Boo! It’s scary when your favorite costume gets a stain. But you don’t need to resort to any hocus pocus to get the spot out. Usually, it just takes some quick action and a little know-how. Just follow our advice to remove these common Halloween stains, from face paint to candy to jack-o-lanterns.

Cosmetics

Pretreat with prewash stain remover, liquid laundry detergent, paste of powder detergent or laundry additive and water. Or, rub with bar soap. Then launder.

Adhesive

Apply ice or cold water to harden surface; scrape with a dull knife. Saturate with prewash stain remover or cleaning fluid. Rinse, then launder.

Chocolate

When the stain strikes, gently scrape off any excess chocolate. Once you get the item home, soak it in cool water. Then pretreat with a prewash stain remover. Launder in the hottest water that’s safe for the fabric. NOTE: If stain remains, rewash using a bleach safe for fabric.

Pumpkin

Scrape off any excess pumpkin and then flush under cold water to loosen the stain. Pretreat with a prewash stain remover. Launder in the hottest water that’s safe for the fabric, using chlorine bleach, if safe for the fabric, or oxygen bleach.

Candle Wax

Use a dull knife to scrape off surface wax. Place stain between paper towels and press with a warm iron, transferring the wax to the towels. Continue, using clean towels, until the wax no longer transfers. Place stain face down on another clean paper towel and sponge with a prewash stain remover; blot with paper towels. Let dry, then launder.

Egg

Pretreat or soak stains using a product containing enzymes. Soak for at least 30 minutes or several hours for aged stains. Launder.

Do you have another tough stain? Check out our stain guide for more.