How to Clean Up After a Party
Last week, we went over how to clean up before a party. Now, we’re going to tell you what to do to clean up after a party. If you follow our suggestions, it shouldn’t be too bad. However, know that you can call Garcia Green Cleaners to clean up before and after a party. We’re happy to do both.
The first tip that we suggest is that you clean up your kitchen before the party. Make sure the dishwasher, countertops and sink are empty. This way you can fill them up easier when after a party is done.
Go through the party rooms with a garbage bag, a laundry basket and a dish tray. Collect all the items that are out of place. Put the trash in the garbage bag, things that belong in other rooms in the laundry basket and non-paper dishes and silverware in the tray. Of course, if you use plastic and paper for the party, you’ll have an easier cleanup, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have no dishes to wash. Think of all the items you used to cook stuff in and contain stuff.
Put the items you collected where they belong. If the trash is overflowing, take it out. If the sink is overflowing, put some items into the dishwasher and, when that’s full, start it. You may have to do more than one cycle of dishes, but that’s the price you pay for an excellent party. It’s not very steep. Also, remember to recycle what needs to be recycled.
Clean the floors. When you go through the rooms a second time, bring your broom and a mop if you have laminate or hardwood. Sweep up the dust and debris off the floor and put it into the trash. If you need to mop, do that too. If you’ve got carpets, you might want to vacuum.
Pick up any streamers or balloons or other party items as you go through and toss them in the trash or recycling bin. We suggest you make it easy on yourself and don’t use these items, but, if you must, make them paper products that are easy to take down and clean up.
You may want to spot clean the bathrooms in case people have messed them up. It couldn’t hurt. Just take a quick microfiber cloth and clean all areas. Sweep if you have too as well. Just make sure you don’t have any leftover party ‘debris’ in your bathrooms.
Voila, you’re done and it didn’t take as long as you thought. Remember, if you dread the after-party cleanup so much you want to delay it as long as possible, we suggest you call Garcia Green Cleaners. We’ll take care of your party cleanup for you. We can be reached in Austin at 512-705-2812.
How to Clean Your House for a Party
So, you’re having a party. You want to know how to clean your house for a party. In this article, we’ll tell you just what to do so your house will be clean in time for you to party down with friends and family.
Start by making a list of what exactly needs to be cleaned. Do you have to clean the entire house or are there some parts that can be off-limits to guests? Try to make the list as detailed as possible so you can check items off the list as you do them and keep track of what else needs to be done.
Plan cleaning items for about a week before your party. It’s going to take a while to get your house in entertaining shape. Before the party cleaning can be the worst part of the party, but it will pay off when people come into your home and feel at home and comfortable. Think of all the compliments you’ll get.
About 5-7 days ahead, you’ll want to do a big cleaning. Included in the cleaning are the following tasks:
- Wash and clean windows and windowsills.
- Move furniture so you can mop and vacuum your rugs.
- Wipe all doorknobs, doorjambs and light switches.
- Thoroughly dust/clean all surfaces.
- Vacuum your upholstery and your vents.
- Shake and bang out the doormat.
- Replace lightbulbs wherever necessary.
- Wash your shower curtain.
- Scrub the sink, stovetop and the refrigerator, inside and out.
- Clean the exterior of your kitchen cabinets.
- Clean the top of your stove.
- Scrub bathrooms including tubs, sinks and toilets.
- Pick up clutter and recycle items that aren’t being used.
This will take you a few hours so you should enlist all the help you can get. This would be an excellent time to invite Garcia Green Cleaners to come in and do the bulk of this cleaning for you.
When cleaning start with the most important rooms like the bathroom(s), living room and kitchen. You can take shortcuts like not cleaning the kids’ rooms or your bedroom if no one will be going into them. Get paper products for after-party cleanup so you’re not washing a ton of dishes and especially if the party is informal.
During the week of the party, after you’ve done the big clean, you should pick up around the house daily. Spend about half an hour doing this. The day of the party, you should:
- Mop and vacuum all floors
- Dust and wipe and surfaces
- Clean the kitchen
- Clean the bathroom(s)
- Be on the lookout for clutter and get rid of it.
Now, you’re ready to party. Next week, we’ll talk about how to clean up after a party. Like we said, if you need help on either end of your party, we, at Garcia Green Cleaners, are happy to be there for you. We can be reached in Austin at 512-705-2812.