Balloon Care

Storing Uninflated Balloons So They Last
Carrying Uninflated Balloons So They Last
Making Inflated Balloons Last

• Balloons should be stored away from heat, light and exposure to the air.
• Does freezing help preserve balloons?
  It seems to have worked well for my balloons. Mine are more than 5 years old, kept for almost all of that time in a freezer. They seem just fine. I do not thaw and re-freeze them much, though, that may make a lot of difference. They are also 260Es (double dipped) rather than 260As (single dipped), which might make a lot of difference, too.
• I used to keep my balloon supply in the freezer, and there were times when I'd have the same gross in there for a year, or more, and they always worked just fine, even after all that time.
• I have run into problems during the winter when I would leave my performing case in my car over night and when I had to perform the balloons, not frozen but very cold were popping. I literally had to warm them up so they would be able to handle the rapid expansion of being inflated. Just keep it in mind before you grab a bag of balloonsicles and run off to a gig.
• If balloons have degraded from warm temps or age, will freezing "restore" them?
  If you are out working in the heat and sun, and the bag of balloons you are working with feels hot and soft, putting that bag back in the cooler can help. I've had hot bags that seemed bad be ok after they cooled down.

• Carrying balloons around in a coat pocket seems likely to flex them a lot while they are cold. This is definitely bad for them. Ziplock bags are pretty good for storing balloons, they keep the air away.
• Keep the uninflated balloons out of the reach of crowds, and preferably in a cool place. You don't want them melting before you get to use them. If you bring a cooler with drinks, but the balloons in there.
• They make thermally-insulated zipper packs to keep individual juice boxes cool. Again, if you always want to have just a small amount of balloons with you, these might be handy for carrying them in when it's hot out to prevent them from deteriorating.
• Do you carry around balloons wherever you go and make them for kids that you see? I'd like to do this, but the balloons I keep in my pocket get hot and soft and pop when I go to use them. Keeping them in the car is worse, since in CA it's almost always warm enough to ruin balloons on a sunny day.
• A friend of my mom's has to carry around medication at all times, and it must be kept cold. We found a fanny pack for her that has a large zippered pocket on the front. There is a second, smaller zippered pocket on the back of the pack. It came with two small, flat "Blue Ice" containers that fit in the small pocket. One of those ice packs keeps the pack cold for 8 hours. It would be a great way to carry balloons, without them getting too hot. We found it at a clearance sale, but I bet you could find them in Hiking/Outdoorsman/Sporting Goods Stores.
• As a part-time twister, I've been looking for a good way to carry a small amount of balloons around with me. (I don't need to haul around a gross of each color, yet, but I'm getting to the point where I want to separate my colors). I came across this: "Correct Change: For the traveler who can't get their lire and pounds straight, Magellan's offers the Five-Pocket Pouch by Baggallini. Each pocket has a different colored zipper so you can store a different currency in each pocket. Carry your marks in the blue pocket, francs in the orange pocket and be currency correct on the road. $9.85. 1-800-962-4943." (Remember, five pockets can easily separate 10 colors, if you store a light and dark color together). The pouch is 5 by 7 inches, with two pockets on one side, and three on the other. It weighs 1 ounce. Shipping costs are an additional $3.95, but that covers shipping for however many of these you would wish to order.

  I bought a Five-Pocket Pouch from Magellan's , and just wanted to say I like it. It's got two pockets on each side, and then one big pocket in the middle. The zippers are color coded, I keep my green, light blue and yellow in the green zipper, for instance. My sharpies (black, red, blue), super balls, hearts and Swiss army knife fit in the center pocket. You can only carry about 3 of each color, without it getting 'puffy-looking' (if you have all of the assortment plus violet, clear, and brown) which is the only drawback. Can't quite carry enough balloons, and you have to re-load after you use it once. But, for non-professional me, it's nice to store in the fridge, and grab it quick on my way out.

• I carry balloons with me in a small cosmetic pouch in my purse.
• I carry my balloons around in a belt pack that I bought at REI (a camping/hiking store) it is small, has several pockets, and attaches to a belt.
• Keep an eye on the Warner Brother's Superstore in your area (if you have one), they also offer a catalog to order from, and a Web Page store on Netscape. Several times a year they get in a variety of bags with characters on them. Almost every one ends up on the clearance rack. Cute stuff, and most of it is excellent quality.
• As for how I carry balloons. I've been very creative so far. A zip lock bag with balls, 130s, geos, hearts and a sharpie tucked inside a regular assortment bag of 260s plus brown and clear I carry this in my briefcase right next to my stethoscope. For parties I use a black army tool bag (pockets on the outside and slots on the inside that hold pens etc., and use the same setup with additional baggies for the hard-to-pick-out colors. This also contains my pogo instant repair kit, Judy the mouse (thumb puppet) some sponge balls and a few packet card tricks.

