How can you clean up glitter from spills and the floor?
To remove glitter from hard surfaces, a wet sponge and bowl of water work best. Any remaining glitter can be removed with a lint roller. Glitter that is on the floor can be swept with a broom or vacuum first and remove any remaining glitter with a lint roller. Get glitter out of cracks using play-doh.
Glitter adds an alluring sparkle and shine to any product, but there’s a reason so many crafters avoid using it. For all the beauty that it adds, it can be a nightmare to clean up. When you think you’ve gotten it all taken care of, it’s inevitable you’ll find more glitter hiding somewhere else.
Cleaning up glitter takes some practice, so we’ve answered all your questions about how to clean up glitter from spills, and the floor.
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Why Is Glitter So Hard to Remove?
Glitter is so hard to remove because it is flat and nonporous. Air can get between the glitter and the surface it is stuck on, making it seem to stick to the surface.
Glitter is also made from heavier materials like aluminum, glass, mylar, or other metals so it isn’t easily brushed or blown away like paper confetti. This heaviness makes it ideal for craft and art projects but makes it extraordinarily difficult to clean if it spills.
Being made of materials like glass and metal is also what makes glitter so bad for the environment, but luckily, companies are now producing biodegradable glitter. This glitter is both better for the environment and easier to clean up when spilled since it isn’t so heavy.
How Do You Clean a Glitter Mess?
To clean a glitter mess, you’ll want to remove the bulk of the glitter with a broom or vacuum and then use either a lint roller or damp cloth. Carpet brushes or brooms work great for glitter spills on carpet.
The best way to clean glitter will depend on the surface it has been spilled on. Cleaning methods will depend on if the glitter has been spilled on the carpet, a hard surface, or wood.
Cleaning glitter from the carpet can be a little more difficult, so we recommend crafting away from carpeting areas. A carpet brush or carpet broom is indispensable if you do get glitter in your carpet.
You can also use masking tape or even play-doh to remove glitter if you don’t have a lint roller on hand. Anything that is sticky is incredibly helpful in cleaning glitter messes.
A small hand broom can be used to sweep the glitter into a dustpan to be discarded. Small hand brooms are great for cleaning up messes on tables or desks. Just be careful about extra fine glitter, because it can be blown around with even the smallest breath!
Some crafters report success in cleaning glitter from their work surfaces using cotton balls to corral glitter into the wastebasket.
How Do You Get Chunky Glitter off the Floor?
To clean up chunky glitter from the floor, use something sticky like masking tape or a lint roller. For larger messes, start with a vacuum to remove the bulk of the glitter.
Chunky glitter is actually easier to remove from that floor than fine glitter. The larger the surface area of the individual pieces of the glitter, the easier it will be to clean up.
We can easily pick bigger pieces of chunky glitter up with sticky lint rollers or even tape. On the other hand, chunky glitter is difficult to clean up with just a broom, so you may need to use the vacuum.
Wet sponges, paper towels, and microfiber cloths can be helpful if your floor is ceramic tile or wood. Glitter will stick to the damp cloths and sponges and can be rinsed out. Just be careful about wetting down carpet when cleaning glitter, because glitter can stick even tighter to wet carpet.
How to Remove Glitter From Floor
Remove glitter from the floor with a vacuum, broom, or sticky lint roller. For hard floors, damp cloths and sponges are also effective.
To remove glitter from tile or wooden floors, follow these steps:
- Remove most of the glitter with a broom or vacuum
- Pick up any leftover glitter with a sticky lint roller, tape, or even play-doh. Discard any lint roller sheets or pieces of play-doh once they have glitter on them because they will lose their stickiness
- If there is any remaining glitter, you can use a damp microfiber cloth, sponge, or paper towel to clean up the rest
Superfine glitter may be blown around by a vacuum cleaner, so switch the steps around and vacuum last if you notice the glitter being spread around when you vacuum. It’s also important to rinse out your broom once you’re done sweeping, so you don’t spread glitter all over your house the next time you sweep!
How to Clean Up Glitter From Carpet
The best way to remove glitter from the carpet is to use your vacuum cleaner, and for particularly stubborn areas of glitter, you can use the brush attachment that comes with many vacuums.
It may seem much worse to have glitter spilled on the carpet instead of on a hard floor, but at least on carpet glitter can’t be blown around and spread! We recommend the following steps for cleaning up glitter from the carpet:
- Vacuum first, and if some glitter remains, use the brush attachment
- For any glitter that still hasn’t been removed, you can use a sticky lint roller or tape
How to Get Glitter Out of Carpet Without Vacuum
If you don’t have a vacuum to clean the glitter spill from your carpet, there are still methods to get the mess taken care of! A rubber or bristle carpet brush can remove a large amount of glitter, and we can clean any small bits left behind with a lint roller or sticky masking tape.
We don’t recommend using duct tape, because it can leave a gluey residue behind on the carpet. Masking tape and painter’s tape are sticky and leave nothing behind.
How to Remove Glitter From Wood
Since wood can have deep grains and grooves, it’s beneficial to get it wet to lift the glitter away. Remove glitter from wood with a wet sponge and bowl of water. Let the wood dry completely before using a lint roller or play-doh to get the remaining glitter pieces.
Play-doh is especially helpful when glitter is trapped in the wood’s grain because it can be pressed down into the grains to grab the small glitter pieces. Just make sure your wood is dry before using play-doh or anything similar.
Always rinse your sponge thoroughly after cleaning glitter; no one wants a glittery counter or plate the next time you use the sponge!
Summary: How to clean up glitter from spills and the floor
Glitter spills may seem hopeless, but with the right tools and techniques, we can clean even the finest pieces of glitter up with ease. We can even clean glitter from carpet with no vacuum!
Don’t be afraid to use glitter in your artwork anymore! Glitter spills don’t have to haunt your house for days to come; as long as you have a vacuum, broom, or lint roller, you can get that glitter picked up and back to crafting in no time.