Fun and Furious: 8 Alternative uses for Balloons

Posted on Jun 25 2015 - 3:18pm by Editor

Everybody loves balloons. Unlike clowns, who have a love-hate “they’re soooo creepy” relationship with both kids and adults, balloons are the epitome of fun. They can brighten up a room, cheer people up and be part of the entertainment. Kids go nuts over balloons, often fighting and crying over who gets to take it home. Even the parents go at it sometimes on behalf of their kids.

8 Alternative uses for BalloonsAside from being kid magnets, balloons can be used for a myriad of other things – some utilitarian, some fun and others just plain wacky. Are you ready to get your helium on? Here are some alternative uses for the king of getting popped, the balloon.

1.      Makeshift Water Container

In survival, every little thing counts. You can bring a balloon with you (some people bring condoms) when you go camping or hiking for emergencies situations. If you get lost or lose your water container, a balloon can be used as an alternative. Get one of your socks and insert the balloon in It, before filling it up with water. This will ensure that it won’t get punctured easily.

2.      For Medical Emergencies

When you’re camping or on the trail outdoors, without access to an emergency kit or any sort of first aid, the elasticity of balloons can be a great help. It can be used for supporting splints and tying off a limb or wound to restrict blood flow in case of an accident. If the hands needed to treat a wound are dirty, turning the balloon into a makeshift latex glove is also an option.

3.      DIY Waterproofing Pouch

Balloons are also excellent as makeshift waterproofing pouches. If you found some tinder material during camping for starting a fire and you want to keep it dry, place it inside the balloon and tie the opening up to seal it. This also works for your phone, wallet and anything else that small enough to fit inside the balloons opening. Make sure the object doesn’t have any sharp edges so the balloon won’t get punctured from the inside.

4.      Ice Balloons for the cooler

If you’re throwing a party, a good idea is to fill balloons of all colors with water and freeze them. When the party rolls around, place ice balloons inside the cooler for an added fun factor. Frozen balloons last longer than ice, and your guests won’t have wet and freezing hands when they grab a drink.

5.      Send a Message

If you’re a hopeless romantic or you just love to do things differently, imprinted balloons are excellent ways to get your message across. If you want to propose, place the wedding ring inside the balloon and fill with confetti or glitter before filling it with helium. You can have a message printed on it, or you can write your own. Balloon invites also work this way, but it’s better to attach a deflated printed balloon to a card and send it to your guests. The card can have a simple or humorous message such as “blow me” or “I need air”. When the balloon inflates, your guests can will be able to read the message.

6.      DIY Stress Ball

Fill a balloon with sand, lentils or any other hard grain and tie off the ends. Now squeeze it to relieve yourself of all the stress. Watch out for sharp grains that can puncture the balloon, or else you’ll have more stress cleaning the mess up.

7.      Water Pinata (for pool parties)

Instead of a pinata full of candy, fill a big balloon with water AND candy. Make sure the candies are in airtight wrappers.

8. Portable Pee Bag

This is a little disgusting, but when you gotta go, you gotta go, especially in situations where you just can’t. You’ll need a funnel and a balloon for this portable DIY toilet. Stick the funnel into the balloons’ opening and viola, instant pee bag.

There you have it, 8 other alternatives for everyone’s favorite party accessory, the lovable and poppable balloon. If you have uninflated balloons at home, you can to do any of these projects and see how well they work.