Is fresh flower décor messy? Clearing up after a function

Some families hesitate to choose fresh flowers because they remember a function where the hall or house was left full of wilted garlands, water stains and wax on the floor. Fresh décor does create waste, but it does not have to leave a mess. Clearing is part of every job we take.

At a home function, we lay plastic sheets or old cotton cloths under urlis, pots and garlands before setting up, so water and pollen do not stain marble or wooden floors. Brass lamps sit on small trays to catch oil drips. We use pins and cotton ties rather than tape on doors and walls, so nothing pulls off paint.

When the function ends, our clearing crew arrives at the agreed time, usually the same night for halls and the next morning for homes. They remove every garland, thoranam, leaf and petal, drain and carry away the urlis and wipe down the areas they used. Brass and furniture go back to our warehouse in Mylapore to be cleaned and polished for the next event.

The flowers themselves do not go to a landfill. Marigold, leaves and banana stems are taken to a composting unit on the edge of the city, and some marigold is dried and given to a group that makes natural dye. Garlands that were offered to a deity are kept aside and immersed or disposed of in the way your family prefers. If you would like to keep a garland as a memory, tell us, and we will set it aside before clearing.