“Disaster”. That’s one word to describe after your house went upside down from a party that was held last night.
Waking up on a smell of last night’s alcohol and cigarette smoke is the worst experience you could ever possibly be. You walked outside your room and you saw a pile of used plastic plates in your living room, a pile of used plastic cups in your kitchen, beer bottles everywhere.
The wooden floor was sticky from spilled wine and cocktails, ashtrays were overflowing, and someone just threw up on your pool. In short, it’s a complete mess. But it was fun, though.
Here are the eight effective cleaning tips you can use to make your house come back to its glorious beauty after hosting a party:
1. Open your windows
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, opening your windows helps improve the air quality inside your house. Opening your window promotes ventilation which pushes the bad odor out of your house.
Hence, at Maid Sailors Maid Service Chicago, we always advise our professional cleaners and clients to open the windows first before cleaning. Doing so lets the air outside move through your home as it removes the odor left from the last night’s party.
Cracking your window wide-open will help reduce the foul smell of cigarette smoke and last night’s alcohol along with the smell of your sweaty guests.
2. Gather your cleaning tools
The best way to avoid a long clean-up after a party is to prepare before it even starts. Every party needs supplies and it could be better if you include some cleaning products and tools on your shopping list.
Keep your cleaning materials handy, such as microfibre cloths and paper towels to clean up any spills as they happen. You should also leave a garbage can or even a recycling bin in an obvious place to lessen your job after the party.
3. Load the dishwasher
Your post-party clean-up should begin and ends with your dishwasher. This also explains why having a built-in dishwasher is a huge help.
Before you begin with your party, you should empty your dishwasher. That way you can load it as much as it can handle when the party’s over. As your guests finished their meal, collect the dishes and put them in the dishwasher, or keep it all together in one area and load it all at once so you don’t have to make trips back and forth.
Once your dishwasher is running, you may start your clean-up and when you’re done, freshly cleaned dishes are ready to be used again.
4. Store the leftovers
Any leftovers from last night’s party, such as cooked food and ready-to-eat food like desserts and cooked meats, need to be kept in the fridge to help stop bacteria from growing on it.
When storing food, it is important to keep them in a sealed container so that’s it still safe to eat. You need to make sure your fridge is cold enough or bacteria that cause food poisoning will still be able to grow. Your fridge should be between 0ºC and 5ºC.
It may sound absurd but it could be better if you ask your guests to bring their own container so they can enjoy some food left from the party to their home.
5. Wipe counters and sinks
The kitchen might be the easiest to clean, especially if you only have the energy to get one room in shape for the night.
A shiny counter and clean sink are imperative before you begin with the real work. Dispose of any food remainders that may have made their way into your kitchen sink. And give your counters a wipe down with the use of your trusted and reliable home cleaner and disinfectant.
6. Sweep the floor
After-party floor cleaning is a hands and knees job. But sweeping your floor first with a good broom can lessen your misery.
Divide the room into small sections then start sweeping the dirt making it cluster. Avoid moving the pile of dirt all over the floor. As for that “dreaded line of dirt” that the pan always seems to leave behind, it is recommended to deal with it using a damp paper towel.
Once the excess dirt is removed, you can now start scrubbing and mopping the floor easily. Remember, sometimes it is the lighter tool that can help you deal with a heavy job.
7. Clean spotted stains
Dealing with stains in rug, carpet, and on your floor caused by spilled wine, vomit, and dips from last night’s party is a major pain in the head. This problem must be dealt with as soon as possible.
You will need a specific cleaning agent in each type of stain on each material. You can also use an all-purpose cleaner which will rip your pocket.
But let’s just say that you ran out of budget due to the party preparation and decided to create a DIY stain remover.
You can remove alcohol stain and its odor by mixing 2 cups of warm water with one cup of cleaning detergent. You can also remove wine stain by mixing 1 tbsp dishwashing soap, 2 tbsp of vinegar, and 2 cups of water.
In dealing with vomit, vigorously scrub with a mixture of 2 tbsp of baking soda and 1 tbsp of water. Voila! Dealing with these problems has never been this cheap.
8. Work one space at a time
Chaos doesn’t have to feel overwhelming if you go at it systematically.
Have a strategic plan. Break the room up into smaller sections. The idea is to clean your way from one part of the room towards the exit. Do not start cleaning in 10 places at once, because this will lead to unfinished work and a bigger mess.
Start from the top to bottom, from the inside out, to avoid getting dirty what you have already cleaned. The satisfaction of looking at a bright room will make your hard work worth all the effort.
9. Collect and throw the trash
Start by gathering all bottles, cans, and glassware and put them in the appropriate bins and dishwasher. Empty them and wash them in the sink. This will help you avoid ants, foul smells, and the possibility of your children (if you have any) drinking the leftover beverages.
Walk around the inside and outside of the house with trash bags, collecting paper towels, wrappers, cups, and plates, and put them immediately in the garbage bin outside your house to avoid ants and odor.
Once you’ve completed your long, rigorous clean-up, take a few minutes to relax and admire the work you’ve done. You are now the ultimate host: Master of both the prep and the subsequent mess.