24 Ways to Decorate Your Home and Yard For Halloween
Updated: Oct. 09, 2020Although many people love decorating for Christmas, others go all out decking the house for Halloween. These tips will help you make your house extra fun and spooky this year.
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Get Creative with Your Family
Sit down with your family and plan a spooky scene for your yard or home. This is a fun way to spend time together and celebrate, and all ages can participate. You can conjure up a haunted forest or cemetery to scare trick-or-treaters. This is what trick-or-treating will look like this year.
Need something to get your creative juices flowing? Check out the 20 monstrously creative DIY Halloween ideas!
Deck Out Your Landscaping
Use bushes to your advantage. Add eyes or zombie hands. Rake your leaves and fill trash bags that you can decorate.
Not in the Halloween spirit yet? Check out these 100 activities to get you ready for fall!l
Carve Pumpkins with Power Tools
Yep, this is a thing. Get out your power tools and take pumpkin carving to the next level!
(Plus: You can also carve a pumpkin with a power washer!)
Skip the Carving and Paint Pumpkins for Your Patch
Not everyone likes carving pumpkins. If you’re in that category, paint your pumpkins with funny faces. Or if you want more of a polished look, give this zigzag pumpkin tutorial a try.
Make Those Pumpkins Last
Pumpkins are an “all fall” decoration. If you want to make your uncarved, unpainted pumpkins and gourds last longer, some suggest a bleach bath.
Here are 15 more great ideas for pumpkin fun!
Make Fun Costumes
As a break from Halloween decor planning, you and your family can decide on your own Halloween costumes. Consider going completely DIY with inspiration from this collection of costumes all made from duct tape.
Make Wreaths
This is a fun DIY project to get you in the Halloween spirit! Check out this collection of 14 fall wreaths you probably haven’t seen before.
Get Crafty with your Windows
The windows are the eyes to your house. No, seriously, you can make them look like eyes!
Worried about getting them clean when the holiday is over? We’ve got you covered with the best-ever method for washing windows.
Turn Your Garage Into a Haunted House
If you have kids, are having a party, or want to give trick-or-treaters a little extra scare, create a haunted house in your garage. Is your garage too messy? Check out these tips to get yours ready for fall!
Don’t Forget the Squash!
Although pumpkins are the main Halloween fruit (yes, they are a fruit), squash can add vibrant color to your decor inside and out. Oh, and they’re awesome on the grill too!
Decorate with Dollar Store Finds
Take your kids to your local dollar store and stock up on fun things like window clings, candle holders, etc. to decorate your house. This is also a fun way to decorate your office or work space! While you’re at the dollar store, steer clear of these items.
Get Spooky with Spider Webs
Spider web decor is inexpensive and fun. Drape your bushes and front door with webs and incorporate them into your home decor. Get plastic spider rings that easily attach to complete the look.
Have real spiders? Here’s how to get rid of them to make way for the fake ones!
Get Ghoulish
A favorite cute and easy decoration idea for parties or trick-or-treaters is to have ghosts floating about. You can get helium balloons and cover them with white cloth or snatch up one like this!
Need help getting into the Halloween spirit? Read about these 13 haunted house mysteries no one can explain.
Be Festive with Flowers
Okay, so this is scary, but flowers always give your home a welcoming vibe. You can even use a pumpkin or plastic skull for a vase.
If you’d like to grow flowers you can cut and use in arrangements, check out these wildflowers that grow well in home gardens.
Create a Coffin
Nothing spooks party goers or trick-or-treaters like a coffin. You can build one yourself out of wood or heavy cardboard, or you can even buy a kit! Just be sure to make it big enough to hide in so you can pop out and scare people.
Still thinking about spider webs? Check out the Webcaster Gun, the first item in this collection of unusual tools.
Let Your Pets Play a Part
Consider dressing up your pet to compliment your Halloween decor. Make sure to consider their safety when choosing a costume. Remember, if they don’t like it, don’t make them wear it!
Scary Piñatas
Paper mache goblins, monsters and mummies make classic Halloween piñatas. No time for DIY? You can buy one if you prefer!
Aliens Are Scary too!
Why should typical Halloween monsters have all the fun? Have a UFO theme this Halloween! You can even create an alien landing pad in your yard!
Make Use of What You Have
You can repurpose old wood pallets to make a scary graveyard or empty cans to make lanterns. Check out your scrap bins for miscellaneous materials that would make cool decor this Halloween.
Unique Combinations
You’ve got pumpkins and more leaves than you know what to do with. This tutorial shows you how to turn them into a beautiful decoration.
Also, check out these 10 clever things you can do with a pile of leaves.
Give It Some Glitter
This is the perfect holiday to add some glitter to your decor. Buy a plain skull and use spray glue and glitter to make it glitzy! Or here’s how to make glitter-covered pumpkins.
Break Out the Brooms
You might have an old broom in the garage or you can buy one that really looks like it belongs to a witch! Strategically placed, brooms can give the impression that a coven has descended on your home.
If witches aren’t the only nuisance you’re dealing with, check out these 12 ways to get rid of pests.
Stage Skeletons
This time of year you can find skeletons at every store selling decor. Stage them around your house, chatting on the phone, sitting at the table or even hanging out on the front porch. Interested in eerie stories? Check out the strangest house in every state.