How to Clean Artificial Flowers Without Damaging Them
Artificial flowers need no water, but they do collect dust – and in Malaysia, a little cooking haze too. Five minutes every few weeks keeps them looking new. Here is the safe way.
Hazor Home · 2026-11-05
The five-minute routine
- Dust first, dry. Use a soft make-up brush, a clean paintbrush or a feather duster, working from the centre of each flower outwards. Do this every two or three weeks and the next steps are rarely needed.
- Blow out the deep dust. A hair dryer on the cool, low setting, held 20 cm away, lifts dust from between the petals without bending them. Never use heat.
- Wipe the leaves. Leaves and stems take a cloth dampened with plain water. Wring it well and wipe along the leaf, not across it.
- Spot-clean a petal. If one petal is marked, dab it with a cloth barely damp with water and a drop of mild dish soap, then dab dry. Do not rub.
- Reshape. Open any petals that have been pressed flat and bend wired stems back into their curve.
What never to use
- No soaking. Dipping the whole flower in water loosens glue at the base of the petals and can leave water marks.
- No alcohol, bleach or glass cleaner. They strip the matte finish and the colour.
- No heat. A hot hair dryer or direct sun softens and warps petals.
- No vacuum nozzle on the flowers. It pulls petals off. A vacuum is fine for the shelf around them.
Flowers near the kitchen
An arrangement on a dining table near an open kitchen picks up a fine film of cooking oil that holds dust. For those, the damp-cloth step with a drop of dish soap matters more: wipe the leaves monthly and dab any petals that feel tacky. If possible, place the arrangement on the side of the table away from the stove.
Storing an arrangement
If you put an arrangement away – after a festival, say – dust it first, stand it upright in a box with tissue paper between the flowers, and keep the box somewhere dry and cool. Do not lay flowers on top of one another, and do not store them in a plastic bag in a hot store room, where petals can soften and take the shape of whatever they are pressed against.
Each Hazor Home arrangement’s product page says what its flowers are made of; the Flower Care page has the shop’s own guidance.
Common Questions
How often should I clean artificial flowers?
A light dusting every two or three weeks is enough for most rooms. Near a kitchen or an open window, wipe the leaves monthly as well.
Can I wash artificial flowers with water?
Wipe, don’t soak. A cloth dampened with plain water is safe on leaves and stems; a barely damp cloth with a drop of mild soap is safe to dab a petal. Soaking loosens the petals and leaves marks.
Can I use a hair dryer on artificial flowers?
Yes, on the cool, low setting, about 20 cm away. Heat is what damages them.
Why do my artificial flowers look dull?
Usually a film of dust or cooking haze. Dust them with a soft brush, then wipe the leaves; the colour comes back. Flowers kept in direct afternoon sun may have faded, which cleaning cannot undo.
Arrangements chosen for petals that clean well and keep their shape.
Shop Flowers