- Clean up pumpkin residues
October and pumpkins go hand-in-hand; they’re like making jack-o-lanterns or messes. Kids love to carve pumpkins, so you’ll often face numerous pumpkin innards spilling over the table or onto the floor. Thankfully, nothing about this season staple is too hard to clean. Lay down some newspaper before you start carving to avoid cleaning up afterward. We recommend newspaper because it’s compostable, so you can throw it all together in the green bin once you’re done with your pumpkin carving! The rest can be taken care of with a mild spray and wipe cleaners.
- Greasepaint and makeup
Makeup is part of some of the best costumes we’ve ever seen and some of the worst stains we’ve ever dealt with. It sticks to carpets, walls, furniture, and clothes. Once it gets caked, the real horror begins. Costume makeup is usually made with oil, so you’ll definitely need a powerful spot-remover. Pour a little on the spot and let it sit for about 5 minutes before dabbing it with a carpet brush and blotting it out with a kitchen towel. If the stain is on the wall, spray some degreaser and let it sit for a couple of minutes before wiping it down.
- Halloween vomit
Not all Halloween decorating ideas involve candy and costumes, but let’s face it. There are so many reasons that can make someone vomit around Halloween that you need to have a contingency plan. Did massive amounts of candy do it? Were Jell-O shots to blame? It doesn’t matter, you need to be ready for it. One way to clean up vomit is with an instant spill absorber so that the vomit gels, and you only have to clean a dry, solid residue afterward. Cleaning the rest of the residue involves a hydrogen peroxide-based cleaner.
- Toilet paper in the garden
If you get the “trick” end of trick-or-treating, use a common broom handle to wind the end of the paper trash and start rolling it again. The only bright side to this situation is that it’s all compostable, so you don’t have to bother with anything else but your regular green bin when getting rid of it. Hey, who said the season’s spirit was all fun and games?
- Fake blood
Halloween makeup is a nightmare to clean, as it’s made of corn syrup and red dye. They’re two of the worst partners in crime when it comes to removing stains. If it falls where it’s not supposed to, remove the excess by gently dabbing it with a rag or a kitchen towel. Next, apply rubbing alcohol on the affected area or use a strong spot remover if the damage is too extensive or the stain has dried already. If it’s just on the floor, your regular spray degreaser or cleaner should prove strong enough to remove it.
- Sticky or crushed candy
Half-eaten hard candy or crushed caramels and other sugary treats tend to leave a sticky mess after the party is over. Your first instinct might be to scrape and scrub the offending candy as is, but that might cause further damage. Instead of just going at it with a metal scrub, try soaking a rag in hot water and wring it out (careful with your hands). Repeat until the heat and humidity loosen up the candy, then wipe it out. If some color stained the surface, try using alcohol on it.
Or just skip all the steps and hire a professional cleaning company and book a deep cleaning service!
