We all love to create our own Come Dine With Me moment by inviting our friends and family members over for a three course meal and some fine wine. We catch up on recent news and reminisce about old times together; we chat, we gossip and we eat far too much, but these moments are precious. It would be wonderful if the good times could last forever, but when the last guest leaves, you’re often left with a large pile of washing up and quite a bit of mess. You might end up leaving the clean-up operation until the morning after, but either way it is nice to get it out of the way as quickly and thoroughly as possible. To help you do this, I’ve put together a few tips for cleaning up after a dinner party; here they are…
Clear the clutter first
Sometimes the mess can seem a bit overwhelming, so the best place to start is to get rid of some of the mess adorning your dining room table and in the living room. You’ll find empty bottles, cans and napkins, so make sure to recycle where you can. Once you’ve disposed of all the rubbish, you’ll be able to see exactly what is left in terms of washing up. If you have leftover food that you aren’t keeping, see whether you can put it in the compost rather than throwing it out for the landfill.
Make use of the dishwasher
Start with an empty dishwasher and fill it up methodically. If you have very soiled pans, try and soak these with grease fighting sprays, creams or liquids first and rinse before you load them in the dishwasher. Depending on how many plates, bowls and glasses you have, you may need to do more than one load if your dishwasher isn’t huge.
Clean the kitchen
Now that you’ve got a lot of the dishes and mess sorted out, it’s time for a deep clean in your kitchen. It’s all about making the countertop clean and hygienic and getting those pesky stains off the flooring tiles. There are various sprays that can help you here, and they’ll all have unique instructions for use to get the most out of them. For the floor, try a steam cleaner as it should loosen the stains. Alternatively, a mop and bucket would work too with a bit of elbow grease.
Use the vacuum cleaner
Finally, it’s time to unleash the vacuum cleaner in the living room and dining area. My personal recommendation is an upright Dyson vacuum as they’re powerful enough to pick up bits of food from the carpet. Make sure to use the hose and the extension tools as these should help you to get to those hard to reach places. Soon enough it will be job done and time for a nice relaxing cup of tea!
Maureen Buttner is blogger from Henley-on-Thames who loves dinner parties and summer BBQs. Her top cleaning products include her multi floor Dyson vacuum and all-purpose cleaning spray.