recently shared it on the British breakfast show This Morning.
Burnett said that with vintage style dried bouquets being all the rage again, people should know that air-drying isn’t the only option. This trick involves two things: a microwave and some fine silica gel granules, which act as a moisture absorbers.
Add the blooms to a microwave-safe container and cover them entirely with silica crystals. Microwave on low heat for around 1 minute. Once it’s done, brush off the crystals and the dried blooms should be ready to display in a vase right away.
By coating the flowers with the sugar-like silica granules the petals are dried out more quickly when compared to the weeks of time it takes to air-dry. Burnett also suggested using a conventional oven however, she noted that would take longer for the magic to happen.
Air-drying flowers is the most traditional way of creating unique bouquets but it’s a process that lets nature take its course and in turn, can take up to three weeks to finish. Blooms are then generally sprayed with a UV-resistant hairspray to help them keep their colour when they’ve been fully dried.
But the best part about this modern take on the classic craft is that you won’t be breaking the budget! Silica gel granules can be bought online for just $20. When shopping around, make sure to get the finer grain version as you don’t want to crush the petals under the weight of it all but simply fill the gaps in between to absorb the moisture.