Silica Gel for flower drying

Silica gel is a desiccant. It has a lot of uses in our daily life. It can be used for preparing homemade dried flowers. Dry flowers have a good scope in the decoration and event management industries. The best is always fresh flowers. However, if we need to extend our decorations for a long time, dry flowers are the best option.

Some kind of desiccants can be used to dry flowers. Silica gel is one of them. Let's see how we can dry flowers in our home by using silica gel. We can use flowers from our garden or fresh flowers from our nearest grocery. Put the silica gel into an airtight container avoid exposing to the atmosphere.

We know that silica gel desiccant is non-toxic and inactive. However, we recommend wearing a mask, and using gloves are better when handling this kind of stuff. When you pour the silica gel into the container, it can produce a very fine dust. That is not good to inhale.

To start the process of drying flowers, add a layer of silica gel crystals about 1.5 inches thick into your container. Then put the flowers in the container and pour more crystals in and around the petals until fully covered but not submerged completely. Seal the lid closed when done, and set the container in a dry place.

Usually, it will take only 2 to 4 days to dry it completely. Silica gel is a good moisture absorber. But make sure it is not exposed to the atmosphere. Because if it is exposed to the atmosphere, there is a big chance to get hydrated so soon.

In the atmosphere the presence of water is very high, silica gel can absorb it easily and become hydrated easily. But another thing is we can regenerate it by using a simple oven. By reheating the silica gel by using an oven for 20 minutes at high temperatures it can regain the capacity to absorb moisture quickly.