Make a lightweight floating ghost from cheesecloth, heavy starch, and a simple bottle-and-balloon form. It looks airy, stores well for future Halloweens, and costs far less than buying pre-made hanging decor.
The trick is not the shape. It is the starch. You need enough to stiffen the cloth, but not so much that it dries in thick drips along the hem. Wring the cheesecloth gently after soaking so it feels saturated, not sopping. That one small step keeps the ghost light instead of crunchy and lopsided.
If you want more ghost ideas for a full display, pair these with Glowing Ghost Decor or mix in a few larger Floating Ghost Decor pieces at different heights.
- 🧰 Materials You'll Need
- 🔧 Tools & Equipment
- 🛠️ How to Make Floating Transparent Ghost Decor
- 🎨 Customization Ideas
- 💡 Display and Practical Tips
- 🛡️ Care and Storage
- 🛍️ Need Help Finding Everything?
- ❓ Frequently Asked Questions about Floating Transparent Ghost Decor
- 📌 Love this Floating Transparent Ghost Decor? Pin it!
- 🖨️ Print-Friendly How-To: Floating Transparent Ghost Decor
Materials You’ll Need
- Empty bottle, milk jug, or large soda bottle for the body form
- Wire for the arms
- Cheesecloth
- Scrap felt or fabric for the eyes
- Balloon or floral foam ball for the head
- Heavy starch
Choose a bottle with a stable base before you start shaping the cloth. A narrow, wobbly bottle tips fast once the wet starch goes on, and then your ghost slumps like it gave up halfway through Halloween.
Tools & Equipment
- Large bowl
- Old towel to protect the work surface
- Hot glue gun, if using a balloon on the form
Cover your work area well. Heavy starch gets sticky in a hurry, and the mess does not stay politely inside the bowl. The part nobody mentions is the floor under your table. Any drips dry slick at first, then tacky, so wipe them up before they collect dust and pet hair.
When you use hot glue for the balloon, keep fingers clear of the glue line and set the gun on a stable, heat-safe surface between uses.
How to Make Floating Transparent Ghost Decor
- Create a protected work area by covering the surface with an old towel.
- Build the ghost form using an empty vinegar jug, milk jug, or large soda bottle for the body, a balloon or floral foam ball for the head, and wire bent into arms.
- If needed, attach the balloon to the top of the bottle so the form stays in place while you work.
- Drape the dry cheesecloth over the form first and check the size before wetting it.
- Remove the cheesecloth, run it under warm water, and wring it gently.
- Place the damp cheesecloth in a large bowl and pour in just enough heavy starch to cover it.
- Wring the cheesecloth gently again to remove the excess starch.
- Drape the starch-soaked cheesecloth over the ghost form and shape it around the head, arms, and body.
- Let the ghost dry for 5 minutes, then go back and reshape any area you want to change.
- Let the ghost continue drying until stiff. Outside in sunshine, this takes about 25 minutes total. Indoors, it can take up to 3 hours depending on temperature and humidity.
- Gently remove the form from the dried ghost body.
- Add scrap felt or fabric eyes if you want a more defined face.
Do not skip the dry test-fit in step 4. Cheesecloth shrinks and twists a bit once it is wet, so a piece that barely covers the form while dry usually comes up short after wringing.
Watch the cloth edges during shaping. If the folds look smooth and slightly damp, you are in good shape. If you see glossy puddled starch collecting at the bottom edge, blot or wring more before it dries into stiff ridges.
The drying window changes more than people expect. Outdoors in sun, the shell firms up fast. Indoors, humid air slows everything down, so do not pull the form early or the center can sag even when the surface feels dry.
Customization Ideas
- Make several sizes by changing the bottle and head form.
- Bend the wire arms higher for a classic reaching pose.
- Keep the face blank for a more transparent floating look.
- Add simple felt eyes for a friendlier ghost.
- Group two or three together at different heights for a fuller display.
If you scale the form up, scale the cheesecloth width too. Readers often make the body taller but forget the cloth has to drape over the arms as well as the head. That is how you end up with a ghost wearing what looks like a haunted hand towel.
