Who doesn’t love a good festive knees-up?! That is, except for the part where you have to clean up the aftermath of an awesome party in your home!
There’s nothing worse than waking up in the morning and seeing your home decor and entertaining areas in complete disarray! The thought of the post-party tidy up can be enough to deter you from hosting holiday season shindigs, but don’t let a little mess stop you from letting your hair down this year. We’ve helped you out by collating our best cleaning tips to encourage you to put together an awesome action plan for the post-party clean up.
The first thing to think about are ways that can help you avoid the mess in the first place
Here are our suggestions for making it as easy as possible for guests to keep the place tidy without even trying:
– Place plenty of bins or plastic containers around your entertaining area, so that you don’t end up with bottles, cans or rubbish that you have to round-up in the morning.
– If possible, use disposable cups and plates to minimise washing up, and leave a couple of rubbish sacks around the food serving area. Everyone can dispose of their own rubbish as they go and they’ll serve as a subtle reminder to help you out with the clean up before they leave!
– Keep bare surfaces to a minimum, so as to discourage people from leaving empties or rubbish there. Use tablecloths where possible to protect your furniture. You then simply have to gather them up, shake them out, and throw them in the wash (or dispose of them if you opt for plastic tablecloths. Keep coasters out too, so you won’t have to deal with water rings or stains later. It’s easy enough to find gorgeous table cloths and complementary tableware by shopping online.
– Close off rooms that you would prefer to remain off-limits to guests so you don’t have to even consider them in your post-party clean up.
– Keep microfibre cloths or tea towels handy so that you can deal with spills and splatters as soon as they happen.
– Make sure the dishwasher is empty so that it’s all ready to load up with dishes throughout the event.
– Purchase some disposable plastic containers. Fill them up with leftover food to give to your guests – it will make the process of dealing with dishes easier when you just need to clean out the serving dishes.
– Ask a friend or family member to stay over for the night. Offer a fry-up breakfast in exchange for some help with the clean up!
Although you may not feel like it at the time, the best time to get your party clean up started is straight away. Right after it ends!
The reality is, you’ll make things easier for yourself in the long run by reducing the likelihood of more permanent stains or marks.
– Run over your carpet with the vacuum cleaner straight away, otherwise you’ll end up trodding in crumbs and mess, or spreading it further throughout the house.
– Wipe all surfaces with a damp cloth before you head to bed.
– Collect up alcohol bottles and pour out any left-over in glasses – seriously, the last thing you’ll want to do in the morning is get a whiff of booze!
Here’s an extra tip: Gather up half-empty wine bottles and pour remaining wine into ice cube trays. Freeze the cubes and use them for recipes that require a dash of wine! The bottles can then be recycled.
The best way to handle the clean up is to keep the festivities going a little longer – while there are still a few stragglers, pour a couple of nightcaps and turn up your favourite tunes so you can get tidying; it will feel like you’re still enjoying your night!
What other party-pro tips do you have for dealing with the post-party mess? Share them below so that other readers can benefit too!
