Want to learn how to dry fresh flowers at home? It might seem like you need a green thumb, but this DIY hack is surprisingly easy!
We’ve got five at-home methods straight from our professional housekeepers for drying and preserving fresh flowers at home.
Understanding the Importance of Drying Flowers
Learning how to dry fresh flowers at home is a handy skill for many reasons. Dried flowers are an amazing way to capture beauty, memories, and sustainability all in one.
We all know that bouquets are a beautiful gift given to mark celebrations and important life events like birthdays, graduation, weddings, pregnancy, promotions, anniversaries, or even sad occasions like bereavement.
If you’ve been given a beautiful flower arrangement that’s emotionally significant to you, you might want to learn how to dry and preserve the beautiful blooms as a keepsake.
You can also dry a single flower if you just happen to stumble across a beautiful wildflower or a rare species. Or, if you’ve been particularly lucky, a four leaf clover!
Once you’ve got your dried blooms, they make for beautiful, low maintenance decorations.
These dried beauties need almost zero attention. No water, no sunlight, or anything. So if you’re not exactly the green-thumb type, dried flowers are your go-to for effortless decor. Plus, they’re practically begging to be Instagrammed.
You’re also not beholden to simply keeping your dried flowers in a vase – you can get creative with how you want to store or display them.
Many bouquets can be pressed and presented in frames as wall art, preserved in resin, made into pot pourri, or incorporated into any number of DIY projects. Sky’s the limit, really.
And let’s not forget, drying flowers is an environmentally friendly way to recycle and preserve flowers for long-lasting blooms.
Instead of constantly purchasing and tossing fresh flowers, you can increase the lifespan of your existing flowers and reduce waste.
Step-by-Step Guide to 5 Effective Methods for Drying Fresh Flowers at Home
There are a few different methods for how to dry fresh flowers at home, so feel free to pick the option that works best for you.
How to Air Dry Fresh Flowers at Home
Air drying is one of the simplest and most traditional methods of drying flowers. It’s best to choose flowers that are in good condition and have not yet fully bloomed.
Start by removing leaves from flowers before drying and trim the stems to your desired length.
Bundle a few stems together with a rubber band or twine. Make sure the bundles are small enough to allow proper air circulation.
Then, hang the bundles upside down in a dry, dark, and well-ventilated area. Attics, closets, or even unused rooms work well for this purpose.
Leave the flowers to air dry for about two to three weeks, or until they feel crisp and papery to the touch.
Once dried, carefully remove the rubber bands or twine and gently shake off any excess dried petals or debris.
How to Press Fresh Flowers at Home
Pressing flowers is perfect for creating flat, preserved blooms for crafts, artwork, or decor.
Choose flowers with thin petals that will press well, such as pansies, violets, or daisies, and place the flowers between two sheets of parchment paper within the pages of a heavy book or flower press.
If you’re using books, stack additional books or add weight to the press to apply pressure evenly.
Leave the flowers pressed for about two to four weeks, checking periodically for their dryness. Once fully dried, carefully remove the pressed flowers from the parchment paper.
Keep reading: Tips for refreshing your home
How to Microwave Dry Fresh Flowers at Home
Using a microwave can speed up the drying process while preserving colour, and it’s surprisingly easy.
Simply place a layer of silica gel crystals in a microwave-safe container. Then trim the flower stems and place them gently on top of the silica gel.
Carefully sprinkle more silica gel over the flowers until they are completely covered.
Microwave the container in short intervals (10–15 seconds) on low power. Check the flowers’ progress after each interval.
Once the flowers are dry, remove them from the silica gel and gently brush off any excess gel.
How to Oven Dry Fresh Flowers at Home
Using your oven can yield quick and consistent results, and it creates the perfect environment to preserve flowers’ beauty.
Preheat your oven to its lowest setting or around 65°C, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Arrange the flowers on the baking sheet, ensuring they don’t touch each other.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and prop the oven door open slightly to allow moisture to escape.
Check the flowers every 30 minutes, rotating the sheet if necessary, until they are completely dry.
How to Desiccant Dry Fresh Flowers at Home
Using a desiccant material like silica gel helps preserve the shape and colour of the flowers.
Fill the bottom of an airtight container with a layer of silica gel, then trim the flower stems and place them upright in the gel.
Carefully sprinkle more silica gel around and over the flowers, ensuring they are fully recovered, and seal the container and leave it undisturbed for about one to two weeks.
Gently remove the flowers from the gel and shake off any excess before using them in your projects.
So, now you should have some perfectly preserved dried flowers! These tips are used by our expert professional housekeepers who can give your house that beautiful finishing touch.
