Many different party supplies are out there, from streamers and confetti to balloons to make any occasion festive and fun. Balloons, in particular, are widely popular today and very affordable, and they are often a go-to decoration for any room or event. The idea of balloons is in fact older than some people may think, and wholesale balloon suppliers may provide latex balloons and foil balloons alike to party supply stores. These heart shaped latex balloons or foil square balloons can stand out from regular latex ones, and foil balloons can in fact take a wide variety of shapes. When it comes to heart shaped latex balloons and more, what might someone expect? There are some differences between latex and foil balloons, after all.
All About Balloons
The idea of balloons dates back to 1824, when professor Michael Faraday invented them by combining the edges of two rubber sheets and inflating them with air. Today, balloons are typically made out of latex instead, since harvesting latex is much more environmentally sustainable than harvesting rubber from trees. It is possible to harvest a lot of latex from one tree over the years without killing it, while harvesting rubber puts more pressure on trees.
Today’s latex balloons, such as regular pear-shaped ones or heart shaped latex balloons, are the standard model, and are often the first thing people think about when they hear “balloon.” These balloons are small at first, but they can be inflated to become much bigger, such as 11 inches in diameter at their widest. These balloons can be filled with air to make them last longer, and it is easier to use air than get some helium to fill them up. In fact, a person can fill up heart shaped latex balloons with their own breath if they want to. Helium will make balloons float, and most often, people get helium balloons when they get them from an event like at a carnival. Helium balloons are often tied to strings or ribbons with a weight on the end, so that they don’t float away. Helium filled balloons don’t last as long as air filled ones, though.
Latex balloons are an inexpensive and fun way to decorate any room or event, and they come in a wide variety of colors. Basic care should be taken with them, though. Babies, children, and pets should not be allowed near them, since they are a choking hazard before they are inflated. And when they are full, latex balloons should not be allowed near heat sources like large lights or a lit fire, since the heat will expand the air inside them and make them pop.
What about foil balloons? These are made with two sheets of foil fused together at the edge, and unlike latex balloons, they can come in a wider variety of shapes. These foil balloons can be a circle, square, or a heart, for example. or they can even form numbers or letters, unlike latex models. Numbers might be used for a birthday party, for example. What is more, the foil sheets may have images printed on them before being inflated, so foil balloons have more of a visual flair than simple latex ones. Foil balloons are often sold already inflated, and they are nearly always filled with helium (and not air).
Time for Balloons
Where might these fun decorations be used? A birthday party is a great example. Often, kids and most girls of any age will like festive decorations for their birthday parties, and this is where balloons of either type (or both) might be found. If they are filled with air, latex balloons can be taped to the walls or the backs of chairs, or they can be helium filled and used outside. Balloons, along with flowers or gift baskets, are common “get well soon” gifts to hospital patients, too. Balloons can also be used to decorate a festive event such as a charity sporting event or fundraiser. And most high school proms involve thousands of air filled balloons that are released from the ceiling during the dance. Even at a child’s birthday party, balloons can be scattered around the floor like a sort of ball pit for playing.
