Halloween Party Cleanup: What to Do Before and After

Before the Party: Make Cleanup Easier From the Start

You don’t need to deep-clean your entire house before hosting. Instead, focus on setting up the spaces guests will use so there is less to clean or worry about later.

Clear Clutter From Party Areas

Start by removing anything fragile or valuable from the rooms where people will be gathering.

Move breakable decor away from crowded tables and walkways. Besides protecting those pieces, a less cluttered room gives your Halloween decorations more room to stand out.

The entryway is another place where things can pile up quickly. Move your family’s coats, shoes and bags somewhere else for the evening so hooks and cubbies are available for guests.

I also recommend making room in the refrigerator before the party. Consolidate containers and clear a shelf for food that may need to be stored later. It is a small thing, but you will appreciate it when the party ends.

Protect Tables and Other Surfaces

Think about where food, drinks and decorations are going before you start setting everything up.

Place candles on heat-resistant plates or trays that can catch dripping wax. Metal trays can work especially well with Halloween decor while protecting the surface underneath.

For food and drink stations, a washable tablecloth makes sticky spills much easier to deal with. Vinyl can be especially practical because you can wipe it clean rather than worrying about stains setting into fabric.

If you are bringing jack-o'-lanterns indoors, place something moisture-resistant underneath them. Pumpkins can release moisture as they age, so avoid placing them directly on wood or natural stone.

It also helps to keep the appropriate cleaning product nearby so you can deal with a spill before it gets tracked through the room.

Make Trash and Food Areas Easy to Find

A good party setup can prevent quite a bit of cleanup.

Keep food and drinks in designated areas when possible, while leaving enough space for guests to set down plates and glasses. I also like to make trash and recycling easy to find. If your bins normally live inside a cabinet or pantry, bring them somewhere more visible for the evening. Guests are much more likely to clean up after themselves when they don't have to search for a trash can.

After the Party: What Should You Clean Before Bed?

Once everyone leaves, you probably won’t want to clean the entire house, and you don’t have to.

The goal of your immediate post-party cleanup should be to take care of anything that could stain or become harder to deal with overnight. Food and dishes should also be handled before bed. Vacuuming the whole house and putting every decoration away can wait.

Start With Spills and Stains

Walk through the rooms guests used and look for anything wet or sticky.

For upholstery, rugs and other fabrics, check the item's care instructions before applying a cleaner and spot-test any cleaning solution in an inconspicuous area first. In general, blotting is preferable to aggressive scrubbing because scrubbing can spread a stain or work it farther into the material.

How to Remove Chocolate From Upholstery

Halloween and chocolate go together, which means chocolate occasionally finds its way onto a couch or chair.

First, carefully lift away as much excess chocolate as you can with a dull edge without pushing it farther into the fabric. Then use a clean cloth dampened with cool water to gently blot the area.

Avoid hot water, which can make chocolate stains more difficult to remove. Follow the upholstery care instructions and the directions for any fabric-safe cleaner you use. Most importantly, don’t scrub.

How to Clean Up Glitter

Glitter has an impressive ability to travel well beyond the room where it started.

For upholstered furniture and rugs, start with a lint roller or carefully vacuum using an upholstery attachment. On hard, washable surfaces, use a damp microfiber cloth to pick up remaining glitter. Wipe in one direction rather than back and forth to avoid redistributing it.

Put Away Food and Clear the Dishes

Food should be a top priority after the party.

Throw away used paper plates or other disposable items with food still on them. Then deal with leftovers before moving on to anything else.

Perishable foods should not sit at room temperature indefinitely. USDA recommends refrigerating leftovers within two hours, so anything that has been sitting out longer may need to be discarded rather than saved.

Transfer food you are keeping into containers and get it into the refrigerator. This is where that extra space you made before the party comes in handy. Then load the dishwasher or wash anything that has food residue on it. If a pan needs to soak, fill it and come back to it after you finish another quick task.

You don't need a spotless kitchen before bed. You just want to avoid waking up to dried-on food or a sink full of dishes that have been sitting all night.

Gather Decorations and Washable Textiles

You also don't need to pack away every Halloween decoration that night.

Instead, collect smaller decorations into one area so they are ready to sort and store the next day. Once they are out of the way, it is easier to see which surfaces still need attention.

Gather throw blankets, washable pillow covers and other fabrics that were heavily used during the party. Put them in a laundry basket and wash them according to their care instructions when you are ready.

The Morning-After Halloween Cleaning Routine

Once the urgent cleanup is finished, go to bed.

The next morning is a much better time to tackle the rest of the house. Open the windows for a little fresh air if the weather allows, then work from the top of the room down so you aren't cleaning the same area twice.

Start with tables and counters. Once those are done, vacuum before finishing with the floors. For sticky fingerprints and food residue on washable surfaces, Cleaning Mama All Purpose Cleaner can help take care of the final pass.

If your party included marble or granite surfaces, use a cleaner made specifically for natural stone, like Cleaning Mama Marble & Granite Cleaner.

Save the floors for last. Once crumbs and other debris have been removed, Cleaning Mama All Floor Cleaner can help get high-traffic areas back to normal.