Aprons

• If you take a work apron (the kind that only tie around the waist ) and double the bottom up you get a large pocket by sewing the edges up. You can also run a few extra rows of stitches on up to create extra pockets (or rip out rows to widen skinny pockets). Then use double sided tape to stick two Ziplock bags together close to the top. Fill each one with a different/contrasting color and slide them into one of the pockets. Do the same for each of the remaining pockets. Now when you want a balloon you reach into one of the pockets and into either the front or real bag. At the end of the day just zip each bag and you've got them stored.
• I bought 2 canvas "nail" aprons at a hardware store $2 a piece and cut the straps off of one and sewed it on to the bottom of the other. Each apron came normally with two wide pockets. I sewed a new seam up the middle of each and got 8 pockets about 3 inches wide. It worked great. Stuffed each different color into a pocket. I had 10 colors but I found that the colors were not evenly distributed in the bag (lot's of purples, not many blacks) so I combined some balloons where it would be easy to identify them (black with white, green with lt. blue).
• I purchased some strong black fabric, black belting, one of those clip together plastic buckles which open when you squeeze them - they are used on everything nowadays from fanny packs to knapsacks to SCUBA diving BC's - and I was also able to get 6" lengths of brightly colored 5/8" wide satin ribbon. I got 11 different colored ribbons plus one with red hearts on it. I borrowed a friend's sewing machine to stitch the whole thing together and it turned out very well. I made four rows of three, 6" wide pockets, with one loop of ribbon sewed to the top edge of each pocket like a little colored handle that will allow me to pull open the pocket and also tell me what color balloons it holds. (I added a final layer, not shown below, which gives me two wide pockets in the very front of it all - for assorted junk) I chose black so that it wouldn't stand out from my clothing - I usually make my creations for friends or in bars where I don't want to look like a clown! - but the fabric store does have some very pretty material that could be used instead - I saw some with Looney Tunes characters on it, and I expect that you wouldn't have to look too hard to find some with printed (at least round) balloons on it - or you could just paint your own with that T-shirt decorating paint.

             
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  I make my own aprons out of black trigger (a cotton - polyester blend) which is very washable, doesn't need to be ironed and wears like iron. The dimension of the bottom layer is 21 by 15, the next layer is 21 by 13, then down one and one half inch increments. I make five layers of pockets, then sew through all five layers, dividing the pockets into seven inches wide. (outline the apron and layers with double wide bias tape) That way I can get my hand in them to load and unload easily. My 260's are in the top two layers, two colors to a pocket (a light color and a dark color), I load the balloons long wise with the nozzle end sticking up, about one to two inches protrudes from the pocket. Fifty of each color will fit easily. This leaves three layers for specialty balloons, tip pocket, trash pocket, and pocket magic... or whatever. I make these for my clown friends out of their clown costume fabric. The first apron I made four inch pockets, but I had a hard time getting my hands in and out of them, so now, I go six to seven inches wide at least. I also make a little teeny pocket for business cards, and a small scissors pocket, I don't have the hand strength to break them like a lot of you guys do, so I carry a little pair of Fiskars children's scissors with me. I also put a piece of Bounce (dryer sheet) in one pocket because it is VERY dry here and static builds up fast.

• If you do not sew, I do make and sell balloon aprons. I also add three small pockets on the front of the apron for business cards, scissors, and markers.
  Arleenie clydep@primenet.com
• Put a tab of Velcro on the apron pockets. Kids have very light fingers and it's only when you see one wandering off with a handful of balloons that you realize you've been had!
• I have a unique, but really effective system for sorting my balloons. First, I use the T. Myers 5 pocket apron, to which I have added a Velcro pocket on the inside for tips. This apron is big and roomy. The most important thing though - it is built out of steel. T his thing will not tear, rip, wrinkle or stretch out of shape. I sort the pockets as follows:
  1. (Big top pocket) Geo Blossoms (I use a ton of these)
  2. (Other Top Pocket) 321's
  3. (Bottom Pockets) 5" Smileys and Hi-Bounce Balls (I use another ton of these!)
  4. 5" and 11" plain assorted
  5. 6" and 11" Hearts ( I should own stock in Pioneer because of these!)

