Don’t Get Spooked about Post Halloween Clean-Up

October 27, 2021

After Halloween clean-up can be scary. There are so many things that can leave so many stains. Rotted pumpkin, melted chocolate, and more can turn your Halloween into a nightmare. Bar Keepers Friend can help you make the post-Halloween clean-up a little less frightful.

After Halloween Clean up

Chilling Chocolate Catastrophes 

Even on a chilly, All Hallows Eve, chocolate melts quickly into a petrifying mess. Whether the stain is on your carpet, on the porch, or on the sofa, the first step is to let it harden up a bit. Once it has hardened, scrape off what you can. I recommend using a small plastic ice scraper or a plastic spatula.

I want to share how I’ve cleaned stains from my carpet and upholstery. We have three older indoor cats, and occasionally they vomit fur and food on our carpet and couch. Although BKF does not recommend it for fabric, I use Bar Keepers Friend MORE Spray + Foam.

Before I tried it on my couch, I sprayed foam on a piece of the fabric on the underside to test it. It didn’t stain or discolor my light gray sofa. So, be sure to spot-test any fabric you want to clean before applying More Spray + Foam.

All I do is set the product to foam, spray the stain, let it sit one minute, and then wipe it up with a soft cloth. I rub the spot in a circular motion, and it takes a couple of minutes to clean.

I haven’t tried it on pumpkin, candy, or chocolate stains yet, but I think it can tackle most anything if it can remove crusty cat puke.

Don’t Panic About The Pumpkin

Have you ever made a jack-o-lantern in your kitchen? If you have, you know two things, first, you’ll spill pumpkin goo on your table, counter, and floor, and second, you’ll know to take the pumpkin carving outside next year.

To clean the petrified pumpkin, start by wiping up all you can with a paper towel. Next, set the More Spray + Foam on foam and let it do its magic.

What if Your Home Got Treated to a Trick?

Unfortunately, there are a few tricksters out on Halloween. I’ve never tricked anyone’s home, not even the AP, Mr. Armstrong, when I was a sophomore in high school, and his windows got soaped, siding egged, and trees TP’d. Nope, it wasn’t me and three of my friends. So, what do you do if someone tricked your home?

Cleaning Eggs Off Siding

Do not wait. As soon as you discover the egging, it’s time to act. Letting the egg fester can discolor the siding. Grab your hose (I know it’s cold, but it needs to be done) and spray around the egg and down. This will help it slide off your siding. Next, spray the egg.

On vinyl siding, if the egg has been left overnight, it can be challenging to clean. After following the directions above, use Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser or Soft Cleanser, a nylon scrubbing brush, and your hose. You should be able to remove the egg stains.

Soaped Windows

It seems like soaped windows would be easy to clean because all you need to do is add water to the soap. However, it’s not always that simple. Although your first step should be to hose down your soaped windows and then wipe them off, the problem is soap scum, the after layer of soap left behind that clouds your windows.

You can use Bar Keepers Friend Cleanser, Bar Keepers Friend Soft Cleanser, or Bar Keepers Friend MORE Spray & Foam to clean the scary scum off your windows.

How to Use BKF Cleanser to Clean Your Window Glass 

• Make a paste of Bar Keepers Friend Powdered Cleanser and water.
• Spread it on the glass and let it sit for five minutes
• After five minutes, wipe away the paste with a soft wet cloth or paper towel
• Shine it clean with a dry rag.

More Pro Tips

Bar Keepers Friend won’t clean all the possible trick and treat messes, so here are some more pro tips for cleaning up after your trick or treaters.

Gum in Your Carpet or Upholstery

Put ice cubes in a small plastic bag and freeze the gum. Before you try to scrape the frozen gum, take a small piece of cardboard, and cut a hole the size of the gum. Place the cardboard over the gum to keep it from spreading as you scrape it. Next, scrape it with a spatula or kitchen scraper. To remove any residual gum and stains, you can use a citrus-based cleaner. As I said earlier, I like More Spray + Foam for this.

Make-Up and Glitter Gone Wild 

Little Jessica wanted to be Cruella Deville for Halloween last year, and she insisted on wearing make-up, which she proceeded to leave on your carpet, sofa, and tablecloth.

To clean up the left-over make-up:

1. Mix about a tablespoon of liquid dishwashing detergent with a couple of cups of cold water.
2. Use a soft cloth or sponge to dab the stain.
3. Repeat until clean, and then use cold water to remove the detergent.

An easy way to remove the glitter Jessica also spread throughout your home is with a lint roller!

BKF is the After Halloween Clean Up Special Brew  

If your home has been tricked and treated inside and out in the past. You can be ready for this year with BKF products in your Halloween clean-up cauldron. Have a safe and fun Halloween!

About the Author

Randy Clark is a speaker, coach, and author. He publishes a weekly blog at Randy Clark Leadership.com. Randy is passionate about social media, leadership development, and flower gardening. He’s a beer geek and on weekends (after COVID-19) he can be found fronting the Rock & Roll band Under the Radar. He’s the proud father of two educators; he has four amazing grandchildren and a wife who dedicates her time to helping others. Randy is the author of the Amazon bestseller The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management.