One of the main reasons businesses choose an artificial flower wall over fresh florals is that it doesn't need looking after. That's true - but "low maintenance" isn't "no maintenance". A wall in a busy restaurant or salon will collect dust, and dust is what makes an artificial wall start to look artificial.
The good news is that keeping one looking new takes minutes, a couple of times a year.
Routine dusting
Dust settles on the upper surfaces of the petals and leaves, which is exactly where the light hits. Left long enough it flattens the colour and gives the wall a grey cast.
Three methods, easiest first:
- Feather duster or microfibre duster - light strokes downwards across the panels. Quickest option and fine for most settings.
- Vacuum with a soft brush attachment - on the lowest suction setting, held slightly off the surface rather than pressed into it. Best for a large wall.
- Hairdryer on cool - blows dust out of the deeper parts of the blooms that a duster can't reach. Keep it moving and don't use heat.
How often depends on the space. A home bedroom wall needs it twice a year. A restaurant, salon or busy venue is better every couple of months.
Marks and spills
For a mark on a panel, use a cloth barely damp with cool water and blot rather than rub. Rubbing pushes the mark deeper into the fabric of the petal and can flatten its shape.
Let the area dry fully before pushing the panel back against the wall. Avoid bleach, solvents and anything abrasive - they can strip colour from the petals, and the damage is permanent.
Kitchens and areas with grease
Airborne grease is the one thing that will genuinely shorten the life of a wall, because it holds dust rather than letting it settle loose. If a panel run is anywhere near an open kitchen, a griddle or a coffee machine, expect to clean it more often, and consider whether a slightly different position would serve you better.
Sunlight
Strong, direct sunlight over years will fade any artificial flower, pink and red tones first. It's rarely a problem in an interior, but a wall directly opposite a large south-facing window will lose some depth over time. If that's your only option, plan on the panels in the brightest section being the ones you eventually rotate or replace - one of the practical advantages of a panel system over a single fixed backdrop.
Storage between events
If you hire your wall out or pack it away between functions:
- Store panels flat or upright, never with weight stacked on top - crushed blooms don't fully recover
- Keep them somewhere dry; a damp garage or loft will cause problems over a season
- Cover them, so they aren't collecting dust while in storage
- Fluff the blooms back out by hand after unpacking - a minute of that makes a visible difference
Refreshing an older wall
If a wall has been up for several years and looks tired, you usually don't need to replace all of it. Swapping in a handful of new panels along the most visible section, or reordering the existing panels so the least-faded are at eye level, brings a wall back for very little.
Browse flower wall panels to top up an existing wall, or see the installation guide if you're taking panels down to clean behind them.