Post Halloween Clean-up: 7 things to clean after a spooky night

Happy Halloween, everyone! One of the most anticipated nights of the year for many has finally come, and with all the trick-or-treating, there is also something spookier than the best costume in the neighborhood: the post-Halloween clean-up. Food crumbs, makeup stains, glitter, you name it. But worry not! Here at Vetter Cleaning, our main goal is to help our community in Colorado Springs and Monument to make the most of their days without over-stressing about cleaning! 

That’s why we came with no tricks, just treats! In this week’s article, we tackle 7 things you will likely deal with during your post-Halloween clean-up. Let’s go!

1. Fake blood (at least we hope it’s fake!)

If your Halloween party was full of vampires, werewolves, zombies, and other bloody monsters, they likely left a trail of blood behind…The fake kind of course! If you found any stains in your post-Halloween cleanup, the first steps are: remove excess spill, act fast, and do not rub it. (If you read our previous article on stain removal, you already know the drill.)

Time is key when dealing with any type of stain, as they get harder to remove the longer you take to clean them. Now, let’s address our situation. Fake blood can come with various compositions. If it’s a water-based kind of product, it will be much easier to take it off. However, to create the thicker aspect of blood other products are often involved. For homemade products, corn syrup (or something similar) + red dye are the most common ingredients. This often leaves a stain because the sticky nature of sugar content allows it to cling to and penetrate fabric fibers. Over time, they can also crystallize, making the stains even more stubborn to remove. 

To deal with the problem, you will need to:

1. Gently scrape off excess fake blood and blot the area with a clean cloth or paper towel.
2. If the stain is already dry, apply some warm water to soften it. 
3. Now mix one part white vinegar with two parts cold water in a bowl, and dip a clean cloth into the solution.
4. Blot the stain or use a natural stain remover on the area and leave it on for 15-30 minutes.
5. Rinse with cold water and blot dry with paper towels.

If we are talking about clothes or bedding, wash the piece like you normally would after the process above. If it happened on the carpet, add proper carpet shampoo to your cleaning routine. 

2. Makeup stains

Halloween is truly a time for people to let out their inner artist, and they sure do! The only downside of an elaborate makeup is the aftermath, especially if it ends up staining something around the house. Costume make-up, in particular, can be particularly tricky depending on the type. Professional ones, for example, are made to last for long periods of time and are often waterproof. In this case, you’ll need to get as creative with your post-Halloween clean-up as your guests with their makeup! Here’s what you gotta do:

1. Remove what you can with a spatula or paper towel. Then apply some hot water to the area. This helps with oil-based products. If you are positive this is not the case for you, feel free to skip this part. 
2. Grab a proper makeup remover and apply it to the stained area. If the stain was on a fabric, use something soft like a toothbrush to work the product into the piece. If it was on a hard surface, you dont need to be so delicate. Clean the product off with a piece of cloth afterwards.
3. Now wash the area with a cleaning solution like you normally would! If the stain persists, repeat the process.

3. Glitter

Found both in makeup and costumes, glitter has the power to add a sparkle to Halloween. However, you probably won’t want to let it overstay its welcome, right? So, if your kids spread glitter all over the house with their costumes, here’s what needs to be done in the post-Halloween clean-up: 

1. Vacuum. A lot. As much as you want and anywhere you can. There’s nothing more effective for removing glitter than a proper vacuum cleaner. We recommend using one with a HEPA filter for more effective cleaning. 
2. Now, if you got glitter somewhere you can’t vacuum, you will need a cotton ball or a piece of cloth + rubbing alcohol. Damp the cotton with alcohol and rub it where you can see the glitter. 
3. If the sparkles persist, you can also use some sort of sticky material, such as rolled masking tape, to remove all the remaining glitter.  

4. Chocolate stains

If the kids were enjoying their chocolatary treats only to leave a trace of stains behind on your floors and furniture, fear not! You will just need to:

1. Remove any excess chocolate from the surface. Grab a spatula or a piece of paper for that. 
2. If the chocolate has melted already, here’s a special trick: grab a few ice cubes and put them in a plastic bag. Then put it on top of the chocolate stain so that it can help harden the spill once again. That will make it easier for you to scrape the chocolate off without risking wetting the area with the melting ice. 
3. After that, you can use liquid detergent to finish the job. Put a few drops of dish detergent on a damp sponge and massage it into the stain. When you do that, try blot the stain from the outside in to lift away as much of it as possible. 
4. Rinse the sponge out and wipe down the stained area to remove the soap residue. 

