Hosting a party is all fun and games until the guests leave you with a trashed house to clean up on your own. Cleaning up is the last thing you feel like doing after planning and hosting a party, but it needs to be done at some point.
A systematic and simple approach to cleaning motivates you to do it right away – keeping sticky residues from staining your furniture and ants from having a party of their own.
Whether you’re in the planning stages and worrying about the post-party clean-up or you’re staring at the aftermath of a vibrant celebration, this is the house cleaning guide for you.
Before Guests Arrive
You’ve sent out invitations, ordered or prepared food, and cleaned your house for guests. Now what?
As the party host, you need to anticipate accidents and spills. Having a plan in place before your guests arrive means that you can swiftly respond to any accident without fuss or drama!
Stock your cleaning ‘first aid kit’ with the following supplies:
- Absorbent kitchen towels
- Paper towels
- Microfiber cloth
- Broom and dustpan
- Mop
- Furniture cleaner
- All-purpose cleaner
- Large garbage bags
Store all your cleaning supplies in one convenient location. When the inevitable red wine spill happens, you’ll be ready to act.
Once you’ve got the tools to handle emergency cleaning, make it easy for your guests to help you out. Cover table cloths with plastic sheets, put coasters on every table or surface, and ensure trash cans are easy to find. Let guests know where to dispose of paper plates, napkins, or leftovers, as well as where to place used utensils, plates, and glasses.
Cleaning Up Once Guests Leave
When your guests leave, it’s tempting to collapse into bed and leave the cleaning for the next day. It’s worth running through this cleaning checklist to prevent stains from setting or food from going bad.
1. Put Leftovers In The Fridge
To keep leftover food from spoiling, transfer all food into Ziploc bags or sealable food containers. Use airtight containers for any food that can go stale such as chips or crackers.
2. Round-Up Garbage
Take a large garbage bag and walk around the areas your guests frequented. Throw away paper plates, napkins, disposable cups, wrappers, and any other trash you find. Clearing away the junk instantly makes a room feel cleaner and less chaotic!
3. Sweep Up Crumbs
Use a handheld broom and dustpan to collect all crumbs on kitchen counters, tables, and other surfaces. Give a quick sweep under tables or furniture to collect crumbs, chips, or other food bits that landed up on the floor instead of in your guests’ mouths.
This lowers your chance of attracting ants and other bugs that would have a party of their own with the crumbs!
4. Wipe Sticky Surfaces and Stains
Leaving spills overnight gives them the chance to harden, discolor your furniture, and infuse your furniture with weird smells. If you aren’t into the dingy, stained furniture look, spot clean all sticky spills you find.
Use an all-purpose cleaner and a microfiber cloth to remove spills with a few sprays and a speedy wipe down.
5. Get the Dish Washing Started
Walking into a kitchen filled with piles of dirty dishes is disheartening, to say the least. Load up your dishwasher and get the machine started. If you’re planning on washing your dishes by hand, rinse off pieces of food before washing them to keep the job simple.
The Next Day
After a good night’s sleep, it’s time to tackle the last bit of cleaning. Because you got the most important tasks out of the way, there are only a few things left to tackle.
Complete your party-cleaning room by room, starting in the furthest room from the kitchen. This keeps you from trailing through previously cleaned rooms and potentially undoing your hard work!
1. Clean Your Bathroom
In preparation for your party, your bathroom was likely deep cleaned. This makes your post-party clean-up much simpler!
Start by throwing out and replacing bathroom trash can bags, wiping down mirrors to remove any fingerprints, and scrubbing and disinfecting your toilet. Give any surfaces a wipe with all-purpose or bathroom cleaner before disinfecting them as well. Finish off by mopping the floor.
2. Cleaning Bedrooms
If any guests stayed over, strip any beds (or sofas), they slept in and put the bedding into the washer. Give surfaces a wipe with an all-purpose cleaner and sweep up any dirt that guests’ shoes might have brought in.
3. Cleaning Your Living Room
Whether you brought out additional seating or rearranged your living room to make space for a dancefloor, chances are you’ve moved some of your furniture around. Restore order by moving furniture back where it’s meant to be.
If you missed any spills or stains last night, tackle those now. Then, wipe down tabletops and surfaces in high-traffic areas.
Rotate and fluff sofa cushions to make the room look fresh and inviting.
4. Cleaning Your Kitchen
Now that you’ve made your way back to the kitchen, you’re almost done!
Finish up washing any dirty dishes and pack them away to clear your countertops. Wipe down countertops and islands until the surfaces gleam!
5. Finally, the Floors
Finish up the post-party cleaning by vacuuming all your floors. Vacuuming every room at once makes the job go faster and ensures you clean up any crumbs that fell to the floor while cleaning other surfaces.
If you have hardwood floor, damp mop spots wherever you find sticky spill. Make sure to drop mop these spots so that no water remains standing.
Make Cleaning Up After a Party Easy
After all the time, effort, and energy that you put into planning and hosting your party, it’s understandable if cleaning up isn’t at the top of the list of things you feel like doing.
If post-party cleaning is not for you, why not give yourself a much-deserved break and find a professional house cleaner to help you? Experienced cleaning professionals can help you get your home back especially after a big party!
To find a professional cleaner near you, make a booking through Anita’s and get your home clean again!
