How to Blow up a Balloon

For almost every special occasion the decorations of balloons is a must. In fact, if you have sufficient balloons, you won't need anything else for decoration! Blowing up balloons is fun, but only until there are couple of balloons to blow! It is almost impossible to blow balloons if you have to decorate a huge party hall. So, at such times, some simple tricks for blowing up balloons come handy. But these ways are not for blowing up the balloons for decoration, but for entertaining the guests! The following tricks can also be used for science projects. Continue reading to know how to blow up a balloon using different, interesting ways.

Blowing a Balloon with Vinegar and Baking Soda

Place two tbs vinegar in a 16.9 oz plastic lidless bottle. Make sure that the bottle is placed on a flat surface so that it does not trip off. Now open the mouth of a balloon with your two fingers of each hand. Use only the balloon which has never been used, as reusing a balloon might not be fully effective. Stretch open the balloon by placing the fingers inside. Do not release the balloon, ask another person to spoon only one tsp baking soda into the balloon, do not use the spoon which was used for vinegar. Slowly stretch the mouth of the balloon over the bottle, without spilling any of the baking soda. Make sure all the baking soda is transferred to the bottle. As soon as the baking soda comes in contact with vinegar, the balloon will inflate and burst automatically.

Blowing up a Balloon with Yeast

This is one of the simplest way of blowing balloon, but only for fun. Take a 16 oz. bottle and fill it up with one inch of warm water. Add the entire yeast packet to it, gently shake the bottle. Yeast becomes active in warm water, so make sure that the water is warm. Add 1 tsp of sugar to the bottle and set aside. Like the earlier method, open the mouth of the balloon using your fingers. Place the neck of the balloon over the top of the bottle. Keep the bottle in a warm place for about 20 minutes. Keep a watch on the balloon as it will start inflating after 20 minutes. If you are wondering, how this experiment works, there is simple science behind it. As the sugar is consumed by the yeast, carbon dioxide is released and it gradually fills up the balloon along with the bottle.

How to Blow a Balloon Using Dry Ice

Dry ice is one such object that sublimes i.e. turns directly into gaseous state without turning liquid. That is the reason why we can use dry ice for blowing up a balloon. Put a few pellets of dry ice in a plastic bottle. Fit the neck of the balloon over the neck of the bottle, if necessary put a rubber band over the bottle's neck to keep it in place. As the dry ice begins to melt, the balloon will start inflating. If you want a quicker result, shake the bottle vigorously, the air currents will make the dry ice sublime faster. An interesting fact about this experiment is that the carbon dioxide in the balloon gives it an amplification type effect, you can try this by talking through the balloon!

These were some of easy ways of blowing up a balloon. If you are planning to try this as a science experiment, write down your observations after each step. All the best!