  "But Wait!!!!", you're saying "Where do the 260's go????"

  That's the unique part. I HATE trying to find the color I want, even when the balloons are sorted two or three color to a pocket. So, I buy solid color bags, and keep them separated on my apron.

  The best way I've found to do this is to put 50-60 of each color through the center hole of a 6" geo blossom. Pearl tones work best, they seem to be able to handle the stress of stretching over the 260's better than the jewel tones. This also allows me to "Label" the dark colors - I use a light green blossom to hold the green 260's, a pearl lavender for purple, and so on. I use white blossoms for black, and clear for brown. I have found this eliminates searching for the color I want, and tying to guess green from black from sapphire. I also use a blossom to hold my 130's and another for my 350's.

  To attach the blossoms to my apron, I tie two 350's together to make a long elastic cord. I tie the ends of this to the straps of the apron, so the 350 band stretches across the front of the apron. Then I tie the neck of each of the geo- blossoms to this band, spacing them about 2" apart. The resulting apron looks like a GIANT KOOSH, but that's part of my look.

  I have found that I can spend 1 hour "Loading" my apron this way, and have enough balloons to last 12-16 hours of restaurant work. The only drawback I is that, when you have fewer than 10 balloons left in a blossom, they tend to fall out on their own. Otherwise, I love this system, and customers are amazed at the variety of balloons I have.

• I use my apron pockets and set up a rainbow (sort of a koosh hula skirt). When it's on and I'm looking down on it going from right to left, I have onyx, white, light blue, dark blue, (new pocket) clear, green, yellow, orange, brown, (new pocket) red, pink, purple, raspberry, 350's, and 130's. I have three inner pockets (1) business cards, (2) 321's, (3) pens. I made it from fabric that is covered with plastic and has a bright print of a shopping mall on it.
• Beenie's cool Balloon Apron - Product Review
  I love my new balloon apron from Arleenie Beenie. It is replacing a smaller 3 pocket apron. Her "lap" apron is made out of strong cotton and is about 12 by 16 inches. It has 15 large pockets and a few other small ones. I hate it when I pull out a wrong color balloon, and this apron solves this problem. It also tailors the amount of balloons you can put in it; I usually put way too many balloons in my old aprons. This new apron holds about 6-7 gross comfortably. The aprons are relatively inexpensive and you can choose your own colors. It is very strong.
• I had someone make me an apron out of canvas. It is striped with 4 different colors. The apron stripes run up and down with the pocket stripes running sideways. It is real cool and very durable. It has additional pockets at the top, to hold: pens, ball putter, super balls, cards, menu cards, hand pump, and scissors. It is nice to be able to offer a selection of color and being able to get to that color fast.
• I use Tom Myers' 5 pocket apron as my main apron and I also use my smaller 3 pocket apron positioned on my backside (backwards) to hold bee bodies, hearts and my Ball Putter.

Bucket O' Balloons

• Seen at Farm & Fleet: The Bucket Boss. This is a bright red, fairly sturdy canvas apron designed to fit over/around one of those 5 gallon plastic buckets. 35 pockets, 24 outside and 11 inside. On sale for $14.99 (marked down from almost 20 bucks).
• I just made myself a balloon bag that I really like. It is a Butterick pattern #4364 and is called a bucket cover for working in the garden. It has 10 pockets and you could add more (I think I'm going to add compartments on the inside too. I made it out of colorful print and lined it with a solid color. Between the material and the lining I put sewn together sheets of plastic canvas (found in craft stores) for more body. I can fit 3 gross of assorted 260's inside and with the outside pockets I can carry geo's, green 260's, hearts, rounds, brown 260's, bee bodies, and there is a pocket for cards and one for markers and one for scissors. I made the strap long enough that it goes over my head and I think it has past the test.

