What Are Balloons Made Of? Cool Questions Answered For Kids!

Before we delve into the material composition of balloons and what balloons are made of, let us first understand what is actually a balloon.

In layman's terms, a balloon can be described as an inflatable object mainly a flexible bag that can be filled with different kinds of gases. These gases include the likes of nitrous oxide, air, helium, hydrogen, or even oxygen depending upon the purpose of the balloon.

In the modern-day, balloons can be made from different kinds of materials such as metalized plastic, latex, nylon fabric, polychloroprene, or the very basic rubber.

The elasticity of a balloon largely depends upon the material the balloon is made up of. In the balloon industry, most companies use only natural latex as it is 100% biodegradable.

At the same time, many companies use synthetic rubber as it has superior resistance when inflated in comparison to natural rubber and all the other balloon-making materials.

Did you know, the first modern latex balloon ever created was in 1931 by a company named Tillotson Rubber Company who made this balloon by extracting the sap from a rubber tree? Nowadays balloons can be stretched to a great extent owing to the constant technological developments and are also available in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and colors.

Let us take a closer look at some more interesting balloon facts and how they affect the environment.

Are balloons made of rubber or plastic?

There has been a lot of confusion regarding the material balloons are made of. Over the years, there has been a lot of development in the materials used as earlier, balloons were made of animal bladders!

Did you know, Galileo Galilei once used the bladder of a pig to conduct an experiment with the objective of measuring the weight of air?

Eventually, the bladders of sea animals were used to make balloons but it obviously wasn't a sustainable source.

Unsurprisingly, balloons can be made of both rubber, as well as plastic. In 1824, the first-ever rubber balloons were made when Michael Faraday used them as props for his hydrogen experiments.

In the current day, we see rubber balloons usually used in events that have mass balloon releases or festivals which use a large number of balloons.

On the other hand, the plastic balloon, also known as the mylar balloon, has nylon or polyethylene coating on the top due to which it has a shiny surface and we often see images, and designs on it.

In fact, the latex balloons which we extensively use take months or even years to decompose, and by this time, they can damage the environment to a considerable extent. The time taken largely depends upon the environmental conditions, and it is thus wise to dispose of these latex balloons safely into a bin after use.

The rubber tree which produces the natural rubber latex can produce the sap for around 40 years.

What are balloons that float up made of?

Whether it is a natural latex balloon or a synthetic rubber balloon, the balloon material doesn't matter in determining whether the balloon will float up or not. The kind of gas you inflate the balloon with will determine whether the balloon will float up in the air or come down to the surface.

Let us understand the science behind this phenomenon and why you should blow a balloon with only a particular kind of gas for it to float up in the air.

A balloon can be filled with a variety of gases, even the air we breathe is a mixture of multiple types of gases.

According to the basics of science, a gas that is pretty heavy stays near the Earth's surface such as oxygen and nitrogen, but on the other hand, a gas like helium is light in weight and tends to rise up and is thus used to fill the balloons that float up.

Helium is a natural gas that is found trapped inside the Earth's surface which is further collected by us humans in a tank and then used to fill into the balloons.

Did you know, the hot air balloons that we see all across the world are made of materials such as Dacron and ripstop nylon?

Can you get environmentally friendly balloons?

The years that have passed by have seen people becoming increasingly aware of protecting the environment and living sustainably. The way to protect the planet is as small as using biodegradable balloons as it matters too. Thus due to a demand for biodegradable balloons, natural latex balloons were invented in the past which eventually degrade with time.

Balloons are needed not only in one particular shape as they come in all forms depending upon the need. Their use is varied; children enjoy balloons at parties and events when they float above their heads, while certain businesses use them for advertising purposes.

The natural latex balloons production by various companies has highlighted the fact that these latex balloons are biodegradable and safe for the environment but they must be manufactured and disposed of only in a particular way.

Other than the natural latex balloons, balloons are made of various materials ranging from vinyl to mylar which also come in different shapes and sizes but aren't exactly biodegradable.

Did you know, these mylar balloons are made of foil-coated plastics such as nylon? These balloons can then be shaped in any desirable manner, and are not biodegradable.

Once these natural latex balloons pop, they can be disposed of in an orderly way for the safety of the environment as this increases the cleanliness of the land, as well as the ocean. In fact, over 100,000 marine animals succumb to death annually owing to plastic entanglement which also includes balloons.

It is also considered to be a potential choking hazard for children.

What can I use instead of balloons?

Balloons are made of synthetic rubber as well as natural rubber and a lot of them harm the environment. Once these balloons are inflated and then popped, they take a considerable amount of time to degrade and if there is an event near the ocean, it can harm the water bodies.

So let us take a look at some of the other decorations that we can use instead of balloons which would neither harm the animals once disposed of nor any other living body.

A bubble machine is a wise alternative to balloons as it has been noted that children get equally excited around fun-shaped bubbles and try to pop them in the air.

You can use dish soap or glycerin to function as a bubble machine which is undoubtedly quite economical too. You can even make a bubble wand at home to make the event much more exciting and use it as a substitute for inflated air balloons.

Paper decorations including the likes of Japanese paper balloons, paper crackers, piñatas, and cardboard wreaths are some items that can replace balloons at a party.

When our purpose is to go eco-friendly, wooden decoration is an equally viable option as these items can be further painted to make them look more attractive. Wooden decorations include the likes of wooden figurines, wooden slices, and many more.

Moreover, some other viable party decoration options are a light show, natural plants, flowers, fabric ornaments, and fabric garlands.