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What Is A Balloon Weight
Balloon weights are any kind of weight that holds balloons in place, either from floating away, blowing away, or keeping balloons tethered in place. Balloon weights come in many different shapes and sizes. They can be bought, and made, or you can use random items as balloon weights. The latter are some of my favorite balloon weights.
Why Are Balloon Weights Important
Balloon weights are essential, especially to those of us in the balloon industry, because without a weight helium balloons will float away or air-filled balloons could blow away. It is imperative that every person who inflates balloons or even enjoys balloons take responsibility for the balloons in their possession.
Balloons can be wonderful additions to any celebration but there have been occasions where people haven’t taken responsibility for their balloons and damage has been done. Many people have actually been trying to get balloons outlawed due to the carelessness of some.
Please practice Smart Balloon Practices! Check out my post Smart Balloon Practices for more information on what you can do.
How To Tie Balloons To A Weight
There are two main ways to tie balloons to weight; the permanent and the removable. The permanent tie is used for when you are finished with your balloon creation and you are ready to secure your balloons to a weight.
The removable tie is used when you need to secure balloons to a weight (possibly for transport) but they are not ready to be secured in their final position. For example, if you want to inflate helium balloons and a customer is planning to pick them up but you don’t know what their intention is for the balloons. Maybe the customer plans to make smaller bouquets using the inflated balloons.
The Permanent Balloon Tie
Tie each balloon individually to a weight in the position you want the balloon. This can take some practice to get the balloon to sit in the position you want.
The Removable Balloon Tie
Tie all of the balloons using a slip knot so the balloons can be easily untied in the future. I like to wrap a small amount of cling wrap around the knot so it doesn’t accidentally come untied.
Balloon Weight Types
Bought Weights
You can buy balloon weights in various different shapes and sizes depending on how many balloons you intend to attach to the balloon weight.
DIY Weights With Balloons
One of the easiest ways to make a balloon weight is by using balloons themselves. You can fill them with water, sand, or rocks.
It should be noted that if you choose to use balloons filled with water the balloons will have a tendency to roll away.
A note of caution when filling balloons as weights, make sure you are using quality balloons if you intend to use them as weights. Balloons Pop, cheap balloons are more likely to pop. Do NOT Use Water Balloon Weights Near Electricity or anything else that water will damage.
Some balloon professionals will fight me for this claim, stating that you should never use balloons filled with water as balloon weights. That is their opinion and a valid one at that. I personally have used this method for many years and have never had an issue.
Sharp objects or rough surfaces (such as concrete or pine needles) may pop balloons. Caution must be taken to avoid balloon weights from popping just as you would inflated balloons.
DIY Weights Without Balloons
DIY weights can be as easy as cutting a piece of fabric and wrapping a rock or two in the fabric. Or they can be as complicated as mixing concrete and pouring it into forms.
One of my favorite things about making DIY Balloon Weights is that you can customize the fabric or whatever you wrap the weight in so they match your decor.
Balloon Weights Out Of Other Objects
A vase, a stuffed animal, a clothespin, or even a pipe cleaner can all make amazing balloon weights. Your possibilities are endless when it comes to using items as balloon weights. Anything you can tie a balloon to with enough weight for the number of balloons you are tying can be used as a balloon weight.
How To Fill A Balloon With Sand
- Gather Your Ingredients
- Fill Bottle
- Attach Balloon
- Fill Balloon
- Tie The Balloon
- Enjoy!
1. Gather Your Ingredients
- Balloon(s)
- Sand
- Funnel
- Empty/Clean Bottle (the smaller opening works best)
2. Fill Bottle
Using the funnel, fill the bottle with sand.
3. Attach Balloon
Attach a balloon to the end of the bottle.
4. Fill Balloon
Turn the bottle upside down and squeeze the sand into the balloon.
5. Tie The Balloon
When the balloon has reached the desired size, remove the balloon from the bottle and tie the balloon.
6. Enjoy!
Balloon Sand Weight Video
How Much Weight Do I Need For My Balloons
A standard 11″ balloon can hold about 0.5 cu. ft. of helium and can lift about 0.34 ounces or 9.67 grams. A standard 12″ balloon can hold about 0.6 cu. ft. of helium and can lift about 0.42 ounces or 11.9 grams.
| Quantity | Weight Needed (lbs) | Weight Needed (kg) | Household Object |
| 1 | 0.34 oz | 9.67 g | clothespin |
| 5 | 1.7 oz | 48.2 g | bar of soap |
| 10 | 3.4 oz | 96.4 g | ladle |
| 15 | 5.1 oz | 144.6 g | cell phone |
| 20 | 6.8 oz | 192.8 g | avocado |
| 25 | 8.5 oz | 241 g | 1 cup of sugar |
| 30 | 10.2 oz | 289.2 g | can of soda |
| 35 | 11.9 oz | 337.4 g | can of beans |
| 40 | 13.6 oz | 385.6 g | |
| 45 | 15.3 oz | 434.6 g | soccer ball |
| 50 | 1 lb 1 oz | 482 g | hammer |
| 60 | 1 lb 4 oz | 578.3 g | |
| 70 | 1 lb 8 oz | 680.4 g | |
| 80 | 1 lb 11 oz | 764.4 g | |
| 90 | 1 lb 15 oz | 878.8 g | pineapple |
| 100 | 2 lbs 2 oz | 963.9 g | toaster |
| 200 | 4 lbs 4 oz | 1 kg 927.8 g | small watermelon |
| 300 | 6 lbs 6 oz | 2 kg 891.7 g | gallon of milk |
| 400 | 8 lbs 8 oz | 3 kg 855.6 g | med. bowling ball |
| 500 | 10 lbs 10 oz | 4 kg 819.4 g | 12 lb dumbbell |
These numbers are based on 11″ helium filled balloons and math. I have not personally tested all of these numbers. Please overestimate the amount of weight needed if you are unsure.
I hope this post brought value to your day. If it did, please consider sharing it with a friend or on your favorite social media. Thanks For Reading Fun With Balloons!
