5 genius Halloween hacks

1. Knead playdough into a ball and pat the mess with it. The glitter will stick to it, and you’ll have glittery playdough!

2. A lint roller works well to remove spilled glitter from fabric or furniture. No lint roller? Just wrap some tape—sticky side out—around your fingers and blot the mess repeatedly.

3. To remove glitter stuck to skin, try coconut oil or oil-based makeup remover on a cotton ball.

Every year, it’s the same thing: You draw your awesomely spooky design onto your pumpkin with a permanent black marker, but once you’re done sawing away, you can still see a bit of ink leftover because you didn’t quite follow the lines. This year, rather than fiddling with tricky final cuts to achieve perfection, use a washable or dry-erase marker and easily wipe those lines away. Read more: 11 smashing no-carve pumpkins

1. Place reflective tape on the front and back of his costume.

2. Wrap Glow Sticks around his wrists.

3. Buy a trick-or-treat bag that glows in the dark or lights up.

Read more: Trick-or-treating safety tips

At the end of the night, when you need to remove the face paint, there’s an easy way to do it without any fuss or pain. Use scotch tape to get rid of all that glitter, then use a baby oil facial wipe to remove the paint. Fold the wipe into a small square (to prevent tearing) and gently wipe across the face. Voila, you have your original little munchkin back.

Read more: 11 easy face painting tutorials

Cleaning out a pumpkin can be a fun—but very goopy—family activity. Those who don’t feel like getting slime on their hands can try an ice cream scoop to take out pulp and seeds. The utensil’s rounded end means everything stays in the scoop instead of flying across the table (or into your hair). And no sharp edges means the kids can still help out!

Read more:13 smashing no-carve pumpkins Halloween: 13 spooky recipes 51 easy Halloween costumes for kids