Think back to the last party you attended — the chances are it featured foil balloons filled with helium declaring someone’s age or announcing the occasion.
As the UK population becomes increasingly aware of its impact on the environment, items such as balloons are slow to reduce in popularity. In their various guises, balloons have been displayed in celebration of loved ones for decades, so there’s a strong emotional aspect to their use.
As balloons aren’t disappearing off the shelves anytime soon, let’s take a look at why you should reuse them and how to reuse foil balloons to give them another life before landfill.
Why reuse balloons?
Balloons are sold as single-use items, which often end up in landfill or as litter.
Even biodegradable latex balloons struggle to decompose in landfill due to inadequate conditions. Regular latex and foil balloons have no chance of landfill decomposition.
Due to the nature of helium balloons and the abundance of balloon releases, balloon litter is also a common environmental issue.
When littered, balloons often injure or kill animals who mistake balloons for food.
You can reduce waste and potential litter by reusing your balloons and not releasing them publicly.
How to reuse helium balloons
You can reinflate your foil balloons or try one of our five suggestions for creative reuse.
1. Reinflate your foil balloons
Latex balloons can’t be reused because they begin to deteriorate as soon as they’re first inflated.
However, foil balloons can be carefully deflated and reinflated when required. It’s possible to repeat this process multiple times — you can store and reinflate the same balloon yearly for a birthday, which helps reduce waste.
How to deflate foil balloons to reuse
It is surprisingly simple to deflate a foil balloon. Insert a drinking straw into the balloon’s valve and keep pushing it inside until you see and hear the air start to escape down the straw.
Leaving the straw inside, gently apply pressure to the balloon to assist the deflation. As it deflates, fold or roll the balloon and apply more gentle pressure until it is empty.
Don’t press down too hard on the balloon, or you may damage it.
Once you have an empty foil balloon, it’s ready to be stored away for future events. Fold it carefully — avoid the valve, as folding might damage it.
This deflation method can also be helpful when you accidentally overinflate a balloon and need to let some air or helium out.
How to reinflate foil balloons for reuse
To reinflate a foil balloon, inflate the balloon as standard with air or helium and then pay special attention to the seal to ensure it is securely closed. The seal can weaken when the balloon is reused, so listen for escaping air.
If the seal is weak and air is escaping, you’ll need a seal clip or a heat sealer to secure your balloon.
You can seal your foil balloon with hair straighteners or the edge of an iron.
A balloon’s potential for reinflation is over once it’s heat-sealed, but you can still reuse it through one of our other suggestions.
2. Use foil balloons as gift wrap
Sticking with the party theme, why not reuse your helium balloons as funky gift wrap?
Balloons are manufactured in appealing colours that lend themselves perfectly to wrapping children’s gifts.
Alternatively, turn the balloon inside out and use the silver side for a classier parcel suitable for anyone.
Instead of using the balloon foil as gift wrap, you could use it as tissue paper inside a gift bag.
Embellish your presents with handmade ribbons and gift bows made from foil balloons.
3. Use foil balloons to create a foil blanket
A foil blanket is handy to keep in your first aid box for emergencies where your body temperature needs to be regulated.
To make a foil blanket, deflate your balloons and flatten them. Balloons vary in shape, so cut them into uniform squares of the same size.
Store the squares under a book to keep them flat while you work. Next, grab two large pieces of scrap cloth. Place one on your workstation and the other between the two squares of foil you wish to bond and your iron.
Apply heat to the silver side of the foil until the squares have bonded, then repeat until you have a blanket of your desired size.
Shop-bought foil blankets usually measure 130cm x 210cm, so you could aim for that size or personalise it to your family.
4. Use foil balloons as weights
Foil balloons are relatively strong, so lend themselves well to being filled with sand or gravel. You may need to cut a larger hole in them to achieve this.
Seal the hole and use your new weights to hold down tablecloths, tents, or outdoor decorations.
Once you’ve finished with the weights, you can open the balloons and empty the contents, ready to use them as weights again in the future.
5. Use foil balloons for craft projects
Crafting is fun for children and adults alike.
With their attractive shine and lightweight nature, foil balloons make an ideal addition to a wide range of craft projects — from scrapbooking to greeting cards.
Cut the balloon into the required shape, stick it down with craft glue, and admire the shimmer.
6. Donate foil balloons to a school for Earth Day
Earth Day takes place on 22nd April each year.
Most schools celebrate Earth Day by creating new uses for waste materials, so why not contact your local school and see if they’re interested in using your old helium balloons?
How to fix a foil balloon
If you own a foil balloon that deflates quickly or won’t inflate, it has a hole.
To fix the issue, you first need to identify the location of the tear. If the balloon’s inflated, locate the hole by pressing the balloon and feeling around to sense where the air is escaping.
If that method offers no solutions (and it may not if it’s a pinprick hole), you can hold the balloon underwater and notice where the air bubbles appear.
Once you’ve found the damage, you can apply tape or a patch. If these don’t work, consider applying heat with a candle or lighter to reseal the foil.
Final thoughts
So, in answer to the question, ‘Can you reuse helium balloons?’, yes, you can — and not just as a balloon.
Give your balloons a new lease of life with one of our ideas, and you’ll reduce waste instantly.
Take care with all methods that involve using heat to seal the foil.
If you don’t wish to reuse your foil balloons or they’ve already reached their end of life, you can drop them off at participating Card Factory stores for recycling via TerraCycle.
If you have an event coming up and want to decorate a space without using balloons, consider some eco-friendly balloon alternatives.