Carrying Cases

• I don't like wearing aprons because when they're full of balloons, I sweat under all that latex. Not a comfortable way to twist. The way we get around aprons is by using a suitcase. This is one that we found in an art supply store, so it's colorful, sturdy and lightweight. We then attached a flange, pipe and music stand base which screws off and collapses for easy transport. Inside we have divided up the case into 16 smaller compartments with foam board dividers we made. Each section has one color or type of balloon and the blacks, greens, and purples are labeled so we know what is what (by now we know where each color is by heart - its a good system) From the handle of the suitcase we hang a small cutting device and a cinch sack for trash (or to store tips when we empty the hat) Each compartment can hold 1/3 + gross of 260's depending on how tight we stuff them. When it's time to go, we have another foam board piece to cover it all so the balloons don't jumble around in transit, close the case and we are on our way. This is the easiest way for me to be able to give the kids their color choice without driving myself crazy or blind. The other advantage we've found is that when we do set up, we look almost professional, not as much like a street vendor. When we set up this contraption, people seem to know that something will be happening.

Carts

• I constructed a "clown cart" out of an old garden cart I found at antique mall. On wheels, I added two tables with drop hinges. On the left side, I set up my face painting equipment. On the right side I put my balloon box (a bright red tool box filled with balloons sorted into small colored pouches that match the 260 colors). In the middle of the cart I place my promotional materials, coloring page give-aways, and bunny puppet. Because I have a colorful sign that says: I "clown around" at birthday parties, picnics and all types of special events, people ask me about my services, prices and availability. To the right of the cart I place my well-used Pump-O.

Costumes

• I do restaurants quite a bit and I am a clown. My costume is red and white polka dots and stripes. I was lucky enough to find two purses that are red and white polka dotted! I wear them criss-crossed over my shoulders and they lay down at my sides. In my left purse (the larger of the two) I keep all the 260 colors that you can tell by looking at them once! In the little purse I keep my green 260's and my hearts, geos, and a few dart-balloons. This purse also has a little pocket on the side and that's where I keep my Sharpie pens and a pair of scissors. In the left pocket of my costume I keep black 260's and in my right pocket I keep purple 260's (a few other tricks are kept in these pockets too)! I have brown balloons, but I don't carry them with me with this set up. I do keep some in my extra bag, if someone insists I can stop and get a couple.

  I also carry a little basket (with a Tomato on it of course) and in this I keep clear 260's, rubber balls and, when I am working for tips, I put a little wire basket in the center for tips.

  The kids are fascinated by my red and white polka dotted purses and the fact that they match my red and white polka dotted clown shoes.

  For a while I was having health problems and had to use a pump. The guy from "Just for the Fun of it" made me a pump in a fanny pack and it was - ( yes you guessed it) - red and white polka dotted!! I am all better now and blowing the balloons up myself so I leave the pump at home. I will probably use it a lot this summer when it gets hot!!!

• I found very early on in my career, keep my balloons where they can't be seen or touched. Built into my costume, a dress (I'm a clown), I have three front pockets left to right. One is deep enough for my pump. Then I have one the exact same size next to it for anything else, business cards, pocket magic, scissors, etc.. A third pocket measuring no more than an inch to two inches wide, holds my sharpies.

  BUT WHERE ARE THE BALLOONS!!!

  Well... this is a little bizarre, but I keep them up my sleeves. That's right. Nothing up my sleeves accept 260's, which go in my left sleeve (I can hold 2 gross). Being right- handed I just reach in and whip out a balloon. People are amazed. "Where did you get that balloon?? they ask. After doing this for the past eight years I can do it so fast _I_ can't believe it sometimes. I keep hearts, or other types of balloons, in my right hand sleeve.

  As for how to distinguish what color I'm getting, I say "I just reach in and grab a balloon, I never know what's going to come out - because the greens turn into purples and the blacks turn into green and the purples turn into plaid etc..." This is a great line and it works well. Plus, I don't have to search or pre-sort for that purple/green/black. The kids think they are "Magic Black balloons". I do have enough play in my sleeves however, and have gotten good enough at it that I can see what color I am pulling out, if needed. If the lighting is bad and can't tell what color it is I reach in and pull out a hand full of "Rainbow Pasegety".

  The only draw back to this is when I first go out I look like Popeye! But I'm the only one who seems to notice. This works for me, but to each their own!!

