As fun as Halloween can be, things can end up getting a bit messy, especially if you have any excitable little witches and monsters running about causing chaos. Fortunately, you don't need to despair if you end up with a few spills and stains along the way, with carpet cleaning expert Stan Tomov on hand to offer some words of wisdom for those who find themselves with a frightening amount of clean-up to do.
Stan, from the professional carpet cleaning company Fantastic Cleaners, has offered a few non-magic tips for some of the worst Halloween offenders, including fake blood, face paint, and glitter, allowing parents to enjoy the spooky season without any impromptu shrieks of horror.
Fake blood
Although a pool of fake blood on your freshly vacuumed cream carpet may well feel you with horror, this sort of stain is actually easier to clean up than you might think. The fake blood used by mini vampires for generations tends to have been made using a combination of corn syrup and red dye, and it's the dye part that creates the stain.
In order to banish this substance back to the netherworld of unsightly spillages, you'll just need to grab the same rubbing alcohol you'd use to clear away your everyday makeup stains, with make-up and fake blood both being pigment-based products.
According to Stan, the rubbing alcohol will also help to reduce the sticky texture of the fake blood, meaning it will be much less stressful to clean from your carpet than you might assume.
Face paint
You can't avoid face paint at Halloween, but you shouldn't delay if you end up with it all over your carpet, as it will be near impossible to clean up if you leave for too long. Stan advises moistening the stained area using rubbing alcohol and blot the ink stain with a clean cloth, taking care not to rub the area.
After re-wetting your cloth with more alcohol, you should dab this over the affected area several times, leaving the alcohol to sit on the spot for approximately 30 minutes. You will then need to rinse the area using a solution made up of a quarter cup of white vinegar and a quart of warm water, rinsing it with clean water and leaving the carpet to dry after the stain has gone. Then it's time to get your hoover out.
Glitter
As pretty as glitter is, it can get everywhere and can be a real nightmare to get out of your carpet. Stan advises wetting a paper towel or piece of kitchen roll, dabbing this onto the offending glitter. The majority of the glitter will cling to the damp paper, allowing for easy removal. A quick hoover around should pick up any remaining traces.
Slime
According to Stan, a 2:1 cleaning solution of vinegar and lukewarm water in a spray bottle should do the trick. After pre-treating, you should spray the stain generously before allowing the solution to work its magic for at least five minutes. When you start to notice the slime dissolving, you can then scrub at it gently with a brush, before blotting it with a towel.
Do you have any terrifyingly good cleaning tips to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
