Latex balloons should be used within two years of manufacture and stored in a cool, dry location away from light. Some retailers and stores put balloons in clear containers, but it is important to note that this is not ideal.
Latex Balloons | ||
| Issue | Description | Solution |
| Hole in balloon | Latex balloons are made by dipping a form into a vat of latex. The form can be round, heart, mousehead, donut, blossom, or have a long shape. There is an expected error rate of a few percent due to the nature of the manufacturing process. The difference between a quality balloon manufacturer and other manufacturers who make lower-grade balloons is the care taken in making products. The error rate is lower for better quality manufacturers, like Qualatex. However, do not expect an error rate of zero percent. | Expect a defect rate of 1 to 4 percent with latex balloons. To keep defects and waste to a minimum only use quality latex balloons because cheaper brands have higher defect rates. In the long run, it is more cost-efficient to pay extra for quality balloons because you will have less helium wasted from defects. |
| Latex balloons pop when inflating | It is common for a few balloons per latex bag to prematurely pop. | Before inflating a latex balloon, stretch the latex stretch it with your hand. This will reduce the chance of balloons popping prematurely. |
| Latex balloons stuck together | This is more common with dark colors and pearlized balloons. Latex balloons can become stuck together when heated (possibly in transport). | In some cases, balloons can be salvaged and used, by pulling them apart. If balloons cannot be salvaged then they are no longer usable. |
| Red marks on light-colored balloons | Sometimes lighter colors in assortments will have darker color ink bleed onto the lighter color balloon. This issue is most common with red balloons bleeding colors onto the yellow balloons. | While this may look bad when not inflated, once the balloon is inflated, it is not noticeable, because the discoloration spreads out. |
| Balloons do not float a long time | People typically think a latex balloon will float longer than it actually can. A standard 11-inch to 12-inch latex balloon will only float for 15 to 24 hours in ideal conditions. The float time is much less outdoors. Float times differ based on humidity, elevation, heat, wind, air circulation, and temperature. These are the most common reasons for float time differences. | HiFloat can be used to increase float times indoors, by up to 25X |
| Pearl balloons blow up smaller | Pearl and metallic balloons do not stretch as much as standard color latex balloons. You can see the difference in size between the standard and pearl balloons once inflated. | Use Qualatex balloons because they use larger forms for the pearl and metallic colors. |
| Assortments | Description | Solution |
| Assortment does not contain some colors | Assortments are bagged by manufacturers, and unfortunately not every color in the assortment is guaranteed. | If you need a lot of a specific color in an assortment, we suggest purchasing that color separately. |
Using the correct nozzle is very important when inflating balloons.
©06.29.22J
