Silica Gel Flower Drying Crystals Desiccant with Sealed Container and Brush Reusable Color Indicating- 8 LBs

OK, this is a Great kit. Including the airtight box is a real bonus, & by volume this is far cheaper than buying smaller amounts. I had no idea how much I'd need, or how much this even was, but it's about equal to a 5 lb bag of sugar, & the box holds it all, along with the flowers, with about an inch or 2 to spare on the top when all in.PROs:* Large amount (5 lb bag of sugar size - approx).* Price per lb is cheaper than smaller amounts.* Container is a huge help, & holds multiple layers of plants in one batch.* Seriously works. It dried even a large Gerbera Daisy in just 5 days! Yay!* Very little curling up, very little color loss. Stunningly good results on the first try!CONs:* No detailed instructions, so I just experimented on 3 batches over 15 days.* No method - or tools given to remove flowers when done. (I wrecked several trying.)* The zipper bag included is pretty useless for this. (See tips below).* The brush included is nice & soft, but I found tapping did a better job.TIPs:* Pour 1" of Silica into the box before setting the first plants in there.* Cut the stems off short, but Leave at least Some stem, so you can grab it to position & remove.* Use Tweezers to hold stems, then wiggle into position.* Pour some Silica into the center of daisy like flowers, then push a finger into the center, to force petals out from the center. Otherwise, they tend to aim all over. Once all are done, then fill to cover all.* Aim Leaves face down, so they don't curl up as you fill around them.* Use a Large plastic bag (without a zipper) to pour the Silica in. You have a lot more control that way.* Use a large clean table to work on, or line with a shower curtain, to catch the spills.* DO NOT Get it in your Eye!!! Took a week to get my eye back to normal. Must have had a speck on my hand, & rubbed my eye. Not fun. Be careful with kids, especially.After drying:* Don't just feel around for them - with your hand or tools. I wrecked a lot of flowers doing that.* Get a Large, Clear, Plastic bag that can fit around the entire box, & hold all the contents.* Wrap the bag halfway around 1 end of the Box & Pour the contents out - Slowly, to expose the plants.* Have Tweezers handy to grab the exposed stems as they appear.* Tap the Tweezer on the side of the box, as you remove stems, to knock off excess Silica.* Have a tray handy to lay the plants on.* Clean up all spilled Silica, & either trash it, or put it back in the box. (I've lost a total of less than 1/2 tsp over 3 drying sessions, so if you're careful, & work in a clean area, you can just put it back in the box.)I know that's a Lot of info, but I wish I'd known about it up front.I also tried not fully covering the top layer on my first batch, just to see if arid conditions would work as well as being submerged, but they didn't dry as well, so I stuck them back in for the second batch. I submerge them all, now. Also, know there will be lost petals, or chips of leaves etc, floating around in the Silica after you're done. They're dry, so not rotting, & I just use my Tweezers to pluck them out as I see them, when refilling or draining. It has no effect on the drying flowers, so I don't lose sleep over it.

using this was amazing My roses looks perfect!!!

Works great, the sealed bin and extra zip lock back are great bonuses.

It does what it says. Love this

This was easy to use, I was able to dry some of the flowers from my mother's funeral. At first, I did try to do too many at one time, so you need to be careful about that. The flowers do turn out nice.

If you’re looking to preserve your bouquet this is the product! Super easy to use, directions were clear and after 7 days your bouquet is perfectly intact and ready to display. I suggest you go with the larger size.

I had purchased several other desiccants to dry flowers from my yard to then use in epoxy art, with less than favorable outcomes. This is wonderful kit for a novice like me to feel confident the flowers can be dried. The container is well-made, sturdy and definately airtight. There is a brush supplied to lightly cover the more delicate flowers, like roses with desiccants. There are plenty of the dessiccants to even use another airtight container to dry more flowers. I would recommend this purchase!

I have previously bought the silica sand and an air tight class container separately to dry flowers from my anniversary cake (something I decided to do each year). Just the silica sand, and less of it, cost as much as this whole kit. The container that came with it is so nice. Glass with a snap on, air tight lid. I like the shape of the container. It is deep so you can really cover whatever you are drying out. Also, very cooler that this silica sand has the color changing effect to show water absorption. That is another thing that makes this kit really good value.