Safety Precautions
Most floral foam is made from phenolic foam. These substances are toxic, so it is important to take care when handling floral foam. It is recommended to avoid exposure by wearing gloves and avoiding contact with your skin.Wet floral foam must be pre-soaked in water so it completely absorbs the water before any flower stems are inserted, while dry foam is used with no water.
Dry floral foam bricks (also known as floral styrofoam) are easy to cut and work with in the same way as wet floral foam except you do not need to soak them in water.
approximately 60 to 100 seconds
Dry foam is perfect for arranging fake flowers with artificial stems, including thin metal or plastic ones. Dry foam isn't soaked in water, and it's grittier and heavier than wet foam. While dry floral foam is primarily used to make flower arrangements or wreaths, it can also be used for other craft projects.
Wet floral foam must be pre-soaked in water so it completely absorbs the water before any flower stems are inserted, while dry foam is used with no water.
For foam go through the same process of dipping the head in water, dipping the stem in quick dip and then you can place them in the floral foam. FYI: you can soak your floral foam in a water and flower food solution – this will help extend the life of the flowers.
First, get a large tub of water and fill it up. Place the bricks of floral foam into this tub and allow them to absorb the water until they float levelly on the top. Do not place the bricks under running water or push them beneath the water to speed up absorption.
It is very important that when you soak floral foam that you allow it to drop in the water itself. Pushing it down into the water will result in airlocks in the foam that will result in the flowers not getting water from the foam.
I would soak the floral foam for about one hour or more. you can get a pack of four blocks of this wet foam at michaels for $7.
When dry, floral foam breaks down in to dust that is labelled harmful to the skin, and if inhaled, harmful to your respiratory system. Florists work with this material daily, and it's essentially a carcinogen. Completely toxic, and we have no idea about the long term health implications of working with it.
After fully saturating the floral foam in water, (see the guide on how to soak floral foam) it can be placed in any type of waterproof container to your liking or used just the way it is after which you can start adorning it with fresh flowers. The fresh flowers will remain hydrated between seven to 10 days.
Green upholstery foam alternatives contain no potentially toxic substances within the foam itself or applied to the foam during manufacture as a dye, bleach or flame retardant.
- Natural Latex.
- Coconut Fiber Foam.
- Organic Wool.
- Feathers and Down.
- Plain Cotton.
Do not recycle used (punctured) floral foam as filler. Note: unpunctured, used foam may be reused as filler, however, once foam has dried out, it cannot be re-wet, so make sure the used foam is not in an area that will be reached by thirsty plant stems.
Oasis is made with OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife. Floral foam is an open cell plastic. It is a green fine-celled thermoset phenolic plastic foam. It contains many hazardous substances including formaldehyde smoke, oxides of carbon, phenol, cresols, xylenols, and sulfur dioxide.
Floral foam is a foam used by florists to fixate flower stems for storage and delivery. It usually consists of phenol-formaldehyde plastic. Due to an additional treatment with detergents, the substance can soak up water and increase the longevity of arranged flowers.
New products such as the MaxLife Bio Foam from Smither's Oasis is 25% biodegradable within 18 months in biologically active landfill conditions. It is a good start, but it is not compostable and 18 months is still a long time, especially when you consider the amount going into landfill every day.
Yes! Floral Foam has toxic elements that can lead to a form of cancer. Be careful with it, I don't want anyone getting hurt.
The foam is made with two toxic chemicals, but is not necessarily harmful. You probably should avoid eating the foam, and florists should avoid breathing in any dust generated when cutting it - but those were normal safety precautions for any plastic, he said.
Six Alternatives to Florist Foam
- Insert stems into pebbles, sand, gravel or marbles placed in the bottom 1/4 or 1/3 of the vase.
- Use pliable twigs like curly willow to wrapped inside of the vase as a basket weave-like framework for your other flower stems.
- Fill the vase with excelsior, also called wood aspen.
The foam is made with two toxic chemicals, but is not necessarily harmful. You probably should avoid eating the foam, and florists should avoid breathing in any dust generated when cutting it - but those were normal safety precautions for any plastic, he said.
