
Foil balloons? Yes, foil balloons. They aren’t too hard to inflate and not that different from that of the latex balloon.
What type of foil balloon do you have?
Well, firstly, you have to be sure of what size foil balloon you have. The 16″ foil balloon is certainly best suited when filled with normal air, whereas the larger 40″ foil balloon works for both helium and normal air fill. In this DIY Wonder Class tutorial, we used the 16″ foil balloon and inflated it using a normal hand pump.
So if you don’t need your balloons to float, the hand pump works great. Some alternate ways include people using small straws to blow into the foil balloon, but that might be a little tough for you and isn’t the best when we’re all supposed to be wearing masks. So let’s stick to hand pumps or helium inflators.
So how do we inflate it?
Firstly to inflate your foil balloon, you would need to locate the filling tab on the outside of your balloon. All foil balloons have a small, 1–2 in filling tab designed to easily blow up your balloons. You can typically find this outside towards the bottom of the balloon. This is the valve of the balloon that is secured by 2-3 layers of plastic. Once you locate the filling tab:
1) Separate the 2 layers of plastic, and slip the straw or your pump’s nozzle in between.
2) Insert your straw/nozzle until you break the inner seal, which is about 1–2 in. You’ll feel the seal snap as you insert it in.
3) Pinch the straw and filling tab so air doesn’t come out as you inflate it. To hold the straw/nozzle in place, pinch either side with your fingers.
4) Continue holding the filling tab as you inflate the balloon.
When the balloon is firm to the touch, it has enough air. Be careful not to blow too much air into the balloon. If you keep blowing, the balloon will eventually pop.
One good thing about these foil balloons is that you don’t have to tie them up like latex balloons. They are self-sealing, so all you would have to do is remove the nozzle of your pump from the balloon then press the valve flat to seal it up. If your foil balloon is inflated with helium, tie a ribbon to it and then tie the ribbon to a balloon weight to prevent your balloon from floating away.
If it is filled with air, you don’t have to worry about it floating away, and you can attach it to a foil balloon stick, which we have right here at Wonder Balloons.
That’s about it for the basics of inflating your foil balloon. You’ll be a pro in no time!