How long should I keep a dead orchid?

My cousin told me to dunk orchid pots in a bucket of rain water every month and leave them for an hour to soak up as much as possible to make them last longer. I had one that I kept in the bathroom and was so chuffed when it flowered again with a trio of flowers - it may have been a year later but I hadn't noticed how much time had passed. I'm not good at spending money on new plants! I quite like the leaves anyway and if they are in a nice pot the lack of flowers doesn't matter to me.

Yes, some gorgeous orchids in Waitrose yesterday.

I so agree with ja there. Get thee to Tesco.

Are the air roots all shrivelled up? If so, I think there's little hope.
I think orchids are so cheap now, especially compared to cut flowers, that you probably get more benefit from consigning them to the compost heap and buying new ones, rather than allowing them to clutter up your windowsills in their moribund state.