They had a blast, and it was pretty cute, until it came time to clean up.
Sweeping doesn’t work, they fly all over the place. Picking them up doesn’t work, they stick to the hands and won’t go into the trash. Vacuuming them doesn’t work. (I think I’m going to have to take the vacuum to the repair shop.)
What can I do? I have a vague thought that if there was a way to break the static cling it would help. Is it because the air is so dry? Would running a humidifier in the living room help, or would it just reduce the stuff to a sticky goo I’d never get out of the carpet? (I think these are the biodegradeable ones, but I could be wrong.)
I admit it’s somewhat funny, but I have no idea what to do next. I’ve tried Google, but I keep getting pages of people offering to recycle the peanuts, or offering alterntative packing material.
Does anyone have any ideas? Has anyone else had this happen to them? Any help is appreciated!
Are you using an upright vacuum? I think if you used a shop vac (i.e., a vacuum that doesn’t run what it sucks up through an impeller), you’d be fine. Maybe someone has one you could borrow?
If memory serves, moisture would help dispel the static cling. Maybe if you got a spray bottle (like an old Windex bottle or something similar) and misted the peanuts in water they would be easier to pick up / sweep / {insert removal method of your choice here}.
You could also enlist the 6-year-olds’ help. Give each one a box and tell them that whoever has the most peanuts in their box when they’re all off the floor wins. (The thought here being that if they’re fairly competitive, they’ll take care of the cleaning for you.)
I second this idea. When I was younger, it was my oldest sister’s job to crush the cans for recycling. She hated it, so she made an Easter egg type hunt in our basement out of cans for me and another sister once they had accumulated to a bag or two uncrushed. We would race to find and crush more cans than the other person and loved it. I bet you could make this into a contest for your kids and get them to do the work for you.
I did have them try to clean it up. They ran into all the problems I listed: sweeping sent everything flying, picking them up had them covered in styrofoam and they are the ones who managed to bring the vacuum cleaner to a whining halt. (My fault, I suggested it, so I’m not mad at them.)
Thanks for the suggestions. I think there’s far too much here to go with tape, but it may come to that. I will try, cautiously, spraying water in an inconspicuous corner and see if that helps. If that fails, I’ll call around and see if I know anyone with a shop vac I can borrow. (The leaf blower seems a bit extreme, but if all else fails…)
And for the rest of you, small bits of styrofoam, thrown into the air with giddy abandon by two laughing girls. As I said, cute and fun, until the clean-up.
Hold one under running water and you’ll know immediately if the peanut is biodegradable or not.
Have you tried putting lotion on your hands to see if that breaks the static cling? If it works, at least you can get them off your hands and into bags. A little on the end of a broom with an adult sweeping might help too. Sorry I don’t have any packing peanuts handy or I’d test my theory myself.
I’m gonna say combine the two suggestions: wrap the girls in tape like mummies, sticky side out (probably want to leave their heads unwrapped), and let them roll, fling, stomp and generally try to stick as many peanuts onto themselves as possible.
C’mon, you know it sounds like fun! Plus, they’ll have snowmen costumes made for Halloween!
Failing that, spray 'em (the peanuts, not the girls) down with Static Guard and then sweep 'em up, ya party pooper.)
My kids did this back in December. We had a white Chanukkah, even if there was no snow outside.
My vacuum cleaner worked just fine for cleaning them up. The trick is not to use the brush, but to use the hose - start from the edge of the “field” of peanuts, being careful that the out-blow is pointed away, and suck them up from a short distance.
OK, I came home and tried a few things. Irreverent Tone, I tried holding one under water, and it didn’t melt. However, since my hands were wet, I tried picking some of them up. With wet hands, they didn’t stick and dropped right into the trash. Success!
I took Lord Il Palazzo’s advice and squirted the whole mess with a spray bottle. I got all of them swept up except the ones on the area rug. The broom didn’t do very well, and I suspect I’ll have to just do that (small) section by hand.
WhyNot, I must say I like the way you think, but Halloween is a ways away yet. Static Guard was probably the best bet all along, but I don’t own any and never thought of it. Water has worked well enough.
cmkeller, I did vacuum it up as you described, with the hose. Sadly, instead of going through the hose into the machine, it just filled the hose. It is now packed, distended to the point it isn’t even flexible anymore. I’m going to take it to the repair shop. They will undoubtedly charge me to empty it, a task I could theoretically perform myself. However, when it’s over and done with, they will be stuck with getting rid of the demon styrofoam sticky stuff, not me. (We now contemplate the fact that I am clearly cruel and not very nice, the sort of person who would inflict such a thing on an innocent tradesman.)
Next time this happens (like you’ll LET there be a next time <gg>) put a tablespoon or so of liquid fabric softener in a spray bottle and fill half way with water - gently shake to mix. Spray a bit of the mist over the peanuts and the static electricity will be gone, enabling you to sweep the peanuts up in a dustpan and dispose of
