Top tips to reduce the screams this Halloween

Creepy Candles

Halloween wouldn’t be Halloween without some serious mood lighting, and of course you’ve got to pop a candle in your freshly carved pumpkin! To help avoid any accidents, keep all candles well out of reach of pets and children, and don’t put them anywhere a flowy witch’s cloak could accidentally catch them. Once the party’s over make sure any candles are fully snuffed out before you retire to your crypt.

This goes for the pumpkin too – if you’re expecting trick or treaters, make sure you don’t leave it somewhere a visitor could trip over it or catch the flame of it, and check it’s snuffed out at the end of the night.

To be super safe you could think about using LED candles instead – then you’ve got all the ambience with none of the anxiety.

Scary stains

Fake blood, pumpkin, punch, chocolate from all those treats – there’s a whole load of scary stain potential around Halloween. So, you can save your screams for the monsters, and not the state of your carpet, by making up a mixture of 1-part white vinegar and 2 parts warm water. Blot the stain first with kitchen roll to soak up any excess liquid, then use a clean cloth to apply your vinegar and water solution to the stain. Rinse with some warm water and leave to dry naturally. If chocolate’s the culprit, scrape off any excess carefully first before you start cleaning up.

White vinegar isn’t suitable for all types of carpet, so if yours is pure wool or another specialist material, you’re best to stick with a purpose made cleaner to avoid further Halloween horrors.

If you’ve got Accidental Damage cover as part of your policy you might be able to claim for the spill – you can check out your cover details in your Account.

Petrified Pets

While your Halloween costume might be designed to give your guests a fright, you don’t want to scare your furry friends as well. Pets can get unnerved by some parts of Halloween like the doorbell going more often and seeing people in strange costumes. Giving them their own safe space with some toys and a favourite blanket or comforter away from the excitement can help keep them calm and settled. Some of those Halloween treats can be pretty dangerous for dogs as well, especially chocolate, so keep them out of reach of any hungry hounds.

If your pet does get upset and causes some damage this isn’t covered under your Sheilas’ Wheels policy, so you wouldn’t be able to claim for this.

Terrifying Trick or Treating

Unfortunately, it’s not only ghouls and ghosts that pop up where they’re not wanted at this time of year – in many parts of the country burglaries tend to increase over the autumn and winter months¹, as darker afternoons and evenings can make things easier for opportunistic would-be thieves. If you’re heading out to haunt the neighbourhood make sure you lock all your doors and windows first, and think about leaving a light on at home while you’re out. Take a look at our autumn home security article for more tips.

If darkness has fallen while you’re out, be mindful a lot of Halloween costumes are darkly coloured, making it harder for drivers to see you and any little monsters. Think about taking a torch or some hi viz clothing with you and take more time checking it’s safe to cross any roads if needed. If you’re out driving yourself take care to be more vigilant than usual too.

Warding off unwanted guests

If you’re not a fan of Halloween, you’re not alone – yougov.co.uk tracked it as having only a 52% popularity rating (July 2024)². If you’d rather the witches and warlocks go elsewhere this year it’s universally accepted that by not putting a pumpkin outside it means you’re not open to trick or treaters, so you should be able to spend your evening undisturbed.

However you’re spending this Halloween, we hope these tips help you feel prepared, not scared, for the festivities ahead. If you’re looking for other ways to get ahead of things this season, why not check out our top tips to prepare your home for autumn?

1. https://www.herts.police.uk/news/hertfordshire/news/2023/october-2023/make-sure-your-home-is-secure-this-autumn/
2. https://yougov.co.uk/topics/entertainment/trackers/fame-and-popularity-halloween?period=1yr