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)
