Posted on October 26th, 2021
Who doesn’t love a great house party?! After months of lockdown restrictions, it feels great to, once again, be able to open our doors wide to welcome friends and family back into our home to celebrate. Be it a birthday, anniversary –or just because. Any occasion is worth gathering our friends and family, and putting together a great house party. Yet, reservations about the aftermath may lead us to think twice about welcoming guests into our home. This blog aims to tackle your House Party Clean-Up concerns, head-on. With a bit of pre-planning, there are plenty of clean-up solutions that will guarantee that you have a good time at your party instead of stressing about the aftermath, allowing your guests to let loose while ensuring that your home remains the perfect, beautiful, private space that it usually is.
Think Location
Obviously, you want to show your beautiful home to your guests! Butt one key tip is to limit how many rooms and spaces are usable ‘party areas’. The more rooms used to accommodate guests during the party, the greater the post-party clean-up. Aim to visibly indicate the rooms you anticipate your guests to let loose in during the party. It’s a good idea to try and contain partygoers to a few select spaces so you’ll only have to clean the kitchen and a few rooms. You can do this by ensuring the rooms you want to use are well-lit and inviting with adequate seating. Leave other rooms dimly lit, or shut off the lights after you pass them during the house tour. If you plan on using party decorations such as balloons, streamers and bunting. Place these in the spaces you want guests to use.
When thinking about location – don’t forget to make use of outdoor spaces. Gardens and yards are more forgiving when it comes to wine spills and crumbs on the floor. That makes for a much easier clean-up post-party. If the weather allows it, offer guests the chance to socialize outside. Make outdoor spaces appealing with beautiful lanterns and gentle outdoor lighting. You can offer a fire-pit, and some cozy blankets to keep guests warm when the sun goes down.
Be Trash Wise for a Quicker Clean-Up
Having clearly labeled trash and recycling bins available will encourage partygoers to place empty bottles, cans, and waste in the correct receptacle. That means less need to scour the house the next day gathering up items. Most guests will be more than happy to place their own items in the correct container, so long as they easily tell what needs to go where. Making sure that empty bottles and cans make their way into the recycling container, instead of being left on the side of a table, means less chance for messy and potentially dangerous accidents as bottles and cans get knocked over.
Menu Planning with Clean-Up in Mind
The food you serve at your party is a crucial way of showing hospitality to your guests. So, you want a menu with the wow factor, but not endless plates and dishes to wash the next day. You also really do not need messy, impossible-to-remove grease stains or sticky residues smeared across flooring and walls. And you don’t need your house contaminated by smelly odors from strong-smelling foods. It only makes sense to try and check all these boxes when you think about food options.
One way to approach your food offerings is to consider finger foods. Offering a canapes-and-appetizers type menu allows guests to graze on delicious and elegant-looking hors d’oeuvres, without the need for fancy cutlery and plates. Which also means fewer dishes to scrub after the party!
If you prefer a fork-buffet style menu, you can employ paper or even fabric cloths to cover the seating tables. You can then invite guests to make their way there to enjoy the lovely food. After the party, you can shake tablecloths outside to get rid of crumbs. Paper cloths can be recycled and fabric cloths can be popped into the washing machine.
If you have children at the party – look to create a picnic-style zone for them, with a brightly colored picnic blanket indicating where they will eat their food. This will again contain crumbs and spills to a tablecloth that can simply be shaken off outside.
For the classic barbecue, you may need to close windows to spare your home from smelling of charcoal smoke. The plus side is that you will be able to enjoy the delicious, char-grilled food outside and with limited amounts of cutlery and crockery. You can make use of disposable tableware, of course – although do consider the environmental impact of such items. Try to look for recyclable or compostable items to limit your party’s environmental impact.
Clean as You Go
As the host, you do want to be able to relax and enjoy your guests’ company. But you really don’t want a huge clean the next day. So, look to find ways that allow you to keep on top of the mess and clean in a time-efficient manner. Having large bowls available with hot soapy water means you can place used plates and bowls to soak before food residue hardens. Make sure your dishwasher is clean before the party begins so you can stack dirty items as you go. Do not let them pile up on the side where they risk getting knocked over. If you spot some food that was dropped on the floor, pick it up when you see it to avoid crumbs being ground into the rug.
Be Stain Ready
Be prepared for any potential spills and stains and have a plan in place for dealing with mishaps. Consider offering guests stemless wine glasses to reduce the risk of red wine spilling on fabrics. Do not serve food items that will stain badly. Before the party, make sure to cover or remove any particularly delicate items that you really do not want to see damaged.
If a spill does occur, you should be stain-ready with a range of products to tackle the most likely culprits – tea, coffee and cold beverages. You can have a caddy with different products and cloths ready for emergency stain response.
Be a Host who Coasts Along with Style
They say hindsight is 20/20, and well, coasters are 10/10 as far as clean-up prevention goes. Placing coasters strategically will prevent your surfaces from getting marks and stains. These will also allow you to indicate where you would like guests to place their drinks (preventing any awkward situations where someone might not be able to tell if they are allowed to put down their beer on your furniture). You should consider paper coasters that absorb drips and can be recycled, or even opt for reusable heat-resistant mats to prevent burns on wooden tables.
For the Ultimate in Post-Party Clean Up, Consider Hiring Help
When considering your party budget, take a moment to calculate whether enlisting professional cleaning services would be money well spent. Pre-booking a deep clean for the morning after will allow you to rest, recover and absorb the memories you created. Cleaning services that use eco-friendly products will bring the sparkle back to your home without harsh chemicals and strong odors.
After the restrictions of the Pandemic, a house party is a real pick-me-up for you and your guests. With some simple preparation and planning, your post-party clean-up does not need to be a marathon. So, set a date and start inviting the people you want to welcome into your beautiful home!