If you have a busy day with balloons/shows etc, what's the earliest you would make balloons for an evening event?

I've made balloons up in my work shop and left them all day, they still look not too bad in the evening, but not as fresh looking as I would like, which is why I'm sometimes unsure how early I should make them. Or am I being too picky with what I think looks OK and what doesn't?

At the moment, if I get a call for balloons and it's an evening event and I'm booked up with shows during the day, I tend to say I'm fully booked, where as in reality, I could have made them about 9am in the morning, but I'm too worried about walking away and the balloons looking dull by the evening. I know I could maybe use balloon shine to make them look better for longer, but balloon shine on quite a few table top (the most popular) decorations could take a long time.

Billy

have you tried inflating the balloon then applying balloon shine leave for a few min's
then twist your models
twisting this way has a different feel about it but I find it OK
it could save you time

Sorry Dillinger, I should have said, I'm talking about 11" rounds filled with helium

no worries billy when i use B/shine i use a linen glove with a latex glove underneath (had the same gloves for 2 + years & i keep them in a air tight bag when not using them) i spray the glove then wipe the balloon that's quite quick cant think of any other way to keep them fresh
DENNIS

Hi, if I have to helium fill balloons that early then I would fill with hi float ( Qualatex ) let them dry for about an hour so it drys inside the balllon then I would bag them in the big balloon bags, not bin liners.

Make sure when the balloons are drying they are not touching each other - also make sure the balloons are weighted so they are up right

Hope that makes sense and I have read your email correctly this time !!

Debbie
wow-balloons.com

I have always been lead to believe all latex balloons look their best in the first 5 hours after inflation (including hi-floated) and I think its about right. HI float in my experience keeps the balloons floating but does not stop them reducing in size (although not as quickly) or oxidising.

Personally Graeme if I am in that situation I offer Plain coloured foils instead of latex as the decor, we can usually sales talk them into them and the plain colours are not that expensive ( star or Unique ones are 40-55p and the new Qualatex sparkly star ones are only 80p think their plain colours are only 70-80p each) They also get the choice of stars, rounds or Hearts. They dont change colour, shape or have float time effected ( and can be inflated the night before). and the extra cost to them is only aboyt £1/£1.50 per balloon - its the printed ones or the Licensed printed ones that cost the most

You can also offer to hand write a message on them with your pens or glitter. with an additional charge for it

Regards

Pam
xx

I know what you mean Graeme as I have often wondered about this but so far not been busy enough to really worry about it

I honestly think the customers cannot notice a difference unless it is pointed out to them. I did a balloon inflation job earlier in the year and the first week I inflated 100 11" rounds with air on sticks and the following week I went back to do the same but the client still had at least 30 left over and thought they looked good. I knew they had dulled off and because she was a friend I showed her the difference but like she said if I hadn't pointed it out to her she would never have known!