Fishing Vests

• They have several conveniently sized pockets. I filled each of the pockets with a different color and/or size of balloon. This works great, and provides easy access. Also, there are Velcro gear straps on the vest, and one was the perfect size for my 2 way hand pump. The top breast "fly pocket" held about a hundred of my business cards. All in all, a very good set up!
• Last weekend I was at a local mall, and I had modified my vest with little stickers identifying the different pockets. I was able to crank out balloons quicker than I have ever been able to.
• The vests usually go for about $20 - $30 dollars. I use the cotton ones, which seem to hold up to more abuse than their nylon counterparts (and are much cheaper, nylons go for around $60 and up). The large pocket in the back holds 2 - 3 one gross bags of balloons, and the elastic or cotton "net cord" can be modified to carry a large pump fairly easily.

Gift Bags

• I use a gift bag like Hallmark Cards carries. One gift bag will hold four round bird food cans ...to keep balloons sorted. 6" hearts are in one can (with a playing card down the middle to divide the can... I put white hearts on one side, everything else on the other ), green 260Q's in another, assorted 260Q's in the 3rd, and the last is for whatever misc. I decide to carry (sometimes Geo's, usually 130's and most times I'll put rubber balls there as well.) (my palm pump is usually stored in this can also ). I use the space between the cans to store scissors and other miscellaneous odds and ends.

  I like the bags 'cuz I can usually find one for the current holiday or season. I wouldn't mind switching to a more permanent bag like a Dr's bag or something, but have yet to run across anything that caught my eye.

• Putting an inflated balloon in the fridge makes your sculpture will stay fresher for longer. My Father put a one- balloon motorcycle in his freezer on Jan. 1, 1995, and the last I head, (end of June) it was still there, and only looking a little different than when he got it. I got the idea from a client who left his kids' sculptures in the freezer while he went away to Alaska for 3 weeks and returned to discover that they were like new. When I need to save a sculpture for some reason I always put it in the freezer if possible, or the fridge if there is no room.
• The only way to prolong the balloon clarity is to place inflated items in a clear plastic bag. When I was vending out doors, I would place stuffed balloons into clear bags, twist closed tightly to fit snug over the balloon and put a big bow on the plastic bag as well.
• Whenever you blow up a balloon, you immediately subject it to oxidation, its just a fact of atmospheric physics. I do Balloon Deliveries using both rounds and non-rounds. On many occasions we will pre-make a bunch of sculptures for a party when we know there will be too many kids to twist for in the allotted time. The best, fastest, cheapest cure is a plastic bag, 55 gallon drum liners are my favorite. Find one large enough to hold your 260 sculptures and/or the entire delivery and stuff them in, tie with a piece of curling ribbon. Just before the delivery, take everything out of the bag, fluff and fix where necessary and wow them with your product.
• I've used the Rainbowrapper bags for everything from delivery bouquets to transporting String of Pearl Arches and have found them to be WONDERFUL.
• We get our large bags from Viking Paper Products. Our bags are "see-through" and about 72"x48" and cost us about 15-20 cents each.
• We use 55 gallon drum liners (trash bags) that are clear, we get them wholesale for $10 a box (60 per box). It's great to be able to see all the colored balloons in the bag, and it keeps them from oxidizing too!
• A clown friend uses a very large (trash can sized) mylar bag to transport her balloons. It is decorated with balloons and confetti, just perfect for a celebration! She said they're available at most Hallmark stores. They're durable and attractive.

Making Inflated Balloons Last: Products

• Are there any balloons that do not cloud up?
  No. All latex balloons are, well made from latex and the characteristics are the same... latex oxidizes, period! One other thing you can do, though, is apply a chemical to the balloon surface, to prolong clarity by weeks.
• How can I avoid having that milky coating on my balloons during hot weather? I used STP brand Son-of-a-Gun and it was ok, however, it didn't last that long. I've tried a half and half combination of Hi-Float and water; however, that only streaked the balloons real bad. I've also heard that Armor All works too. Is there something else that I don't know about?

Balloon Shine and Balloon Shield

• I have a sample bottle of a product called Balloon Shine by Maxim, and it works pretty well, but you must buff each balloon you spray it on.
• Balloon Shine and Balloon Shield (by Maxim, Inc.). Also If you can do your balloons in the air conditioning along with applying the Shine or Shield, this will help.
• I purchased Balloon Shine was from my local balloon company. However, STP worked as good as Balloon Shine.
• I used to own a car wash and I know my car chemicals very well. Balloon Shine looks like, smells like, and acts like STP. Balloon Shine also makes my tires look great! So you do the math.
• Balloon Shine is a product made specifically for balloons but, unfortunately, the results are similar to Armor All.

