Laundry Jug Jack-O-Lantern

How to make a DIY Jack-O-Lantern from a laundry pod container — we created three different designs! Kids will love this cute and easy upcycled Halloween craft!

glowing DIY jack-o-lanterns made out of laundry detergent containers

Easy DIY Jack-O-Lantern

Don’t throw away those empty laundry detergent containers!

Halloween is just a month away and we’re already getting in the fall spirit around here! We love to decorate and especially crafts that use upcycled and recycled materials.

The round plastic laundry detergent jugs are perfect to make glowing Halloween luminaries and they’re super easy to make!

All you have to do is remove the labels, decorate, and add a light source!

How fun would these be to decorate your doorstep on Halloween night?!

My little girls LOVED this craft — especially turning off the lights to make them glow! They’ve already informed me that they will be using them as night lights for the time being!

Related: Check out the holiday version…we made a Grinch and Snowman Christmas lanterns!

Here’s what you need to get started:

laundry detergent containers on counter

Supply List

Note: Iโ€™ve included affiliate links for your convenience in finding supplies used to make this craft; disclosure policy available here.

Which Laundry Detergent Containers Should You Use?

supplies needed to make a laundry container jack-o-lantern

How to remove labels from plastic

Before you can get crafting, you’ll first need to remove the labels from the outside of the laundry container.

There are a few different ways you could probably do this, but here is what worked for us.

soaking laundry container in soapy water

First, soak the container in a sink full of soapy water. This will soften up the label and make it easier to remove.

scraping label off laundry detergent container

We used an old credit card to scrape away as much of the label as we could, without scratching the plastic itself.

using label remover and scraping away with credit card

For the sticky residue left behind, we used kitchen degreaser. Simply spray until all remaining label is saturated, then scrape that away with your credit card or other tool.

cleaning an empty laundry detergent container

We used Method Degreaser and it worked really well. It seemed to dissolve the residue and then we were able to wipe away anything that was left after scraping.

You can find Method Degreaser on Amazon, but I purchase it at a much better price from Grove Collaborative.

If you’re not a member of Grove Collaborative yet, I highly encourage you to sign up today! This is where I order all of my cleaning essentials, from soap, to sanitizer, to toilet paper!

Being a Grove VIP member has been so much fun! You get an awesome Mrs. Meyers gift set when you sign up …AND they keep sending me other surprise freebies and offers!

I got all these goodies free with my first order:

Click here to check out Grove Collaborative and snag your free gift!

Other methods for getting labels off of plastic:

I haven’t personally tried peanut butter or mayo, but they were recommended by multiple readers so I included them here just in case!

Now the fun part…decorating!

holding up an empty orange Tide laundry pods container

How to Make a Jack-O-Lantern from an Empty Laundry Detergent Container

We kept our Jack-O-Lantern design pretty simple, but you can make it as elaborate as you like! We’ve had readers suggest adding hats or other accessories too!

You can even use different color containers to make different characters:

  • Green: Frankenstein
  • White: Ghost
  • Purple: Witch

Those are the colors of containers I’ve seen laundry detergent containers made in, but there could be more options I don’t know about! So many possibilities!

drawing a Jack-O-Lantern on an empty laundry container

Make sure the surface is clean and dry, then use a permanent marker to draw the details of the face.

When you’re done decorating, place a coupleย LED tea lights inside to make your jack-o-lantern glow! We used two in the pumpkin and the ghost. The green plastic of our Frankenstein lantern was a little more opaque so we used twice as many tea lights.

Feel free to add more accessories to your lanterns too!

Here’s a look at the three we made:

glowing DIY jack-o-lanterns made with empty laundry detergent containers

Can you use real candles?

NO!! Please make sure to stick to LED lights, as any open flame would be a fire hazard, especially with plastic that could melt or burn. Do not use candles!

More of our favorite easy Halloween crafts:

DIY Plastic Jack-O-Lantern Craft (Printable Directions)

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glowing DIY jack-o-lanterns made out of laundry detergent containers
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5 from 1 vote

Laundry Container Jack-O-Lantern

How to make a DIY Jack-O-Lantern from a laundry pod container -- we created three different designs! Kids will love this cute and easy upcycled Halloween craft!
Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Keyword: crafts, Halloween, kids crafts
Servings: 1
Author: Stacey aka the Soccer Mom
Cost: $10

Equipment

  • black permanent marker

Ingredients

  • empty laundry detergent container
  • battery powered candle

Instructions

  • Before you can get crafting, you'll first need to remove the labels from the outside of the laundry container.
  • Soak empty laundry detergent container in a sink full of soapy water to soften the label and make it easier to remove.
  • Use an old credit card or plastic scraper tool to peel away as much of the label as possible, without scratching the plastic itself.
  • Spray remaining residue with kitcken degreaser and scrape away until plastic is clean.
  • Rinse and dry the container.
  • Draw your pumpkin face on the front of the container with black permanent marker.
  • Place battery operated candle inside to make your Jack-O-Lantern glow.

Video

Pin this DIY Jack-o-Lantern Craft on Pinterest:

empty laundry detergent containers and homemade Jack-o-Lanterns

You might also like:

Pumpkin Pop-Up Card

two photo collage of Grinch and snowman Christmas lanterns made from laundry pod containers

Laundry Jug Christmas Luminaries

Stacey aka the Soccer Mom
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