How to Clean Glitter
First of all, never, ever gift things with glitter accents. Not on cards. Not on sparkle-covered clothing. Not on gift wrap.
Now that we're on the same page, we can agree that we have friends and family members who don't understand the assignment. If your home had an explosion of glitter following an art project or during the holiday season, there are easy ways to get your life back.
“Glitter bits appear to get anywhere and everywhere, and you’ll likely be finding it in random places for days, weeks, and months after," commiserates Aaron Christensen, resident cleaning expert and VP of Growth at Homeaglow. "To help avoid those 'where did that come from?' moments, there are three glitter cleaning hacks used to clean up leftover glitter from decorations, cards, and gifts from your home.”
Large Quantities: Paper Towels and Vacuum Cleaner
Use a wet paper towel to “sweep” all the sparkles into one sparkly glitter pile. Alternatively, on solid surfaces, you might choose to use aerosol hairspray, a cotton ball dipped in premium-grade olive oil, or coconut oil. The sticky properties of oil will help pick up the glitter from hardwood floors and tiles.
Use your vacuum’s nozzle (without a brush attachment) and suck up the whole pile.
Dispose of the paper towel and empty the vacuum. Fold up your damp paper to catch any loose bits of glitter. If you used oils on hard surfaces, follow up with a damp, soapy cloth.
Photo by No Revisions on Unsplash
Small Quantities: The Balloon Static Electricity Trick
Blow up a balloon and rub the balloon on carpeting (or your hair). You'll need a static-charged balloon for this to work.
Roll it around the glittered surface. The balloon should end up looking like a sparkle-covered sphere, decorated by remnants of glitter.
Before the balloon touches anything, place the balloon in a sealed plastic bag and pop it. You'll collect the glitter mess inside the bag and move on with your life.
Related: How to Clean Christmas Tree Sap
On Garments and Upholstery: Sticky Lint Rollers or Duct Tape
Adhesive lint rollers are for more than pet hair. They're a handy way of removing coarse glitter from furniture and other fabric items. It'll also get glitter from skin. Similarly, you can simulate this lint roller hack by wrapping adhesive tape or masking tape in a loop on your hand, sticky side out.
Glide the lint roller or masking tape-style lint roller over the stubborn glitter. Roll over the spot a couple of times to make sure you’ve picked up all the glitter off clothing or upholstery.
When no more bits of glitter remain, rip the sticky sheet from the roller and dispose of it. Be sure to fold the paper inwards so glitter pieces are contained.