Hair spray

• Hair spray on the outside of the balloon will make it last a long time but don't touch it or it shrivels.

Hi-Float and Super Hi-Float

• Hi-Float: is a gummy, glue-like, resin that you apply to latex balloons to allow them to retain helium for longer periods of time. Once the it dries, it forms a plastic-like coating that adds many more hours to the life of a balloon before it "drops". In the case of 16 inch or 3 foot round balloons, that can mean up to 2 weeks of float time.
• Super Hi-Float: is a liquid substance that is designed to go inside helium-balloons to make them float longer. If used in 260's, it makes them last for months. It can be a little messy. Before you insert the gel into the balloon make sure that you remove all of the air from the balloon first (If you don't then the gel will be forced back out of the balloon). Don't use very much Super Hi-Float either because all you need is enough gel to give the balloon a thin layer of protection. The gel takes about 30 minutes to dry. But once dry you've got a balloon that will stay inflated for months.

  General Advice

• Any time I am working on a balloon sculpture "exhibit" that I want to stay fresh for more than a day, I use the Hi-Float and water mist (half Hi-Float and half water). I keep the solution in a 6 inch deep plastic bin and use a small submergible pump to dispense it. I suspend the sculpture over the bin and use the hose to get a good covering. It only takes a few minutes for them to drip dry. A slow-speed fan helps to speed up that process. The coated figures stay clear and last for days. Other reasons to use it outside is because certain types of balloon's don't allow the glue to dry fast enough-Swirl/Agate Colors in particular.
• After a short time you'll find that you can put Super Hi- Float into balloons and inflate them in a very short time. It doesn't cost too much either, in England it costs about 6 - 7 Pounds for a bottle full.
• We have used Balloon Shine and while it is good for short periods, our best results have come by using the original "Hi-Float" formula to seal the surface.
• We have used a combination of original Hi-float...letting it dry, then spraying Design Master Floral Spray (formerly Glitter Glue) over that. These projects had not been subjected to direct sunlight and a majority of the balloons were round, but this process was pretty successful for sealing both new and oxidized balloons. Out-of-doors, there has not been anything we have tried that lasted as long as natural latex.
• Some people add HI-Float to the outside of balloons before inflating them to avoid the "dust" that forms during longer periods of times or outside biodegration.
• The largest drawback to Hi-Float, is if the balloon pops during inflation-you get slimed, and you'll find parts of balloons stuck to every conceivable surface around. It's water soluble though, and doesn't leave a stain.

  Artistic Hi-Float application

• The best reason to use High Float though is to create internal effects with confetti/glitter. My favorite trick I read years ago in Image magazine was a spider web INSIDE a clear latex 16" balloon-complete with spider. Everyone wondered how it was done at the time.

  You inflate the prepared balloon-sans plastic spider-with air and allow it to dry. Then deflate the balloon and pull/stretch it 1-3 times. Reinflate SLOWLY with helium and add the spider afterwards - if you do it before re-inflation it'll throttle around and likely break the balloon as well as screw up the "web". I prepare 3 balloons for every "one" good one that I use since it's fairly tricky to get the web to look right.

• Add food color to Hi-float to make swirled colors in a white balloon. Be sure not to squish the Hi-float around too much or you will have a pastel, solid color interior. I'm thinking strawberry swirl ice cream... or maybe confetti inside to make it look like chocolate chips... how about some sprinkles made from bits of chopped up curling ribbon?

  Balloon sculptures

• Marvin relates great duration of his pieces to completely covering the sculpture then hanging out to dry. (Mixing 50% water and 50% Hi-Float)
• I use Super Hi-Float in all of my larger models now, and they stay fresh and fully inflated for months on end. One last tip, however, is to coat the knot with the gel (not much is needed otherwise the balloon becomes sticky & messy etc.) otherwise you'll find that the nose of your animal will go down the quickest, as air escapes from the knot.
• Dipping your 260Q sculpture in a combo of Hi-Float and water will prolong the life of your creation.

