Halloween: 4 Ways to Deal with the Aftermath's featured image

Halloween is great fun… but the day after all the fun is over has to be one of the messiest of the year with smashed pumpkins, candy stains, glitter and other scary decorations left behind.

Have no fears – the experts at MOLLY MAID offer cleaning tips for anyone who has access to soap and water and who expects monsters and other creatures to be traipsing about their home.

1. Fake blood or melted candy.  Whether your little vampire dripped ketchup – a.k.a. blood – where they shouldn't have or there's melted Halloween candy on the arm of your sofa, remember the golden rule of stain removal: deal with it as soon as possible!

  • Soak up excess liquid by blotting first (use cool or warm water, never cold or hot)
  • Scrape off excess solids
  • Rub a tiny bit of liquid detergent onto the stain and work your way from the outside of the stain in. 
  • Blot with water to remove the soap; repeat if necessary.

2. Toilet paper, shaving cream or silly string.  Clean up outdoor decorations like ghostly toilet paper strung in bushes, or shaving cream or silly string used on outdoor items, as soon as you can too.

  • Remove the tissue by hand
  • Hose down outdoor furnishings etc. that has shaving cream on them
  • Soap and water should remove remnants of tissue, shaving cream and silly string

3. Pumpkins.  Are there smashed pumpkins on your driveway?

  • Pick up the pieces
  • Hose everything down
  • If there is any dried pumpkin, use a spoon to scrape off as much as possible
  • Scrub with a little dishwashing liquid and water

4. Glitter.  Your princess looks beautiful, but she also made a mess with the glitter and now it's everywhere!

  • Vacuum up any glitter that is left behind on the carpets (and you may as well look around for any dirt or dust from shoes that your little goblins may have tracked through the house in their excitement)
  • If the glitter is stuck to items (tables, walls, etc.) use some soap and water to spot clean