Extend the Life of Cut Flowers with Clean Water

Wouldn't it be nice if, in a perfect world, we could drink clean water and it would cure all that ails us? Fortunately for flora, clean water is a bit of a cure-all. 

Last week my husband brought me some lovely daisies, which have been brightening up my kitchen and dining room. But last night I noticed that they'd love some pep, however, since the early part of the week. So while dinner was cooking I poured out the slightly murky water, rinsed off the flower stems and gave them a quick new cut, and refilled the vase with a whole new batch of bright, clear, clean water. By the time we sat down to eat, the flowers had perked back up. I suspect they'll last me well into next week ... 

Through the years, I've probably tried just about everything to extend bloom time of cut flowers: a splash of clorox in the water, an aspirin, dipping the fresh cut stems in hot/boiling water for a couple of seconds, and the powdery solution that's wrapped up in the paper from the florist. But I found that elaborate setups and suggestions didn't hold a candle to the few simple steps I now follow. 

• Start out with a clean vase (and for that matter, when tossing out old flowers I'm in the habit of washing out the vases before storing them).
• Remove the lower leaves, so that the portion of the stems that are submerged are bare.
• Trim the stems at an angle.
• Fill the vase with clear, cool water (and change it every two to three days, or when the blooms begin to wilt or the water looks murky).

 Got any suggestions or 'best practices' for extending the life of your cut flowers?