Don’t Miss this Critical Step on Your Party Planning Checklist
We’re coming into the ultimate party planning season. Holiday parties at home; holiday parties at the office; holiday parties at community halls - parties, parties everywhere! If you’re the one planning the party, there is one detail that you do not want to miss.
That one critical detail? Cleaning the space where the party is happening.
At Clean Club Calgary, we’re no strangers to party cleaning, so I figured we’d share a few of our tips and tricks to make this often overlooked step in party planning a breeze.
What to Clean Before the Party
There’s no doubt that you want your space to be spotless for the party - whether it’s at your house, the office, or a hall. In my experience, though, I would not recommend a deep clean prior to the party. After all, your place will require cleaning again within a few hours, rendering all your efforts moot. Another reason is that most parties typically happen towards the end of the day when the light is lower. This means that dust won’t show nearly as much and these kinds of details are not paid much attention to (unless, of course, you have big dust bunny balls floating around…that’s a different story). In addition, unless you’re opening your entire home, your guests will mix and mingle in one central area. Rather than requesting a deep clean before your celebration, consider the following to ensure you get exactly what you need where you need it most.
Main party area: Think of where most of the party is happening. Is it in the living room? Perhaps it’s in the dining room for a sit-down dinner party? Think of the flow of people traffic. Wherever it’s highest, this is where you’ll want to focus your cleaning efforts. If they’re not going into your bedrooms, downstairs, or into your private office areas, then do not worry about having these areas cleaned.
Guest bathroom: Whichever bathroom(s) you plan on allowing your guests to use, absolutely have these deep cleaned prior. That’s just the healthy thing to do. I also recommend putting a scented candle in there as this will contain any odours you don’t want sneakily joining the party. Not to mention, it creates an inviting ambiance to the bathroom itself.
Floors: You are going to want to spend the most time cleaning the floors, especially if you’re asking guests to remove their shoes. You do not want your guests to lift their feet, only to find that their socks have picked up dirt and other floaties (e.g., hair - human and pet alike) on them. You also do not want guests to step in something sticky on the floor either. That’s a holiday surprise that nobody wants. Focus on having nice, clean, shiny, well-vacuumed and mopped floors.
Knickknacks: While you may not need to clean certain spaces, you may want to gather and put away knickknacks and other small appliances that are taking up space and won’t be needed during the party. In the kitchen, we recommend putting away the toaster, blender, and coffee machine (unless you’re using it), giving you more counter space. In living rooms, gather remotes, books, pillows, and other items taking up space and put them into containers/storage out of the way. This will ensure they don’t get lost or damaged, while also showing that it is a clean, well-organized space.
Create a feeling: Putting scented candles around your home (a safe distance from guests, drapes, and other flammable items, of course) is an added step to create a certain “togetherness” feeling. With these candles, you can then dim the lights a bit, which creates a cozy atmosphere for your guests.
Don’t Forget the Kitchen
I’ve hosted many team parties at my home. While I often make all the food myself, there have been times I’ve brought in a bartending service. I’ve also attended parties where the host has brought in a catering company to provide all the food for their guests.
Whoever you choose to bring in, they will require space to set up and prepare their drinks/food. This is typically done in the kitchen. If you are bringing in one of these services, then make sure to give them counter space - clear any dishes off the counters, empty the dishwasher, and remove small appliances they do not need. This allows them to be efficient in their prep work, along with their serving and/or clearing of dishes. This also lowers the risk of them damaging any of your items due to lack of room.
Unless you are having your party specifically in the kitchen, there is no need to clean it beyond the above, along with wiping down the fronts of your appliances and cabinets to remove any food splatters and fingerprints.
If you’re looking for a bartending service, I highly recommend Bartendo. All they need is a place to set up their bartending station with room to put glasses out and prepare drinks. For fun, have a drink list ready for your guests to choose from. Some of the customized drinks that Bartendo created for us in the past included the Vacuum Cleaner and the Boss’s Favourite. Delicious!
Think About the After “Party”
The party’s wound down. The candles have been blown out. Carols may have been sung. Laughs were absolutely had as friends joined in celebrating another year. Now they’ve left and you’ve turned the lights on only to find…
The after party clean up that remains! Yikes!
THIS is when we recommend that you invest in a deep clean - including the areas of the house you didn’t have cleaned before the party.
Plus - who really wants to clean up AFTER the party?
Whether you are or are not bringing in cleaners to clean the following day, there are a couple of things that I recommend you do either way:
Put your dishes in the dishwasher and run it. This will help keep any food from sticking to your plates or needing extra elbow grease come the morning.
Put any remaining food away, especially if you have animals who can easily access the counter (like my curious cat loves to do). This way the food won’t go bad, and you’ll have tasty leftovers the next day and your animals won’t run the risk of eating anything that could make them sick. No one wants to make an emergency visit to the vet the day after a party (or ever, really).
A benefit to hiring caterers or bartenders is that they usually clean up after themselves. They clean their dishes and often put other dishes in the dishwasher. The Bartendo crew I used did this so all I had to worry about was wiping down my floors and other surfaces the next day.
Chances are you’re so busy getting ready for a party, focusing on the tiny details to ensure your guests have a good time, that you really don’t want to worry about cleaning. Plus, even if you’re doing the bare minimum to clean your space ahead of time, this can still take up to three hours, time you could be using to prepare the food (or organize the caterers), set up sitting spaces, remove any knickknacks, and get yourself ready. Don’t stress yourself out by adding cleaning on top of everything else on your checklist. Bringing in a cleaning company to do a quick clean before the party, and a deeper clean one post party will allow you to simply enjoy the holiday fun before, during, and after you host.
If you’re planning your holiday party and need support with the cleaning part of your to-do checklist, connect with us for a quote. We’re here to help you celebrate with ease.