These Recycled Milk Jug Ghosts give old milk jugs a new life by turning them into an easy craft for kids and DIY Halloween decorations! Kids can draw funny faces, then either hang them to show off their flowing fabric tails, or set them on the porch to greet trick-or-treaters with a spooky glow.
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Let's Make Halloween Milk Jug Ghosts!
Oooo…Halloween is coming, and these Recycled Milk Jug Ghost Luminaries are perfect for greeting the trick-or-treaters on your porch on Halloween night! They only take a few minutes to make, so gather up some empty milk jugs and make yourself a whole fright of ghosts.
I love repurposing things that typically get thrown away, especially when they result in fun activities like this! Dig your gallon or half gallon milk jugs out of the trash or recycling, this is a great way to give them a fun second life. It's a fun craft for kids that brings some family fun to the spooky season!
Supplies to Make Milk Jug Ghost Luminaries
You don't need much to bring a DIY milk jug ghost to life!
- Plastic Milk Jugs: The stars of this show are the old milk jugs that become the ghost heads.This is such a great project for using up these recycled items. I chose to use a white milk jug, but you could try making milk bottle ghosts if you use glass instead.
- Goo Gone (safe label & sticker remover): Those stubborn and sticky labels (as well as the date stamp) on the white jugs can be removed with Goo Gone. In the video I use Goof Off…then I read the label and it really isn’t very safe to use, it’s a pretty harsh and smelly chemical. But boy, does it work well!
- Permanent Marker (black): I chose to make my ghost face with a black marker. You could also use black paint, but I found that a black sharpie was perfect as it dried quickly and didn't rub off.
- Fairy Lights (OR tea lights/Flameless Tea Lights/Glow Sticks): There are lots of options to create your ghostly glow, but I used a set of fairy lights. Be sure to try turning them on before you add them to the jug, to make sure they work!
- White Fabric: If you are creating a hanging ghost, this white fabric will turn your halloween face into a floating ghost! You'll cut your fabric into 2" wide strips, then cut them to your preferred length.
- String: The string is used to hang the ghost, if that is the direction you choose.
Craft Tips
The full recipe instructions can be found below, but here are a few tips to help you along the way!
- Clean the Milk Jugs: Be sure to clean and dry the milk jugs before decorating. This will help the black permanent marker remain on the jug, and keep them from getting smelly from leftover milk!
- Secure the Lights: Hold onto the on and off switch portion and drop the light strand down into the jug. Wrap the switch portion around the handle a couple times. Then replace the lid onto the top of the milk jug and use some tape to secure the switch of the light to the handle of the milk jug. That way you'll be able to switch them on and off easily!
- Recycle the Milk Jugs: Don't want to keep the ghosts for the next Halloween season? Go ahead and remove the pieces of the craft that can't be recycled, then toss the milk jugs back into the recycling bin!
Craft Variations
Want to switch things up? Here are a few ways you can customize and play with this craft.
- Different Light Sources: If you would like to make milk jug ghosts with tea lights or glow sticks, just cut a hole in the back of the milk jug where you can slip them while it is sitting on the porch. This opening in the back of the jug also allows you to light real candles when it gets dark! You could also try solar lights, Christmas lights, or string lights.
- Colored Lights: It would also be fun to use various colors of lights so that each ghost could be a different color!
- Hanging Ghost: To make a ghost luminary that hangs from a hook on the front porch, cut the bottom of the milk jug off with a craft knife or with a pair of scissors then staple the fabric around the bottom. Cut two holes in near the neck of the milk jug, one on either side of the lid. Draw a 2 foot string through the two small holes and tie the end of the string together in a knot. Use this to hang your ghost and show your Halloween spirit!
- Sitting Ghost: Something I didn’t think of right away is that the jugs need to be weighted down if you don’t want them to tumble down the street to the neighbor’s house! Pour some sand or gravel into the bottom of the jug for weight. In Kansas this is a necessity!
- Fun Halloween Faces: It is fun to think of different faces to draw! If you would like some more ideas (I show happy, angry and scared) you could search for cartoon facial features and get a lot of clever ideas. I just did that and now I want to go make some more ghosts!
FAQ
You can upcycle an old milk jug into a fun Halloween decoration by creating a milk jug ghost! Clean out the milk jug, then draw a face on a flat side. Add some fairy lights to the inside of the jug so that the ghost glows in the dark. If you choose to hang your ghost, attach strips of fabric to the cut-out bottom of the jug and attach a string to hang from a hook.
Turn a milk carton into a spooky Halloween decoration b turning it into a milk jug ghost luminary! Use either fairy lights or string lights inside the jug to make it glow, or cut out a section in the back to add a tea light inside. Draw a spooky face on the side, then either hang from a hook or set it out to greet trick-or-treaters on the front porch.
More Halloween Crafts for Kids
Looking for more great Halloween crafts for kids to enjoy? Here are a few favorites for you to try:
- Easy IY Animal Masks from Craft Foam
- Monster Milk Jug Craft
- Little Monsters Trick-or-Treat Ideas
- Apple Stamped Pumpkin Treat Bags
- Mini Pumpkin Painted Halloween Faces
Enjoy!
If you try this craft, let me know! Go ahead and leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo with #WelcometoNanas wherever you post.
Recycled Milk Jug Ghost Luminaries
Equipment
- Fiskars HD Craft Knife Or scissors
- Stapler
Items Required
- 1 Milk jug Plastic, clean and dry
- 1 string Fairy Lights OR tea lights/Flameless Tea Lights/Glow Sticks
- ½ yard White fabric
- Goo Gone Safe label & sticker remover
- Permanent Marker Black
- 2 feet String
Instructions
- Take the label & date stamp off the milk jug with Goo Gone
- Draw a face on one side of the jug with magic marker
- Insert a string of fairy lights into the milk jug, keeping the control out and wrap it around the handle. Tape in place. Replace the lid.
- For a sitting ghost luminary: Add some sand or rocks to the bottom of the jug to keep it from blowing away.
- For a hanging ghost luminary: Cut off the bottom of the jug.
- Cut the fabric into 2 inch wide strips. Staple the strips along the bottom of the open milk jug.
- Cut two small holes on either side of the lid and draw the string through the holes. Tie the ends of the string together into a knot for hanging the luminary.
- Wrap the fairy lights up into a loose knot so they stay inside the milk jug when the luminary is hung.
This post was originally published in October 2021 and has been updated to add more relevant and detailed content.
Laura says
What a creative way to use recycled items!