How to Clean Up After a Party

If the party was great, but the mess is greater here’s a few ways to help handle PPS (Post Party Stress):

Trash bags are awesome. Have many of them handy, you will need them! Hit every room of the house and pick up any and all trash. Take any bottles and cups with liquid to the sink so you can pour stuff out and discard the cans, bottles, etc.



Get rid of anything that may begin to smell bad. If you plan on cleaning up some of the mess now and cleaning the rest in the morning it’s a good idea to clean up anything perishable that may begin to reek. Any leftover food or drinks might be enticing for bugs and other unwanted pests so be sure to at least get rid of that. You’ll thank yourself in the morning.

When cleaning broken glass, which is inevitable after most parties, pick up as much of the big pieces as you can by hand or sweep them up. You can use the vacuum cleaner for the smaller pieces. There will almost always be some remaining shards that the vacuum cleaner or broom may miss so it helps to sprinkle some water on the area and blot with a paper towel to remove the smaller finer pieces.

Tackle spills immediately. Keep paper towels handy to blot up excess liquid and it may not be a bad idea to keep some club soda or Sprite handy to help avoid a stain.

Remove all trash from the floor before you vacuum. Clogging up the vacuum cleaner isn’t going to speed this process up. A clean floor will make the whole room look a lot cleaner.
Load the dishwasher if you’re lucky enough to have one. If not, pile dishes in the sink to be washed and tackle them last.

Take out the trash after it’s all been collected and open up the doors and windows to air the place out. Febreze the furniture and if it’s really bad, sprinkle baking soda all over the furniture to help absorb any lingering odors such as cigarette smoke. Leave the baking soda on the furniture while you do other things and vacuum it up later.

Party Type Stain Removal Methods:

· Beer Stains – Mix 1/3 cup vinegar and 2/3 cup water and saturate the stain. Scrub with a clean cloth.

· Vomit Stains – (One of the most unpleasant party stain of all..) Remove the vomit from the floor and cover the stained area with baking soda. This serves three purposes: It absorbs the smell, absorbs the moisture, and it’s more pleasant to look at baking soda than vomit. You’re going to want to air out the room quick! The smell of vomit is probably going to make other people vomit too and then you have a much bigger mess than you started with. Leave the baking soda alone for 15 minutes and vacuum it up. Make a mixture of 2 cups of warm water, 1 tablespoon of dish soap, and one tablespoon of white vinegar. Use a sponge or cloth to gently scrub this into the carpet and use clear water to rinse it out.

· Wine Stains on Carpet – Mix a tablespoon of Dawn dish soap with a cup of hydrogen peroxide and blot the stain until it is gone.

· Other Carpet Stains – Keep vinegar and water handy in a spray bottle in equal portions to tackle any other stains that may occur.

· Upholstery Stains- Keep hydrogen peroxide handy. Be sure to test it on an inconspicuous area of the upholstery first to test for colorfastness.