There’s nothing like fresh-cut flowers to brighten up your space, but those blooms are on borrowed time. Not to worry — there’s a way to keep flowers looking good much longer, and it costs mere pennies. All you have to do is drop some pennies in the bottom of the vase. It all boils down to science. Pennies are copper in color, but prior to 1982 they were actually made from copper — 95% copper and 5% zinc. Copper has properties that kill off the bacteria and fungi in the water, which could allow a floral arrangement to thrive. Today, however, pennies are 97.5% zinc and just 2.5% copper plating. Still, there’s copper in there, so maybe it really could work its elemental magic. Since almost everybody has a jug of pennies somewhere in their house, just dig in and find pennies that were minted before 1982. If you want to absolutely ensure that your flowers stay perkier longer, there are a couple of things you can do.
- • Snip the bottom of the stems on an angle, which increases the amount of area a flower has to draw water from.
- • Mix in the flower packet that typically comes with the flowers.
- • Change the water frequently. Every day would be best.
- • Pluck dead stems quickly because they produce more bacteria and ethylene gas, which makes the other flowers wilt faster.
- • Keep the vase out of the sunlight, as direct sunlight increases the temperature and reduces vase life.
- • Trim the leaves away from the water to avoid bacteria growth.
