Helpful Tips for Cleaning-Up after Holiday Party at Home
The holiday season is a perfect time to hold a party at home with your loved ones and friends. Many people will be on vacation so it is very easy to gather people and organize family reunions, special get-together or a simple holiday party. Everybody would love parties where there seems to be an endless supply of food and drink and unlimited stories to share.
However, if you are the host, you can’t avoid worrying about how to clean up the mess after the party. It’s really a very challenging task especially if you don’t have anyone else to help you with the cleanup. But with some helpful tips, you will be able to organize what you should do as soon as your last guest leaves your door.
After the party, you will be dealing with:
- Leftover foods
- Garbage
- Spills
- Dirty dishes
- A dirty house
You have to deal with these things one at a time and preferably in the same order.
Here is what you can do as soon as all the guests have left your house:
1. Gather all leftover food. Segregate those that can be salvaged and those that should be thrown away. Transfer to a new container those that can be salvaged or recycled before storing them in the refrigerator. For those that should be thrown away, put them in a separate trash bag.
2. Prepare two separate trash bags for gathering garbage or waste; one for non-recyclables and another for recyclables. Gather first the non-recyclables such as disposable table napkins, plastic wrappers and disposable decorations. When you are finished with the non-recyclables, gather the rest of the trash items that can still be recycled such as wine bottles and cans.
3. When your house is cleared of all garbage, it will now be easier to spot out if there are any spills on the floor or carpet which might cause staining. You have to deal with them immediately because once a stain sets in, it will be harder to remove.
4. After spills are properly dealt with, begin to gather all the used dishes and utensils. If you have a dishwasher, separate those that can be washed in the dishwasher and those that require hand-washing. Load those that are for the dishwasher and soak in the sink those that are for hand-washing. If you don’t have a dishwasher, there is no need to separate and just soak in the sink all those dishes and utensils.
5. You can now rest and leave the rest of the job till the next morning.
6. In the morning, wash first those that you soaked in the kitchen sink. Let dry after washing.
6. While waiting for the dishes to dry, you can now have time to wipe and dust your dirtied furniture. After which, you can sweep or vacuum and mop the floor. If you detect any unpleasant smell, you might want to leave a bowl of baking soda or vinegar to absorb the bad smell.
7. After cleaning, return the dried dishes and utensils including those that are in the dishwasher to their proper places. Finally, clean the kitchen last.
With the holiday season drawing near to a close, these tips mentioned above will surely be helpful for you in cleaning up your home. And they are not only applicable to holiday parties but to any type of parties or gatherings that you may be hosting in your home.