Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, so a lot of Adelaide homes will have the party, the trick-or-treaters and the carved pumpkins all on the one night. The mess shows up on Sunday morning, usually somewhere hard to miss, like the middle of the lounge room carpet.
None of that has to be permanent. This guide goes through the common Halloween stains one at a time, then what to do with the pumpkin once it starts to go soft. If a stain has already set, or the whole room needs a going over, our carpet cleaning team works across Adelaide.
Halloween 2026 is Saturday 31 October. Keep a roll of paper towel, a clean white cloth and some dishwashing liquid somewhere handy that night, because the stains that get dealt with straight away are the easy ones.
First Moves for Any Stain
Whatever went on the carpet, the first few minutes matter more than the product you reach for. These habits work for nearly every Halloween stain.
Do
- Scrape or lift off anything solid first, with a spoon or a blunt knife
- Blot with a clean white cloth, working from the outside of the stain in
- Test whatever you use on a hidden patch of carpet first
Don't
- Rub or scrub, which spreads the stain and roughs up the fibres
- Reach for hot water on anything red or protein-based
- Use a coloured cloth, which can leave its own dye behind
When you've finished with any wet method, lay a thick towel over the spot and stand on it. It draws the last of the moisture up out of the carpet so it dries faster.
Fake Blood
Fake blood is usually a dye, but on carpet you can treat it much like the real thing. Electrodry's advice for blood stains is a good place to start: cold water only, and blot rather than rub.
Check the packet or bottle as well. Some costume makeup comes with its own cleaning instructions, and they're worth following over anything general.
Step by Step
- Blot up as much as you can with a clean white cloth or paper towel.
- Sponge on a little cold water and blot again. Repeat until no more colour comes up on the cloth.
- Mix a few drops of dishwashing liquid into a cup of cold water, work it gently into the stain, then blot.
- Rinse with plain cold water so no detergent is left in the pile, and blot dry.
Hot water is the one thing to avoid. Electrodry says to rinse blood out with cold water only, and heat can set a red stain into the fibres for good.
Face Paint
Kids' face paint gets onto pillowcases, couch cushions and the carpet where someone sat down to watch a movie after trick-or-treating. Most of it is water-based. Snazaroo, one of the common brands, says its paints are water-based and will wash out of most fabrics, though it also warns that some colours may stain because of their high pigment content.
Pillowcases and Clothes
- Rinse the paint out from the back of the fabric before it goes in the wash
- Check the stain is gone before anything goes in the dryer
Carpet and Couches
- Let thick paint dry, then lift off the flakes and vacuum
- Treat the colour that's left like fake blood: cold water, a little dishwashing liquid, and blot
Get the paint off faces before bed. Snazaroo says warm water and soap will usually do it, and baby wipes work too. It saves the pillowcases.
Candle Wax
Candles along the hallway and on the table look good on the night, until one drips or gets knocked over. Once the wax has set into the carpet, a lot of advice online says to lay a paper towel over it and run an iron across the top. Better Homes and Gardens Australia says not to, because an iron can burn or melt carpet fibres.
Their method uses cold first and gentle heat after.
Ice, Scrape, Hairdryer
- Hold ice against the wax until it's hard.
- Scrape away as much as you can with a blunt knife, then vacuum up the flakes.
- Lay a paper towel over what's left and warm it with a hairdryer. The towel soaks up the wax as it melts. Shift to a clean part of the towel as it fills.
- If coloured wax has left a mark, blot it with a little dishwashing liquid in cold water.
Battery tea lights inside the pumpkins mean no drips at all, and nothing burning unattended inside a hollow pumpkin while the kids are out.
The Pumpkin
Carving is the messy part. Pulp and seeds get into the grout, onto the bench and under the kitchen table, and they're much easier to clean up wet than once they have dried on. Carve on a sheet of newspaper or an old tablecloth and the whole lot can be folded up and carried out at the end.
A carved pumpkin doesn't last long, and once it goes soft it can leave a wet ring on a floorboard or a doorstep. When that happens, it goes in the green organics bin. Green Industries SA says any food belongs in the green bin, even if it's old and mouldy, so the pumpkin, the seeds and the pulp all go in there.
If you collect the scraps in a bag first, Green Industries SA suggests a certified compostable bag in a kitchen caddy, so the bag can go into the green bin too.
Book a Carpet Clean
Some stains are found too late, and some carpets just need more than a spot clean after a big night. Our Adelaide team covers the city and inner east, the Hills, the western beaches and the northern suburbs, with fully insured and police-checked cleaners. Tell us which rooms need doing and what went on the carpet, and we'll send a personalised quote.
Set-In Stains
Marks that home methods haven't shifted
High-Traffic Rooms
Lounge rooms and hallways after a party
Whole-Home Clean
Carpets done alongside a regular clean
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.When is Halloween in 2026?
Halloween is on Saturday 31 October 2026. With it falling on a Saturday, a lot of parties and trick-or-treating will be that evening, which leaves Sunday for the clean-up.
Q.How do I get fake blood out of carpet?
Start the way you would with real blood. Blot up as much as you can with a clean white cloth, rinse with cold water and blot again, then work in a few drops of dishwashing detergent mixed into a cup of cold water. Never use hot water. Fake blood is usually a dye, so check the packet for any cleaning advice, and test anything you use on a hidden patch of carpet first.
Q.Can I use an iron to get candle wax out of carpet?
Better Homes and Gardens Australia advises against it, because an iron can burn or melt carpet fibres. Harden the wax with ice, scrape off what you can, then lay a paper towel over the rest and warm it with a hairdryer so the towel soaks up the melted wax.
Q.Where does an old jack-o'-lantern go in Adelaide?
In the green organics bin. Green Industries SA says any food belongs in the green bin, even if it's old and mouldy, so a soft, mouldy pumpkin goes in there along with the seeds and pulp from carving it.
