How to choose foil balloons for the birthday

How to choose foil balloons for the birthday: Foil balloons are ideal for decorating a birthday, create the right atmosphere, look bright and stylish. They are considered a practical and inexpensive decor option and harmoniously fit into both themed and classic party decor.

How to choose foil balloons for the birthday

It is important to choose high-quality accessories that will not lose their shape in the midst of the holiday and will remain the same bright and voluminous for at least a couple of days.

How to choose foil balloons

How foil balloons differ from latex

Usually, latex or foil balloons are used for festive room decor. 

Latex are more common, as they are much cheaper than foil. Such accessories are most often round or oval in shape and differ only in density and color. The most spectacular models are decorated with inscriptions or drawings.

Inflated latex balloons retain their volume for no more than 6-8 hours. But if you process them with HI-FLOAT polymer glue, this period can increase up to 1-2 weeks, depending on the density of the latex. To do this, it is necessary to squeeze a small amount of glue from the bottle with a dispenser into the ball and gently distribute it along the latex walls’ inner surface by rubbing them with your fingers.

Models usually come without a valve – they must be immediately tied with a ribbon. Latex balloons stretch well, so it is important to ensure that they are inflated moderately. Otherwise, the walls will begin to let air through, and the balloon will quickly lose volume.

Foil balloons are made from a polymer film that looks like a thin foil. Thanks to the metallic sheen, such jewelry looks brighter and more effective than latex, even without additional decor. Foil balloons come in creative prints and in the form of figures of cartoon characters, animals, and other characters.

Foil balloons almost do not stretch from the intensity of inflation. They are less porous than latex, so they can hold air for up to a month – it all depends on what you inflate them with. Products do not need to be additionally processed with polymer glue. Most foil balloons have a valve, so you don’t need to tie them. In this case, the ribbon is only needed for decoration or for fixing the accessory when decorating the figure.

When decorating a holiday, you can use compositions from latex and foil balloons. The stars, month, and baby figurine are foil balloons, while turquoise, blue and white products are latex.

Where and how to inflate balloons

Foil balloons can only be inflated with air or filled with air and helium – the relevant information is usually indicated on the product card.

In the first case, you can easily inflate them yourself before the holiday and fix the free edge of the narrow part of the ball (neck) with a fastening clip or tape. The balloon retains its original appearance for up to a month, and if the volume begins to go away gradually, the balloon can simply be blown up. 

To fill the foil balloons with helium, they usually go to a specialized salon or purchase a small gas cylinder. With its help, even a beginner can inflate balloons. If you do this strictly according to the instructions that are usually attached to the cylinder, the accessories will delight you for at least two weeks, after which they will begin to deflate and lose their shape. If you wish, you can restore the original volume by blowing the ball.

How to choose a shape and size

To buy balloons that are suitable for the decoration of the holiday, you should think in advance how exactly you will decorate the space. Models come in the form of geometric and cartoon shapes, numbers, letters, and inscriptions. 

Practical, budgetary, and versatile in style, these are foil stars, hearts, or circles. They have a small size (usually from 40 cm to 1 m), which is enough for a helium balloon to fly up to the ceiling. 

Classic options are performed in monochrome; creative products are decorated with emoticons, cartoon characters, and other bright prints. Solid balloons are suitable for both children and adults, including corporate parties and official events. And creative balloons are usually bought for children’s and teen parties.

Balloons in the form of numbers are bought for birthdays and other holidays. Usually, they are monochromatic, but manufacturers decorate the most spectacular options with iridescent tints and patterns. Large numbers – from 86 cm to 1 m – are inflated with helium; small ones can only be inflated with air. They are fixed on sticks, or they can become part of the composition.

In most cases, letters and inscriptions made of foil are made no more than 40 cm in size, filled with air, and fastened to a strong thread, forming a congratulation text.

Foil shaped balloons can be made in the form of cartoon characters, cars, sweets, animals, and other characters. There are even “walking” figures over 1 m in height. They are inflated with helium and set on the floor so that the balloon remains in balance in an upright position. Medium-sized balloons – from 40 cm to 1 m – are filled with the same substance. Depending on the design of the decor, they are released to the ceiling or fastened with tape. Small mini-figurines, up to 40 cm, are inflated only with air and fixed on sticks or stretch marks.

Small lettering balloons cannot fly, so they are only inflated with air.

How to find quality balloons

To make the decor look spectacular, it is important to choose good quality balloons that will not deflate or fade during the day. 

To check the durability of the print, rub the plastic film between your fingers. If there are no traces of the dye on the skin and no cracks appear in the drawing, then the decorative coating is made of high quality. 

Carefully examine the “high-risk areas” in the places of creases that appeared during packaging. There the drawing deteriorates the fastest.

The seams should be examined in detail. The walls should be tightly and evenly connected to each other. Even a small gap or break along the seam can quickly deflate the balloon. Because of this, the design will lose its original luster in the midst of the party.

Remember

  1. Foil balloons look more spectacular than latex ones. They retain their volume longer, they have many design options, but the cost will be higher.
  2. You can pick up classic foil circles, stars, hearts, numbers, letters, inscriptions, and shapes of different sizes to decorate the room. It all depends on the design features of the holiday.
  3. To get balloons that can fly, you should contact a specialist or buy a portable helium balloon. Mini-figures, small numbers, and letters are filled only with air.
  4. Please ensure the quality of prints and seams before purchasing. The durability and flawless appearance of the balloons depend on this.