How To Streamline Your Post-Party Clean Up

One of the best things about hosting a party is getting to spend time with friends and family. However, that dinner or holiday party can hardly feel worth it if you end up with a day’s worth of cleaning afterwards. You may be thinking this situation is unavoidable, but the truth is, with a little pre-party planning and coordination, you can have your space back to its former glory in no time!

 

Set Yourself Up for Success

A day or two before your next big soiree, you’ll want to consider setting up your space in a way that is cohesive to your goals. Here are a few things to consider while prepping:

 

●   Cleaning Products: Consider all the cleaning products or tools that you may need for immediate spot cleaning and after-party tasks. Be sure to keep them in a place that is easily accessible but out of sight, and away from children. Items you may want to have on-hand include:  all-purpose cleaners, rags or micro-fiber clothes, rubber gloves, sanitary wipes, floor cleaner, and sponges, as well as your vacuum, broom, and mop.

 

●   Coasters: Be sure to place coasters on every table and surface in rooms where your guests will be spending time. You might even consider using tablecloths and furniture covers for extra protection against spills and stains.

 

●   Food Storage: Keeping resealable bags and  plastic containers nearby is a convenient way to make sure your guests can easily take home leftovers. Everything else can be quickly stored in the fridge.

 

●   Garbage and Recycling: You’ll want to set up at least one bin each for garbage and recycling in convenient and easy-to-locate places. Depending on the size of your party, you might consider setting up multiple trash stations so that you aren’t forced to change the bins out halfway through the event. Pro-tip: Labeling each bin as either recycling or garbage can save you a lot of sorting time!

 

●   Designated Party Areas: While you don’t want guests to feel herded or stuck in a particular area of your space, it’s totally understandable that you would want to control the flow of traffic towards designated areas. Doing so means that you will have fewer rooms to clean once the party is over. Be sure to lock any doors that lead to rooms you’d rather guests stay out of. Pro-tip: If you have multiple bathrooms, you can limit the use to only one, which will save you another room to clean.

 

Mess-Management During the Party

It’s your party, so by no means would we recommend you spend the night cleaning. You have people to see and fun to have! However, it’s important to know that staying on top of a few tasks can go a long way when it comes to end-of-the-night cleaning. You don’t need to go crazy but if you happen to see a few empty glasses on your way to refill the chip bowl, it can’t hurt to take care of them.

 

Immediately After Guests Leave 

Once you’ve said your goodbyes and everyone is on their way home, it’s time to start on the tasks that are most time-sensitive.

 

●   Leftovers: Whatever food didn’t go home with guests should be quickly discarded or stored in either the fridge or in airtight containers. Any item that is considered a “finger-food” should be thrown away to prevent the growth of germs and bacteria.

 

●   Dishes: Be sure to collect all the dishes, glasses, and silverware from around the house or event area. Scrape any leftover food or waste into the garage bin and simply place your dishes in the sink or dishwasher for the night.

 

●   Garbage: Instead of making multiple trips to the garbage bin with handfuls of trash, simply carry the bin or a garbage bag around with you to throw things away as you go!

 

●   Spot Clean: It’s probably late and you're tired from a long night of socializing, but when it comes to sticky spills and crumbs, it’s best to wipe these up right away to avoid inviting pests, like ants, into your home. The rest can wait until the morning.

 

The Morning After 

Waking up after a nice night with friends and family to find that a lot of the cleaning and prep work has already been done can feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders. With that being said, there are still a few tasks to complete before your home is back in tip-top shape.

 

●   Air Circulation: First things first, open some windows. After a party, it’s likely that there are lingering scents - whether it be food, garbage or otherwise. Letting in some sunshine and fresh air can help put you in the mood to clean as well. Why not blast some music while you’re at it?

 

●   Re-organizing Your Space: Oftentimes during a party, there will be a need to rearrange furniture for better flow or for additional seating to accommodate your guests. Now’s the time to start putting the furniture back, removing tablecloths and coverings for a wash, and tidying up your space. The same idea will apply in places like your kitchen or anywhere else your guests have occupied.

 

●   Countertops and Surfaces: At this point, you’ll want to go through and wipe down all the surfaces in the space. Be sure to use either an all-purpose cleaner or a cleaner that is safe on each individual surface to avoid damage.

 

●   Dishes: Dishwasher or not, it’s likely that there are still dishes to be done. Maybe you found some extra plates or silverware while tidying up, or perhaps you have items that aren’t dishwasher safe. Now is the time to finish them up.

 

●   Bathrooms: You probably did a deep clean of your bathroom before the party started, so hopefully this step won’t take too long. In here, you’ll want to start with wiping down all surfaces and handles with disinfectant. Once that’s completed, you will want to clean the basin of your sink and your toilet, including the bowl, base, and seat. Then, change out the garbage. You might also consider sweeping and mopping at this point, but you may want to wait and complete that chore all at once. Remember to replace any hand towels that were in the room the night of the party.

 

●   Outdoor Areas: Don’t forget to check your outdoor seating areas, as well as your lawn, for garbage and debris. After you reconfigure any misplaced furniture, a quick wipe down of any surfaces should just about wrap it up.

 

●   Floors: You’re almost there! The last chore to tackle is going to be your floors. We recommend sweeping and vacuuming each floor in the home all at once and then you can do the same with your mopping. After a party, it’s likely that your floors are going to be extra dirty. Be sure to use a strong cleaning solution to get rid of those stubborn or sticky messes.

 

Now that your post-party clean-up is complete, enjoy your downtime! For more party related tips and tricks, check out the link below!