How Silk Flowers and Plants Make Spring and its Cleaning Two
Welcome Guests.
Silk Flower Arrangements to Welcome Spring.
Do you love spring? Does it love you back? Or do the thoughts
of open windows, fluttering curtains, fresh cut flowers, and
trees bursting with blossoms  make you want to declare yourself a hermit?
If you enjoy the feeling that fresh cut flowers bring to your
spring home, but they cause your eyes to water and your nose to
run, then consider replacing them with natural looking
silk flowers  and plants. Today’s artisan-crafted silk flower
arrangements and hanging designs are so wonderfully
authentic that you and your guests will treasure them as
much as the
originals.
Pollen from cut flowers can exacerbate seasonal allergy
symptoms. Their strong scents can tickle noses and cajole tears
from even the happiest of eyes. On the contrary, silk flowers
and plants deliver all of the enjoyment, without the
undesirable side effects.
Spring Cleaning to Lessen Allergy
Symptoms
When spring harkens its arrival with warm breezes and chirping
birds, we are compelled to open the windows and freshen the
stale air within our homes. Good, actually
wonderful, idea…unless, of course, you’re a seasonal allergy
sufferer. Spring is also the time when most of us choose to
perform a thorough whole-house cleaning. Good, even
fantastic…unless you’re allergic to the dust and mold that will
be disturbed during your cleaning spree.
Here are a few tips to spring-freshen your home while keeping
your allergies (seasonal and otherwise) at bay:
• Use a vacuum cleaner that gathers dirt in a canister, rather
than a bag. One that is equipped with a HEPA filter or other
filter that eliminates expelled dust is great for allergy
sufferers.
• Vacuum weekly under beds and furniture. These are great
places for allergens to hide.
• Eliminate stuffed animals from your home. If you do have
them, vacuum them and run them through a dryer cycle
weekly.
• Use air conditioning instead of opening windows. I wouldn’t
normally recommend this high energy-consuming method, but if
your allergies are bad enough, it may be the best option.
• Wash curtains and rugs with a mild, unscented detergent
monthly to eliminate allergens.
• Dust with a damp cloth, so dust is not deposited back into
the air.
• Use natural cleaners like baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice,
and water. They’re not only great for the environment, but
aren’t irritating to eyes and nasal cavities like harsh
chemicals can be.
• And, as discussed above, use silk flowers and plants to
transform your home into a spring flower haven that is tranquil
and sneeze-free. Here a few hypo-allergenic methods for
cleaning them:
o Swish each silk flower in a tub of cool water (with just a
few drops of dish soap or vinegar added). Hang the silk flower
stems or plants up to dry. You may blot them to remove some of
the water, but do not rub.
o Using a zippered bag half filled with salt, cornmeal, or
rice, place the bloom of the flower into the bag and zipper it
as tight as possible. Holding the top of the bag to ensure a
good seal, shake it until the silk flower is dust-free.
o If you don’t want to disassemble your silk flower
arrangement, place newspaper or towels under it and spray the
blooms with a 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and water. Allow
them to air dry.
o Silk flowers and plants  can be vacuumed between intense cleanings to
keep them relatively dust-free. Or, you can sweep an
unscented fabric softener sheet over them.
A Bright Spring Home that you Can Actually Enjoy
The interior décor of your home doesn’t have to suffer just
because you are an allergy sufferer. Natural looking silk
flower arrangements and plants can bring spring back into
favor, and reintroduce you to the decorating potential of your
home.
Stay on top of that pesky dust, enjoy the outdoors from inside,
and bring nature in without the side effects. Make your home
your hypoallergenic haven, and you can reestablish a loving
relationship with spring.
by Leigh LaCava - April, 2009
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Source: http://www.freshsilkflowers.com
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