Posted on October 11th, 2018
We all love parties—but few of us enjoy the morning after. Even if you don’t drink alcohol, witnessing the monstrous mess that follows a wild party can make you feel instantly tired and queasy. Worse still, you can easily spend days picking up after your guests if you don’t put a proper cleanup strategy in place. Spare yourself the hassle by following the nine steps below:
9 Ways to Make After-Party Cleanup a Breeze
1. Try to keep the party limited to a specific area.
The farther your guests wander, the more mess will spread. To limit the area you’ll need to clean after your party, try to confine celebrations to one or two rooms. If the weather permits it, consider hosting your party outdoors (e.g., in your backyard). This is the perfect way to completely protect your carpets, floors, and furniture from getting stained or damaged.
2. Form a ‘party cleanup crew’ ahead of time.
Just like you have a few designated drivers at every party, you should have a team of designated cleaners. Ask a few close friends if they would mind returning the next day to help you tackle the morning-after mess. If you don’t like the idea of obligating your friends, you can reward them for their efforts by giving them a small gift afterwards.
3. Consider using disposable cups, plates, and utensils.
Using disposable tableware can both make cleanup much quicker and limit the danger of you or your guests stepping on broken glass. If you’re worried about disposable tableware making your party look cheap or tacky, look for high-end paper tableware online. There are a number of companies that make quality party accessories, and some will even customize your tableware to reflect your individual style.
4. Before the night is over, take care of leftover food and dirty dishes.
Throwing out any uneaten food promptly will eliminate unpleasant odors and keep pests away. Rather than letting food sit on tables, counters, etc., overnight, take a moment to scour the party area for abandoned snacks as soon as your guests leave, then toss them into the bin.
Before you go to bed, fill your sinks with warm, soapy water and immerse all of your dirty dishes in the water. Doing this will ensure that food remnants don’t turn into stubborn stuck-on grime overnight. The next morning, you’ll be able to drain your sinks and put everything straight into the dishwasher, without doing any manual scrubbing.
5. Remove any hazards before you start cleaning.
For those who don’t use disposable tableware, stepping on broken glass while cleaning is a very real risk after any large party. Before you start scrubbing, carefully inspect the floors and carpets anywhere your guests were eating or drinking, looking for shards of glass. (To protect your feet, wear clean house shoes while you do this.) If you find any pieces of glass, carefully pick them up while wearing thick rubber gloves and wrap them in paper towels before disposing of them. Then, vacuum the area thoroughly to pick up any glass fragments.
6. Start with stain removal.
Drink stains—particularly red wine stains—become more difficult to remove the longer they’re allowed to “set.” You should therefore attend to the task of stain removal as soon as it’s feasible.
To remove wine stains from carpets and furniture, start by blotting the stain with a clean, dry cloth. Don’t rub the stain; doing so will just work it deeper into your carpet or upholstery. Once you’ve gotten most of the stain out, pour a small amount of cold water on the remaining mark. Let it sit for a few minutes, then continue dabbing the area with a fresh cloth.
If taking these steps doesn’t remove the stain, don’t attempt to use bleach or another harsh cleaning agent to treat it. Bleach will both damage and discolor your carpet (or piece of furniture). Instead, cover the stain with a generous portion of table salt. Let the salt sit overnight, so that it can slowly draw out any remaining wine. Then, vacuum up the salt crystals.
7. Buff out scuffs.
Dancing on hard floors can sometimes create scary-looking scuffs. Fortunately, these marks are rarely permanent. To get rid of them, grab a soft clean clean cloth, dab a bit of floor cleaner on it, and rub the scuff vigorously. It might take some time (and elbow grease), but the scuff should vanish completely.
8. Clean as you normally would.
Once you’ve taken care of the dirty dishes, broken glass, stains, and scuffs, you should vacuum your home, sweep the floors, sanitize any hard surfaces (like sinks and counter tops), and put everything back where it should be. Don’t forget to take out the trash when you’re done, too—otherwise, the large amount of food waste in your bins will create odors.
9. If your mess is really monstrous, consider calling in the pros.
Let’s face it: Most people don’t want to tackle a massive, smelly cleaning job the morning after a big party. It’s often much easier (and more pleasant) to simply call in a professional housecleaning service to do the job for you. Most cleaning services are happy to take on a one-time job and won’t ask you to sign a contract. Furthermore, professional cleaning is much more affordable than many people realize.
If you’re planning a big party and think you might need help the next day, feel free to contact us. We’ll be happy to connect you with the cleaning services you need, allowing you to enjoy your night with complete peace of mind.