How long will you store balloons. I started a new restaurant about two months ago and I use balloons. I normally would only need balloons for certain show. I use about 80 balloons in a night. I have been ordering four bags at a time. Will they last longer than three to four weeks in the fridge?

Thanks for you help.

Tim

As long as you keep them out of the sun, and in the original bags they should be OK. I order 50 bags at a time and all I do is cut a hole in the box big enough to get a bag out when I want one. The box then sits on my shelf and the 50 bags last about 4-6 weeks depending on what I'm doing.

I came across a bag of Qualatex 260s that had been around for more than a year; they were fine, just sitting in a closet.

Qualatex last for months in their original bags if stored in a moderate temperature. I think the secret is where YOU buy them from. If it's a warehouse or supplier with a large quick turnover you should be ok. If they are bought off say another entertainer who just sells them as a side business they may be very old and have been incorrectly stored.

The things that will harm latex are basicaly heat and sunlight. If you store them in a cool dark place, you should be able to keep them for quite a while (sort of like vegetables, come to to think of it...)

Cheers!

One of my friend kept it in air-con room, 24 hours! It's crazy but I understand he is selling balloons full-time.
As a measure, all good quality balloons bought from source should last 1 year, maximum.

Tim,

I have kept balloons for over a year with no problems.

I store mine in their original bag, making sure to de-air and re-seal the bag once it is opened. I just press out the air, twist the bag and use a "bread bag" type tie. I then place the sealed up ballons in an air tight, rubbermaid storage container and keep them in the basemant of my home.

Hope this helps.

Regan

I also have had bags last longer than a year, no prob. I keep the bag in the original box it came in on the top shelf of a closet. Pretty cool up there, doesn't take up fridge space...

I know that balloons can be kept for more than a year. But, you will never know when you will, unknowingly, buy bags of balloons that are already 1 year old for a dealer.

That's why I said to be safe, finish it within a year.

And, (my sincere apology if I sounded harsh) it's pretty strange why you would want to keep balloons for more than a year?

As a working professional, all my balloons are used up in less than 6 months.

With Qualtex balloons you can look at the bag to tell when the balloons were made 04196 means that the bag was filled on the 196th day of 2004. Make sure that the balloons you buy are not more that one year if you plan to store them.
I just got a good book called "Great Balloons" by Jean Merlin, translated to English by Kaufman and Greenberg. She goes into storing the balloons in cardboard boxes with enough on hand to cover any needs plus an unexpected gig or two. Just remember to rotate stock so none gets too old.
While it is a little older book and talks about A, E, EXT balloons these grades has gone by the way side since all Qualtex and other premium 260 balloons are Entertainer grade, and the cheapos in the drug store maybe A grade. Anyway, even though the advise is a little dated it is still true of rubber products.

Balloon storage:
1. open new bag add talc power, do not inhale. you can also use Zinc Sterarate if you can find it.
2. close bag, breath, shake, remove balloons, don't breath the power too much.
(most modern balloons have powder on them so this may not be necessary)
3. lay out each balloon so it has no folds which cause weakness.
4. place in boxes long enough to hold balloons without folding. Place on shelf.
Keep Cool!
She also has several other ideas for storing and packing balloons for use.
That is a lot to go thru if you are using the balloons soon. I will remove long balloons from the bag just to lay them out straight, with nozzles up, since it is easier to get a specific color if all the nozzles are showing instead of digging in the bag for the last greenie. Most ballooning clowns in this area
either buy sorted or sort the color also to speed things up. Then I put the organized bundle of balloons back into the bag so I know the born-on date. If you carefully cut off the top of the bag the balloons will fit back in lengthwise perfectly. Then I roll the extra bag around lenghthwise, not folding the ballooons, and tape it so it is a snug, but the nozzles still are accessable at the end of the bag, and the bag may be added to my balloon tote system easily.

Nkthen,

I am a magician. I do magic shows. I do not always include balloon bending. In fact, I have cut way back on birthday parties and venues that seem to require balloon animals.

I use balloons in some of my magic routines. I do "Needle Through Balloon" which requires a round, "clear" balloon. I do some effects that require round, black balloons. I do some routines that just look better with a certain type or color balloon. I don't always do the same show or routine. If I am doing my safety show I need certain types and/or colors and if I am doing a standard kidshow the routines change and may or may not need certain types of balloons. It goes on and on.

I think this should explain why I might store them for over a year. And remember, there are "weekend" performers and many with a serious hobby who do not always perform full time.

If the balloon is critical to the effect, like in "Needle Through Balloon" for example, I am always worried if they have been in storage too long. I will test several of them in practice before the actual performance. If there is any doubt, I throw them away and buy new ones. They are too inexpensive to justify taking a risk.

Regan

A lot of us NKTHEN buy in BIG bulk to reduce costs, that is why we have some for more than a year. My friend buys 500-1000 bags a year.
Matt

Well, I felt that it is more of different opinions.

And maybe the climate, too. I did have balloons tha are well-kept for more than one year in air-con room but it still gets pops easily at the simplest twist.

To burst 4-5 balloons for every 10 blown is not acceptable for me and that's why I wanted to finish them as soon as I can.

Hey relax, magic_matt and Mister Mystery, I'm not trying to sound rude here. I do learn a lot from you people of different countries in The Magic Café.

Let's appreciate differences in practice, shall we? :>

Nkthen,

We shall...and I do, and I'm as relaxed as I ever get. I do appreciate differences in performers. That's what makes the magic world go round, so to speak.







You stated that it was strange why anyone would store balloons for more than a year and I was trying to explain why I, and maybe some others, might do such a strange thing.

Regan

One tip I got from Coz the clown of Cozmic balloons to help prevent problems in winter was to keep the balloons you are using during the show in your pocket, rather than in the bag, This way they are kept warm. also in winter if you have a bag that's a few weeks old, put it in the tumble dryer for about a minute before you go out. Apparently it revitalises the balloons. Never tried it myself though.

Also, just a quick tip, make sure the balloons don't get wet. The talc powder runs and it makes twisting a pain!

bp

Thanks for the help so far. I have had balloons that I bought from a very popular distributor that only lasted for a little over a month. Maybe I kept them too cold. I was always told to keep them in the fridge. I was trying to get an idea so I do not have to order balloons every month. I might go ahead and buy ten bags at a time. That should last me about three months.

Tim

Just for your information, other than Qualetex, I found that Neotex from Korea is also good balloons.

I bought it and let my friends try it out and I got rave reviews.

Me and my friends are switching to Neotex because
1) It is cheaper
2) Quality is very similar to Qualatex

Delivering Qualatex to our country is very expensive. In fact, I was told that the price has increased.

That led us to quit using Qualatex and switch brand...

Anyway, keep this brand in mind. You might see it in your stores...

I do not think putting the balloons in the fridge or freeze will help any as long as they are kept cool, dry and out of the sun. You may want to consider the potential condensation resulting from freezing. Qualatex spokesmen on BalloonHQ.com say that if stored correctly, balloons will be OK for years but I would not want to depend on any more than a year old. You can tell when they are stiff and stuck together.
Along with getting the long balloons straight, you nay consider a vacuum bagger. Then you can create bags to hold the number of balloons you need and keep the rest as fresh as possible

I bought too many bags and birthdays have slowed down.