Halloween brings many fun memories and excitement, especially for the kids. Who wouldn’t want to see their kid dressed as Spider-man, swinging through the neighborhood to save all the chocolate, sticky lollipops, and gooey caramels in distress? The excitement abounds whether your kid dresses as Chucky, a Twitter meme, a pirate, or chooses a Stranger Things costume.

However, all that make-believe means parents have to spend the next few days figuring out how to clean Halloween costumes and store them. As a parent, you could easily dress up as a witch for Halloween, but that won’t give you any powers to make the monumental mess you’ll have to deal with the day after disappear. The entire house is likely to be covered in skeletons, lights, chocolate, grease, fake blood, and all sorts of spooky decorations. There are proven ways to easily clean up your house after Halloween and even save the decoration and costumes for the coming years. 

Ways to Clean Halloween Costumes  

To be prepared for all the worst cases that Halloween can spring up on you, you have to make sure that you have oxygen bleach, vinegar, dish soap, rubbing alcohol, and stain remover. These will help disinfect costumes and get stubborn stains out in the most conservative ways possible. It is also crucial to follow the costume’s washing instructions if made available by the manufacturer. Now let us look at easy ways to get stains out of Halloween costumes using routine methods.

1. Caramel, Candy, and Chocolate Stains

• Place the garment in a refrigerator as quickly as possible after it gets stained for 10-15 minutes.
• After that, use the flat edge of a surface like a butter knife or credit card to scrape off the stain.
• Pre-treat the stain by soaking it in dish soap or laundry detergent for 10 minutes.
• Wash as you normally would with cool water.
• If the stain is still there after washing, mix two parts of Hydrogen peroxide with one part dish soap and leave the stain to soak in the solution for one hour, then wash with cold water. Repeat this step until the stain is gone.

If you can bleach the costumes without ruining them, soak them in oxygen bleach instead of hydrogen peroxide and dish soap solution.

2. Costume Makeup and Fake Blood

The makeup for Halloween is usually messier than regular makeup. They can equally be a headache to clean out of costumes. Here is how to win with your trusty rubbing alcohol:

• Take a generous amount of cotton balls or pads.
• Dip sufficiently in rubbing alcohol and dab on the stain.
• Clean the area with a damp cloth or washcloth to remove alcohol residues.

3. Wigs and Fur Costumes

These can be washed with cold water and shampoo and allowed to air-dry. You can do this after spot-cleaning any tough stain on the item.

4. Masks and Gloves

You can clean these by gently rubbing a damp soapy washcloth on them. Pay special attention to the eye and mouth openings on the masks as sweat and saliva collect in those areas. Clean again with nothing but warm water, then use a clean cloth to dry. You can then sprinkle some cornstarch in the interior to prevent the mask or glove from sticking to itself.

Cleaning Halloween Decorations

1. Ornaments

Clean your ornaments with a clean hand towel to get rid of dust, soot, and grime. You can also use a damp cloth to thoroughly wipe off hot sauce or the vinegar you used as pest deterrents. 

2. Skeletons, Scarecrow and Witch clothes

It would be best to treat your scary props nicely so they can still appear scary by next Halloween. First, scrape off any obvious dirt, spot-treat these stains, and then wipe them down using damp towels.

3. Inflatables

It is essential to check your inflatable ghosts and pumpkins for holes or tears before deflating them; otherwise, those holes will haunt you come next October. After deflating, you can patch the tears with a needle and thread, then wipe them clean with a damp towel before you store them away. 

Tips for Storing Halloween Costumes and Decorations

Now that you have cleaned your costumes and decorations, it’s best to store them in excellent condition to ensure they are fit to be reused next year. Here are some storage tips:

Storing Halloween Costumes

1. Properly dry them

Ensure that your costumes are completely dry after all the cleaning before proceeding to the store. This is so your child’s Spiderman costume won’t be taken over by the evil Mold-man.

2. Place them in sealed garment bags or boxes

Check that the storage bags are free of dust and grime before storing. Do not stuff too many costumes in one garment bag. Also, if you’re using boxes, carefully fold and use tissue paper to separate each outfit.

3. Seal makeup and fake blood

Take the extra pain to ensure that the caps and lids of the makeup containers are sealed shut. This will protect them and every other item around them from damage if they fall over.

4. Stuff hats to maintain shape

The witches’ hats are pointy, but if they lose their shape, it becomes pointless to be used as a witch’s hat. Use old newspapers and bubble wrap to stuff Halloween hats to keep their shape.

Storing Halloween Decorations

1. Itemize the decorations

Organizing your decorations can involve labeling them, then making a list of where you store them. This will aid in easy recovery when next those items are needed. 

2. Use a lot of plastic bags and bubble wrap

Resealable plastic bags can offer protection from mold, moisture, and pests, while bubble wraps can prevent fragile items like dolls and glass jars from breaking.

3. Coil up the lights around a hanger or cardboard

One of the most innovative ways to store string lights is to coil them around a hanger, cardboard, or aluminum can. This will keep them tangle-free for as long as they are stored.

Have you found these tips helpful? We know they can help you find your way around the dreaded post-Halloween organization. Alternatively, you can delegate this stressful organization process to a cleaning agency who have mastered these tips and can prepare you for the next Halloween without scary prices. Contact Clean Tu Casa today to get all your home organization services done for you.