Recently, we were hired to provide live and post-event cleanup for a gender reveal party that included a confetti canon. It was an incredibly windy day, and the party was in an outdoor backyard garden at a private home next to a hillside that belonged to their neighbor. The confetti canon blew. The wind picked it up and blew it away, spreading the confetti all over the hillside. The client called and asked us to clean up the hillside which was not the address contracted and presented a number of different challenges.
Confetti and glitter and powder all add a level of panache to any festivity, but they are also, for lack of a better phrase, a pain in the rear to clean up. Brooms and mops just push the product around, and less industrial strength vacuums can get clogged. Any kind of liquid product for confetti or glitter will cause it to stick to the ground (see: Water is Not Your Friend).
What’s best are the following protocols.
Confetti – most confetti is now biodegradable. It can dissolve after 3-4 rains. That said, if it doesn’t rain very much where you are (if you live in, say, Southern California which feels like a perpetual drought), you can’t just leave the confetti there to wilt and blow away like tumbleweeds with the wind. Confetti outdoors is best addressed by using a leaf blower over textured surfaces like rugs or grass to push it into a corner. Then use a shovel, a stiff broom, or your hands to scoop it up and throw it away. Wearing rubber gloves and rubbing them over carpet can create static electricity that lifts the confetti in tiny bits.
Glitter – glitter is a bit more challenging because it does not biodegrade and, when made with plastic or metal, resists picking up, but mops with sticky rollers on the bottom are made for this sort of thing. Some people make DIY rollers with packing tape, which is also immensely effective. Dry microfiber mops and cloths create friction and static that picks up glitter as well.
Powder – cornstarch-base powders colored with food dye, which are also used for Holi Festivals are also biodegradable but also more likely to stain surfaces. Outdoors on hard surfaces, first sweep as much of the powder up as possible and then hose down that surface until most of the color is gone. If the powder stains any clothes or skin, wash those clothes immediately in cold water with detergent to prevent staining and lightly scrub your skin with mild soap and lukewarm water. A paste of water and baking soda is useful to remove stubborn stains.
A shop vac can be useful to clean up confetti, glitter, or powder, but it’s best to remove the dry filter to prevent clogging and improve suction. Again, avoid wetting it because water will make the removal much harder. A shop vac is useful for smoother surfaces whereas a blower is better for textured surfaces like grass.
While PopUP CleanUP was able to cleanup most of the confetti after receiving the permission of the neighbor and staying longer to service the event, ideally if you are going to have a gender party, make sure to contain your party decor to your property and maybe make backup arrangements in case of strong wind!