5. Crushed candy and gums

Everybody loves a sweet treat! But cleaning off crushed candy and gum from your floor and furniture? Not really. If your kids (or yourself) had too much sugar, here’s what you can do for your post-Halloween clean-up: 

1. Take away the excess to prevent more of it from melting and leaving a stain. If the crushed candy is on your carpet or rug, use a spoon to gently lift off any large pieces. This will help you avoid pushing the candy deeper into the carpet.
2. Now mix two cups of warm water with a few drops of dish soap and soak a clean cloth in the solution. Press it against the sticky residue and let it sit for about 10 minutes so that it can break down the sugar.
3. If the area was stained and said stain is being stubborn, apply white vinegar directly to the area. Let it sit for another 5 minutes.
4. Bloat to take off any residue and dry the area. 

“What if the candy is the sticky kind?” we hear you asking. In this case, you have a more complicated situation at your hands. For that, let’s lower the temperature!

1. Just like we taught you about the chocolate stains, place a few handfuls of ice in a plastic bag and press it onto the candy. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it hardens.
2. After that, use a spatula to gently break the candy into pieces and remove it.
3. Once you’ve taken most of the candy, soak a cloth in rubbing alcohol and blot the sticky area. If the damage happened to your carpet, for example, this helps break down the sugar without damaging its material. It’s also helpful to prevent attracting ants and other insects.
4. To wrap up the cleaning, blot the area with warm, soapy water to remove any alcohol residue and use a dry towel to soak up moisture. 

6. Candle Wax

Got too carried away with your Halloween decor, and now you have candle wax in unimaginable places? Time to clean it up! For this part of your post-Halloween clean-up, you will need to: 

1. Grab your ice! Once again, low temperature will be our savior. We will use it to harden the wax in places where it melted. This will make the cleaning process easier. 
2. After hardening the wax with ice, scrape off the bulk with a dull knife. Use your vacuum cleaner with the upholstery attachment to remove any loose wax particles left behind after scraping.
3. If there’s still remaining residue, you can use a hairdryer to melt and blot the area with a paper towel. You can also use a cloth with rubbing alcohol or a bit of white vinegar for colored wax. 

7. Pumpkins

Last but never least comes the start of the spooky season! Pumpkins are a must-have for any proper Halloween celebration. You perhaps had it in your food, your drinks, and of course, in your decoration! Carving pumpkins is an old Halloween tradition, and we won’t let you enjoy it any less just because of the cleaning. 

If you have been wandering, “Where to put rotting pumpkins?” and  “Can pumpkins go in the general waste?”, we will help you with everything you need to know about how to dispose of pumpkins after Halloween. 

First things first, do not put your pumpkins in the general waste bin! Organic matter should always go into the compost bin. Now, two things to pay attention to here: whether or not your pumpkin is rotted and whether or not it is clean. If it is still fresh and not filled with the results of DIY decor (paint, glitter, wax etc), you could use it for cooking and baking! Besides preventing food waste, you prolong the taste of Halloween for a bit longer. You can also use it to feed animals in farms or Zoos, as many of them receive donations of this sort. 

Now, if your pumpkins have already started getting rotted, the best course of action is to use them for composting in a garden or compost pile. For that, you can bury them in your yard if you don’t have a proper composter, or just leave them at the composting bin. 

One more thing! If you painted the pumpkin or used it to hold candles for your decor, make sure to clean it before you dispose of it. If you don’t, it will not compost well. 

Wish you didn’t have to stress about the post-Halloween clean-up at all? We got you!

Here at Vetter Cleaning & Maintenance our main goal is your satisfaction. And that involves giving you your time back from chores! With our deep cleaning services, we will reset your home for you so that you’ll have it as fresh as new. And if you’d rather not have to worry about cleaning at all, we also offer weekly housekeeping services! Take a look at what we offer and the area of work to pick what works best for you. We work with a broad range of services, including move-in & move-out cleaning and disinfecting, and fogging packages. Take some work off your hands and show your home the love it deserves. 

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going!

Thank you for reaching this far! If you use any of our tips, feel free to share your results with us in the comment section and let us know if it worked!

Written by

Vetter Cleaning & Maintenance Team. 

About the company

Vetter Cleaning is a professional cleaning service located in Colorado Springs, CO. They offer a variety of cleaning services to meet most residential cleaning needs, including recurring maid services, deep house cleaning services, and move-in/out cleaning services.

If you live in the Colorado Springs area, we invite you to request a free home cleaning quote.

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