How To Preserve Flower Petals With The Convenience Of A Microwave

Even if you're great at keeping your cut flowers fresh, sooner or later you'll have to say goodbye to your beautiful blooms. Unless you preserve them, that is. There are a few different ways to preserve your bouquet so you can continue to enjoy the flowers (and the memories) for years to come, including air drying and pressing. But if you want the easiest method with the quickest results, look no further than your microwave.

If that seems strange, consider that preserving flowers is mostly a matter of removing the moisture from each part of the plant. A microwave can speed that up for you, as can an oven or clothing iron. However, a microwave is by far the fastest and most foolproof way to go.

The microwave also has some benefits over more traditional methods, like using a wooden flower press or air drying a bouquet. These techniques can take up to a few weeks to dry out the flowers completely. Some flowers even contain so much moisture that they tend to go moldy before the process can finish. Also, learning how to press flowers can take a few attempts, and it requires the right environment with low light and plenty of airflow. A microwave cuts the time from a few weeks to just a few minutes, giving you the chance to quickly see the results and try again if needed.

You can use the microwave for both flower drying and flower pressing. Your choice depends on the result you're going for and the type of flowers you're working with. Drying gets better results with bulkier flowers like roses, which are difficult to press flat unless you work with individual petals. The most easily pressed flowers are naturally flat or delicate, like daisies or lilies.

To dry flowers in the microwave, you'll need dustless kitty litter or silica gel to absorb the moisture. Fill a bowl with 4 to 5 cups of litter or a couple of inches of silica gel, place one or two flowers in, and cover them with more of the litter or gel. Make sure the flowers aren't touching each other. Microwave in intervals of one to two minutes until the flowers feel fully dry, then take the container out and let it cool. Remove the flowers and gently dust them to remove any remaining litter or gel. Repeat this process as needed until you've dried the whole bouquet.

To press flowers in the microwave, arrange them on a paper towel or reusable cotton cloth, then lay another on top. Place all of this in the microwave under a heavy, microwave-safe dish. Microwave at half power for 90 seconds, then continue in 30 second increments until the flowers are completely dry — the petals tend to dry out sooner than the center. To make life even easier, you can also buy a kit, like this Microfleur Microwave Flower Art Press Kit from Amazon, which comes with moisture-absorbing wool felt and clips to keep the flowers sandwiched in place.