Imagine this. You close the front door quietly after the last guests leave. Your dinner party was a huge success and you were able to catch up with loved ones you haven’t connected with in a while. A smile spreads itself broadly across your face as the night full of belly laughs and deep conversations comes to a close. What a great night. You know it’ll be one for the books. Finally, you turn to head to bed and your eyes begin to focus on your home that’s been the location of this memorable night. The laughter. The conversation. The connection. But also: the food, the dishes, the half-empty glasses. You stop in your tracks.
Your house is a mess. As sleep pulls at your eyelids, you wonder if maybe you can just go to sleep and forget about the mess until tomorrow. But no, you know the last thing you want to do when you wake up is look at dirty dishes and half-empty beverages. So, what can you do in the moment after guests leave that’ll get you to bed quickly but also reduce the morning clean up? Keep reading because we’ve got you covered!
Hosting dinner parties allows us to enjoy the special people in our lives in an intimate setting. Of course, we believe that time spent together is always time well spent. But, while we love connecting with others through hosting in our homes, we also have to deal with the part that no one enjoys: the clean up. After guests leave, there’s usually dishes upon dishes, kitchen utensils, half-empty cups and more to take care of. It’s tempting to leave all of this clean up for the morning, but Morning You never appreciates leaving it for her to do. So, what can we do after guests leave that’ll alleviate some of the post-dinner-party morning clean up? We’re so glad you asked!
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Cleaning #HostfulHacks:
Only Do These 3 Things After Guests Leave
1. After guests leave, load the dishwasher.
Let’s first rewind to the night before. Our best pre-dinner party #hostfulhack is to run the dishwasher the night before you host and then empty it in the morning. First, you’re guaranteeing all dinnerware, flatware, and glassware will be clean prior to your guests arriving. Second, an empty dishwasher helps clear the clutter off of your counters as you prepare dinner.
Now, with a clean and empty dishwasher, you’re ready to make your life easier later in the day. Once guests leave, simply load up the dishwasher. You’re likely going to have a full enough dishwasher to run it, but if you don’t, just getting the dishes off your counter tops is going to alleviate a lot of stress. If it is full, run it and you’ll have one less thing to worry about in the morning.
You’re likely going to have some items that are hand wash only. Save those for the morning. This is a nice compromise between cleaning it all or cleaning nothing. However, if you’re like us, you probably don’t like the clutter on the counter tops. Therefore, after you load your dishwasher with dishwasher-safe items, neatly stack hand-wash only items in your sink to clear your counter tops. Your kitchen counters are now clear and half your clean up done.
2. After guests leave, wipe down the counter tops.
Clear counter tops are so calming. We can’t explain why exactly, but it is so true. Even if the rest of the room is a mess, having clear counter tops always makes the room have an overall clean feeling. So, once you’ve loaded up your dishwasher, take a bottle of your favorite cleaner and wipe it all down! It is both literally and figuratively cleansing.
Additionally, another way to create a clean, inviting vibe in your home after guests leave, is through the scent of your cleaner. We love cleaners that have a clean scent, such as lemon, or calming scent, such as lavender, but choose what works for you — because when your home smells good, you feel good.
3. After guests leave, grab a basket.
The basket cleaning hack is absolutely one of our go-to favorites! Simply grab a large basket and throw all the out-of-place items in an area in it. Put the basket off to the side of the room, and deal with it in the morning. When hosting guests, you might find certain items in your home get shifted or moved and the basket hack is the best way to solve that quickly! This hack is especially helpful when hosting families with little ones. Those toys somehow get everywhere. Again, just toss all those items in a basket. Simply getting everything that’s out of place off the couches, chairs, table tops and floor will make you feel much more organized.
That’s it! When you’re simply trying to make your home feel more organized before bed, doing these quick tasks are going to make Morning You so happy. And, remember, while cleaning is not our favorite thing on our to-do list, it should never be a deterrent to welcoming loved ones in. So, do only what matters, and go to sleep with all those special memories you just made with loved ones in mind. After all, that’s what it’s all about.
Hap-Bee Hosting, friend!
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