De-Clutter: Before and After a House Party
Part of the challenge of throwing a successful house party is how to delegate the responsibility of cleaning before and after the party.
It is understandable if the family does not put effort in cleaning the house thoroughly prior to the party. The caterers are coming, the furnitures will be moved around and the party goers will throw clutter all over the lawn anyway. However, it is a good practice to put the house in order even before the party starts so that clean up later on will be a breeze.
The first thing that the family and the party planner should do is to decide which rooms will be open to the public. These rooms should be fixed and the furnitures should be kept to a minimum. Getting started in cutting back the clutter in these rooms is easier if everyone pitches in. Do not use expensive bedcovers because people will sit on the bed and possibly spill drinks on the covers. Buy stoppers for doors and extra mops around faucets.
After the party, you will need clever solutions to deal with the myriad clutter problems that have arisen all over the house. Soda cups will be everywhere, from the living room to the bathroom, but don’t call a dumpster just yet. Start with one room at a time and assign age-appropriate responsibilities to the members of the family.
If everyone has a task to do, each member will think twice before throwing stuff around indiscriminately again. Everyone will also have to let go of some items to keep the house clutter free. If they can’t throw their cluter away, at least put the extra items in one box where they can be found easily.