  Pre-Treating Un-Inflated Balloons

• I often apply Super Hi-Float ahead of time for parties, holidays, etc. Just place them in a plastic bag to limit the amount of air they are exposed to... A zip-lock bag, with the air pressed out of it, keeps the high float fresh for weeks. I've experienced no problems with the balloons.
• Hi-float the balloons, "squish" them, and cover them with plastic wrap to keep out the air. You then have to re-squish (to evenly distribute the Hi-float on the balloon interior) before inflating.
• Pre-treating and storing without inflating... I have simply treated with Hi-float, grouped the balloons (6-12), placed rubber bands around them, placed upright in an airtight container and refrigerated. They can be done weeks ahead of time this way.
• Just Hi-Float your balloons, and use a rubber band to tie 10 or so together, then store them with the neck up to minimize the hi float in the neck. When you're ready to inflate them, rub the balloon so the Hi-Float is redistributed within. We use paper clips (remember them?) to hang 3 or more groups of balloons together from some wire shelving. Some people have done this, and then refrigerated them for up to 30 days!!! Just remember to let the balloons warm up to room temp before inflating!
• When inflating Qualatex 11" Jewel-tone and pearl-tone balloons with helium and templating to 11", we have found they tend to become a definite pear-shape. We combat this problem by preparing all of our balloons a day or two ahead of the job: What works for us is to insert Super Hi-Float, tie 7 or 8 together with some discarded pieces of curling ribbon, place in a zip lock baggie and store . This allows the balloons to be blown to a much larger size, and helps to eliminate the pear problem. Refrigeration has also been suggested to us as a means of extending the time between preparation and inflation. This simple method has been so successful for us that we do all of our delivery balloons ahead of time also. In fact, the employees in our shop CRINGE when someone stops in to order a bunch of balloons "cash & carry"! They simply do not look as full as the ones that have been prepared.

  Pre-Treating Inflated Balloons

• The only advance preparation process recommended in "The Hi-Float Book" is referred to as "the dry method," abbreviated as follows:
  1. Treat the balloons on the inside with Hi-Float. Inflate and seal with clips.
  2. The next day, remove the clips and add helium as necessary.
  3. Note: It is important to keep Hi-Float out of the stem of the balloon so that helium may be added the next day to fully inflate the balloon.

  This technique was developed so that customers could receive treated balloons without the risk of being "slimed" if a balloon popped. It may also be useful for preparation of balloons to be used in a spiral arch or other design with balloons spaced so closely that the Hi-Float cannot quickly dry. Because Hi-Float must DRY to form the helium barrier coating, the balloons must be inflated while the Hi-Float is wet inside.

  Sales Techniques

• Do you sell Hi Float or keep it as a 'trade secret'?
  I use it as an add-on sale when selling balloons "to go." I always have asked customers if they would like HI-FLOAT, tell them the benefits, and the small additional price per balloon. I think it's a bargain at $3 per dozen balloons and customers love it.
• I think all deliveries should be HI-FLOATed, since the longer the balloons last, the longer they will be around to remind people of your business. I like to deliver big bouquets of HI-FLOATed 16-inch balloons to office buildings. That way the recipient is less likely to take the balloons home from work (they're too big!) and more likely to leave them on their desk. (I'm getting paid to advertise!) Let me tell you, a 16-inch with HI-FLOAT lasts a mighty long time!!!
• When selling balloons with HI-FLOAT, let me recommend that you add a tag that explains that the balloons were treated. Otherwise the customer or recipient won't know/remember and will likely develop an unrealistic impression of how long latex balloons last w/o treatment. That can come back to bite you. Ask me to tell you about the disgruntled customer I had once because of this very thing!

Substitutions: Automotive Products

• STP is a water based automotive product for making rubber, vinyl, plastic and finished leather shine. Most people use it for the "Wet tire" look. The important thing is that STP is WATER based. Some of these applications are petroleum based and will eat through latex very fast.
• I do not know if Armor All is water based or not.
• STP brand "Son of a Gun" can be used on the outside of a latex balloon (instead of Hi-Float) to prevent the chalky oxidation that results from long exposure to air. I doubt that it has any of the Helium-diffusion-rate-altering qualities of Hi-Float though. Knowing how slippery "Son of a Gun" makes car seats, it may not have any practical application for twisted sculptures.
• Don't use Armor All until after the 'loon is inflated and the figure is made. I've had hearts and blossoms stay shiny for more than 3 weeks in the mall after being treated.
• Bigger cities have car-washing chemical suppliers. They will have a version of STP in a gallon jug. You will want to ask for a water- based product. The company will have it for a fraction of the cost.
• I don't recommend using STP or those other auto products, they feel oily to the touch and they take time to apply. There is a product called Balloon Shine that does the same thing (retard oxidation) but again, the time factor is too much for me.

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