Is your party supply still good? Balloons, candles, make-up and batteries checked
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
Leftovers from last year: which party supplies are still usable and which to throw away. A five-line inventory check, before Halloween, Carnival, and the holidays.
Somewhere in the house, there's a box with remnants from last year. Half a pack of balloons, two face paint sticks, a bag of tea lights, a handful of loose batteries, and a string of lights still rolled up. You don't quite remember what's inside or if it still works — and you usually only find out on the night itself, when a balloon pops while being inflated or an LED item doesn't light up.
Late August is the quiet time to empty that box. Halloween, the carnival season starting on November 11th, and the holidays follow in quick succession. If you spend half an hour sorting now, you'll know exactly what you need to order in October — and you won't pay rush prices for something you thought you already had.
Sort first, then count
Lay everything out on a table and make four piles: good, test, discard, and doesn't belong here. That last pile is larger than you think: chargers, tape, scissors. Those go back to where they belong.
Only count once the sorting is done. Otherwise, you'll count items you're going to throw away anyway and order too little. Note a quantity and a minimum for each category: "8 packs AAA, minimum 4". That minimum is the signal to reorder, not when you run out.
Balloons: latex ages, foil is more patient
Latex balloons are a natural product. In a warm, bright room, they become stiffer and stickier over time, and then they tear when inflated. There's no date on them, so test it: inflate one from an old pack. If the rubber feels slack or powder sticks to your fingers, the rest are probably no longer reliable for an arch or a decoration you're counting on.
Foil balloons are a different story. They are made of metallized foil instead of rubber and age much less quickly in a sealed package. A Foil Balloon Set - 6 pieces (€10.00) can therefore be stored for a season without hesitation, provided you keep it flat and dry. If you crease the foil, that fold will never come out.
Pay special attention to items with electronics in them. LED Balloons 5 pieces - yellow or multicolor (€2.95) have a small light with a button cell; the balloon itself ages like any other latex item, and the cell slowly drains. So, buy these close to the date you'll use them.
Reusable and virtually indestructible is the frame: a Balloon Arch (excluding balloons) (€30.00) you buy once and fill with new balloons every year. That's exactly the distinction you want to make in your inventory: you keep the construction, and you buy consumables as needed.
Candles don't go bad, but they do get ugly
Candles don't spoil. They discolour, they bend if they've been stored in heat, and the scent of scented candles fades. White turns yellowish, bright colours become dull — especially if they're exposed to light. Therefore, store them flat, in the dark, and not next to the heater.
Face paint and fake blood: look, smell, and don't hesitate too long
Face paint in stick form dries out as soon as the cap isn't properly closed. You'll recognize it by a grainy layer or a stick that no longer glides over your skin. A German / Belgian Flag Black Red Yellow Face Paint (€4.95) costs less than the time it takes to figure out if the old one still works. If something smells different than usual, its texture has changed, or the color has separated, it's time to discard it.
Liquid items like a Fake Blood Set with Syringe and Refill (€9.95) should be stored upright, in a bag or container. If it leaks, it will leak over everything underneath — and that's usually your stack of clean costumes. Also, check for an open jar symbol on the packaging: this indicates how long the manufacturer considers it usable after opening.
Batteries: the risk you only see when it's too late
Batteries are the only part of your party supplies that can cause damage to the rest. A leaking cell leaves a white, granular residue that corrodes the contact point of a device. The rule of thumb: remove batteries from devices you won't use for months, and store them loosely in their original packaging or a small box — never loose in a drawer with keys and coins.
For items that only run for a few hours, such as a light in a decoration, zinc-carbon batteries are fine. Panasonic AAA Zinc 4 pieces (€9.95) is the small pack; if you're going a whole evening with multiple items, Dynamic Energy batteries R03 AAA 16 pieces zinc 1.5V (€5.95) is much more economical per piece. Calculate one spare set per device you really need on the night itself.
Inflate one balloon from each old pack. If it tears or sticks, the whole pack goes.
Remove batteries from anything you won't use within a month.
Store liquid items upright and separate from textiles.
Store candles flat, in the dark, and cool — not near the heater.
Write down a minimum quantity per category and reorder as soon as you fall below it.
Do this round once in September, and you'll benefit from it for the rest of the year. It not only saves money, but more importantly, it saves you from that moment at 7:30 PM when you discover you still have to go to the store.
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