Easy Instructions for Using a Balloon Tying Tool

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Tie perfect knots for your balloons in seconds with this helpful tool

Co-authored by Ahzahdeh Neshat and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: November 28, 2023 Fact Checked

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Tying a Standard Balloon

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Tying Balloons on a Ribbon

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Expert Interview

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Tips

If you’re blowing up a lot of balloons for a party, using a tool makes it so easy to tie them without hurting your fingers. Balloon tying tools have a long plastic piece that you wrap your balloon around so you can quickly tie a knot. While the tools are pretty simple, we’ll walk you through the tricks to use them properly. We even spoke with Ahzahdeh Neshat, a professional balloon artist, for some tips on tying and decorating with balloons, so keep reading to learn more!

Things You Should Know

Place the balloon tying tool on your index and middle fingers on your non-dominant hand.
Wrap the end of a balloon once around the tool’s nose. Cross the end over the first wrap and pass it underneath through the tool's bottom opening.
Pull the balloon straight off the tying tool to finish the knot.

Section 1 of 2:

Tying a Standard Balloon

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A balloon tying tool is a plastic piece that has a long half-cylinder “nose” and a ring that slips over your fingers.

To wear the tool, just put the index and middle fingers of your non-dominant hand through the ring. Make sure the open side of the nose is closer to your fingertips. If the tool feels loose in your hand, put your ring finger in the ring as well.^{[1]
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Research source}Holding the tool so the nose is in your palm makes it easier to maintain your grip while you tie balloons, but you can try positioning the nose on the back of your hand if it feels more comfortable.
After you blow up your balloon, pinch the end between your thumb and index finger on your non-dominant hand. Stretch the end of the balloon and wrap it once tightly around the middle of the nose.^{[2]
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Research source}

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Cross the end of the balloon over the section you just wrapped around the tool’s nose. Guide the end into the hollow middle of the tool and push it underneath the stretched part of the balloon.
Keep holding onto the end of the balloon as you slide it off the tool’s nose. Once the balloon is off the tool, just pull on the end to tighten the knot.

Section 2 of 2:

Tying Balloons on a Ribbon

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Slide the tool’s ring onto your index and middle fingers on your non-dominant hand. Position the nose of the tying tool so it sits in your palm and the open side faces your fingertips.^{[3]
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Research source}If it’s more comfortable, try positioning the tool so the nose is on the back of your hand instead. How you hold the tool all depends on your personal preference.
Blow up your balloon and pinch the end between your thumb and index finger. Then, pull the end of the balloon and wrap it tightly around the tying tool’s nose.
The slots on the tying tool are either in the middle of the nose or near the base by your fingers. Tuck the end of the balloon into the slot so it stays still without having to hold it.^{[4]
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When you want to string balloons together, feed a ribbon into the open side of the tying tool. Make sure it goes underneath the stretched section of the balloon so the knot secures the ribbon in place.
Cross the end of the balloon over the part you just wrapped around the nose. Then, tuck the end of the balloon into the hollow part of the nose and feed it underneath the stretched section.^{[5]
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Slide the balloon straight off of the end of the nose to take it off the tool. Then, just pull the end of the balloon tight to tie the ribbon inside of the knot.

How many balloons do you need? Ahzahdeh Neshat, a professional balloon artist, says that if you want to make a garland, “each foot is going to take about 6 to 8 balloons.” She goes on to say, “If you're wanting…a more deluxe garland, you might need 10 to 12 balloons per foot.”

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Tips

If you want to tie multiple balloons together, professional balloon artist Ahzahdeh Neshat says to, “take the two [ends] together and twist them around each other kind of like you're tying shoelaces, and then tie a knot.”

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If you’re not happy with how you tied your balloon, it’s really easy to untie them. Neshat recommends that you “take the [end of a] knitting needle and basically work it…into the knot [to] loosen it up…without popping the balloon.”

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