Re: Water-filled globes

I'd have thought distilled water would be best too, but here's an
interesting thing:  Three years ago my daughter got me an unusual (well,
okay, tacky) lamp made out of plastic, shaped like a pyramid with a
loose-fitting removable top and filled with water.  A pump and airstone
created a constant fountain of bubbles.  I ran it briefly but as soon as I
decently could, I put it away and left it alone for the intervening years,
still filled with tap water and not plugged in, so there was no water
circulation at all.  It's lost a bit from evaporation around the lid, but
the water is still crystal clear.  So it seems that as long as there's
nothing organic in the water for microbes to eat, plain tap water may do
just as well in your application as it's done in mine.  You could always add
a drop or two of bleach to the water but I have no idea what that might do
to the wax flowers.
 - Steve R
St Louis

"Steve Kraus" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> A friend has a very old knick knack consisting of a water filled globe
> holding some imitation roses made of a waxy material.  "Ball-O-Beauty"
> it was called.  She opened it to make some minor repairs to the roses
> which had fallen from the stems.  Before sealing it back up she was
> wondering what, if anything, should be added to the water to best
> preserve it.  I would think distilled water would do fine but maybe it
> needs a little something just in case any contaminants got in so no
> algae or bacteria start clouding the water.  Also taking into account
> the waxy roses maybe there is something that will keep those from
> deteriorating.  Thanks.
>