How to Clean Up Your Halloween Mess

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Cleaning Up Pumpkin Mess and Smells

No Halloween is complete without a jack-o-lantern! Carving pumpkins can be a great experience for some. For others, it’s just part of the mess.

My suggestion is to lay out newspapers to minimize the mess on your counter. The nice thing about newspapers is they are compostable — so when you are done carving, you can just roll up the whole mess and throw it in your green bin. If there is any pumpkin residue, you can clean that up easily with a spray and wipe cleaner.

If you are not a fan of the pumpkin smell, try one of the amazing scents from HYscent. Just turn on your Dual Dispenser and the Odoraxe-infused cartridges will attack and neutralize the smell, leaving a pleasant fragrance in its place.

Eliminating Messes from Greasepaint and Costume Makeup

Makeup, also known as Halloween’s best friend, also becomes your home’s worst enemy. Makeup can easily be tracked throughout your home; carpets, walls and even furniture — nothing is safe on Halloween night!

Costume makeup is generally oil-based so you will need a product like P.O.G. to get it out of carpet. Just pour a little bit of product on the spot and allow to sit for 2-5 minutes. Now, using a carpet brush, dab the spot a few times to work in the solvent. The makeup should be dissolved by this point and ready to blot. Using a kitchen towel, blot the stain — it should wick up into the paper towel. Now spray some cold water on it and blot again. Voila!

For walls, use a spray and wipe cleaner that is a light degreaser. Spray any stains, allow to sit and wipe up after a minute or two.

Clean Stains Left Behind by Chocolate

Chocolate is a Halloween staple — it’s great to eat but not too much fun for furniture!

If you find chocolate stains on your couch or carpet, try and scrape away any of the bulk. Your next step is to use a Carpet Spot Remover. Spray the spot directly, work the spot gently with a brush, tamping lightly rather than scrubbing so as not to grind the chocolate in. Once saturated, use a cloth to blot the stain — it should wick away completely.

A Particularly Scary Topic: How to Clean Up Vomit

Whether it’s from too much candy or too many Halloween jello shots, chances are that someone out there will have to clean up vomit.

The easiest way to clean up vomit is to use a spill absorbent — this will turn any liquid mess into a solid for easy disposal. Simply sweep up the the gelled vomit. I suggest using a hydrogen peroxide-based cleaner to eliminate any residual stains and to deal with any odours. Just spray on the area and let it dry. Any residual stains will vanish!

Removing Toilet Paper From Your Shrubs

Did the TP monster attack your exterior? This one is an easy fix!

Use a broom handle to unwind the paper without having to get deep into the gardens. Take the time to place the remnants of a Halloween nightmare into a compostable bag. It’s all compostable so don’t bother buying any extra bag tags for waste pick up, just leave it with your green bin.

Hopefully your house guests won’t leave your house in a ghoulish mess! But if they do — you’ll be ready!

(Source: Glen Martin Limited)

Just in time for Halloween: How to Remove a Blood Stain

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Blood stains can be tough, but a few quick moves can stop long-term damage to your clothes and carpets.

Fabric

1. If the stain is fresh, soak in cold water or use an eye dropper to apply hydrogen peroxide directly to the stain. For dried stains, brush the stain well to remove the surface deposit, then pretreat or soak in cool water with a laundry product containing enzymes.

2. Launder.

3. If the stain remains, rewash using the type of bleach that’s safe for the fabric.

Upholstery

1. Mix one tablespoon of liquid hand dishwashing detergent with two cups of cold water. If the stain has dried, brush it well to remove the surface deposit.

2. Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with the detergent solution.

3. Blot until the liquid is absorbed.

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the stain disappears.

5. Sponge with cold water and blot dry.

Carpet

1. Mix one tablespoon of liquid hand dishwashing detergent with two cups of cold water. If the stain has dried, brush it well to remove the surface deposit.

2. Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with the detergent solution.

3. Blot until the liquid is absorbed.

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the stain disappears or is no longer absorbed into the cloth.

5. If the stain remains, mix one tablespoon of ammonia (Caution: Never mix chlorine bleach and ammonia – the resulting fumes are hazardous) with 1/2 cup of warm water.

6. Sponge the stain with the ammonia solution.

7. Blot until the liquid is absorbed.

8. Sponge with cold water and blot dry.

Disappearing Blood Stains

If you prick your finger while sewing and get blood stains on your project, immediately moisten an unbloodied finger with a bit of your own saliva and apply it to the stain. Watch it disappear!

(Source: Good Housekeeping)

How to Remove Carpet Glue From Concrete Floor

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When you have concrete floors that once had carpeting on, you’ll find remnants of flooring adhesive after you remove the carpet. If you plan to leave the concrete floor bare, you need to remove the glue and carpet remnants to improve the look. Leaving the glue is not a good thing because dirt and grime can stick on it that would make it harder to remove and maintain overtime. Although there are numerous chemicals to remove glue, none is as effective and eco-friendly as with the use of boiling water.

Things You’ll Need

  •  Scraper (spackling tool, garden hoe or heavy-duty blade scraper)
  •  Push broom
  •  Pot (for boiling water)
  •  Water
  •  Pot holder
  • Garden or rain boots
  • Safety eye goggles
  • Vacuum

Remove all carpet remnants by scraping with a heavy-duty blade or spackling tool. Take off as much of the carpet chunks as you can.

Use the push broom to sweep away the remnants.

Boil water in a pot. Choose large pots to accommodate enough in order to remove as much carpet adhesive that you would need to remove. You can choose a deep, wide pot used for boiling meet or pasta that can hold up to 5 gallons of water at a time.

Pour the boiling water over the glue. Protect your eyes by using goggles to prevent the hot water splatter from reaching your eyes. To protect your feet and legs, wear garden or rain boots.

Let the boiling water sit for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the glue to soften and turn pliable.

Scrape off the carpet adhesive using a heavy-duty blade scraper or spackling tool. If you have a bad back, you can also use a garden hoe so that you do not need to bend too much; just make sure not to use too much force that can damage the concrete floor. Avoid scratching the floor by gently pushing the scraper underneath the glue. Pour more boiling water and repeat the process to remove the stubborn or hard-to-remove glue.

Remove excess water and dry the floor. Then, sweep the floor to remove the chunks of glue removed from the floor. Use a vacuum to remove the smaller pieces and dust.

Source: eHow