Display and Practical Tips
These ghosts work well in corners, entryways, and rooms where air movement stays low. Strong vents and busy doorways can make them twist, which looks less like a floating spirit and more like laundry caught in a draft.
Use them in clusters instead of spreading single ghosts all over the house. A small group gives you more visual impact and lets you vary height and arm position without making every room feel crowded.
If you want to build out the rest of your setup, Simple Lawn Ghost Decoration works well outdoors while Tattered Sheet Decor adds texture around walls and door frames.
Care and Storage
These seemingly floating ghosts will last many years if you store them properly. At the end of the season, crumple newspaper and push it into the body so the shape holds, then place each ghost in a sealed Rubbermaid-style tote.
Store them fully dry. If any dampness remains in the folds, the ghost can soften in storage and lose its shape by next season. A sealed tote protects the delicate edges from being crushed under heavier decorations.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s art and craft safety guide recommends using care with heated craft tools and keeping materials organized so you avoid preventable burns.
🛍️ Need Help Finding Everything?
- Make your own heavy starch if you want to keep the project extra-frugal.
- Shop cheesecloth at Walmart
- Shop cheesecloth on Amazon
- Find floral foam balls on Amazon
Frequently Asked Questions about Floating Transparent Ghost Decor
Yes. Any empty bottle or jug with a stable base can work for the body form. Pick one that matches the ghost size you want and will not tip once the wet cheesecloth goes on.
No. You can use either a balloon or a floral foam ball for the head. The main goal is a rounded shape that sits securely on top of the bottle while the starch dries.
Warm water helps the cheesecloth open up and absorb the starch more evenly. If you skip that step, dry spots can stay loose while other areas turn stiff and heavy.
If the cheesecloth drips heavily or dries with thick shiny ridges at the bottom edge, it is carrying too much starch. Wring it a bit more before draping so the cloth stays coated but not overloaded.
In sunshine, the full process takes about 25 minutes. Indoors, drying can take up to 3 hours depending on temperature and humidity.
Yes, but expect a longer wait. Indoor drying works fine, though humid rooms slow the process and make early reshaping or form removal more likely to collapse the center.
Yes, if you store them carefully. Fill the body with crumpled newspaper to support the shape, then keep them in a sealed tote until next Halloween.
Yes. Change the size of the bottle, jug, or soda bottle form and match the cheesecloth to it before wetting. That lets you make anything from a small shelf ghost to a larger room display.
Reuse bottles and jugs you already have, cut all of your cheesecloth ahead of time, and make your own heavy starch. Batch-building the forms first also speeds up the project quite a bit.
📌 Love this Floating Transparent Ghost Decor? Pin it!
Did you make a tall ghost, a small shelf ghost, or a whole floating group? Tell us which form worked best and whether sunshine or indoor drying gave you the best result.
🖨️ Print-Friendly How-To: Floating Transparent Ghost Decor
Floating Transparent Ghost Decor
Equipment
Materials
- Empty bottle milk jug, or large soda bottle
- Wire
- Cheesecloth
- Scrap felt or fabric for eyes
- Balloon or floral foam ball
- Heavy starch
Instructions
- Create a protected work area with an old towel.
- Build the ghost form using the bottle, head form, and bent wire arms.
- Attach the balloon if needed so it stays in place.
- Drape the dry cheesecloth over the form to check the size.
- Remove the cheesecloth, run it under warm water, and wring gently.
- Place the damp cheesecloth in a bowl and pour in enough heavy starch to cover it.
- Wring gently to remove the excess starch.
- Drape the cheesecloth over the form and shape it.
- Let it dry 5 minutes, then reshape any area you want to change.
- Continue drying until stiff, about 25 minutes total in sunshine or up to 3 hours indoors depending on humidity.
- Gently remove the form.
- Add felt or fabric eyes if desired.
- https://www.budget101.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/floating-transparent-ghost-decor-.jpeg
- https://www.budget101.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/5ca00a18ad41a_floating-transparent-ghost-decor-.jpeg
- https://www.budget101.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/5ca00a18f30de_floating-transparent-ghost-decor-.jpeg
- Heavy starch is very sticky, so protect the work surface well before you start.
- Use care if attaching the balloon with a hot glue gun.
- Drying time changes with temperature and humidity.
