Post-Party Cleanup and Decorating for the New Year

So drinks have been clinked and the new year has come in with a bang. Sensibly, you decided to invite your friends to yours to celebrate – after all, entertaining at home brings the benefit of not having to fight the crowds, not having to find an over-priced taxi home, and being able to sleep in your own bed. But in the hard light of the morning after the night before, you are starting to question the benefits. All around is the chaos of your favourite revellers, the aftermath of a fantastically good time but one you simply have to tackle.

Ready to tackle that post-party cleanup and gather some simple ideas for getting your home ready for the new year? Good, because here are our top tips to make it easy.

Before You Go To Bed

Once you’ve ushered the last guest out the door, if you have the energy, consider tackling a bit of the cleaning before turning in for the night. It’ll make the morning just a bit easier to handle, especially if you are suffering from a hangover.

Empty half-full glasses and bottles down the sink and clear plates of any half-eaten food. Wrap up and put leftover food in the fridge and walk around with a bin bag to easily get rid of disposable plates or cups. If there are any stains, try to tackle these immediately rather than wait until they’ve set as they’ll be harder to remove the next day. Remember, in a pinch, white wine will remove red wine stains and you can even use a few drops of leftover beer to remove stains too.

Work Toward the Kitchen

The next morning, you’ll want to work from rooms like the living room or dining room towards the kitchen. This will ensure the mess is gathered towards an endpoint rather than being spread too much around your home.

Start with gathering like-for-like; all the glasses can be placed together next to the sink, all the dishes stacked on top of one another. Collect all the bottles and any cardboard containers together for recycling and take everything out to the recycling bins or general waste bins as soon as you can to clear any clutter.

Clean Peripheral Rooms

In the living room, make sure all your surfaces are clear, rearrange any furniture you may have moved and tidy up. Go over surfaces with a damp cloth to remove crumbs and sweep and hoover the floors.

In the entryway or any other high traffic areas like hallways, mop the floors and vacuum rugs and carpets.

Tackle the Kitchen

For any dishes or serving plates with leftover grease or dried-on food, stack these in the sink with some hot water and a bit of washing up liquid and let them soak for around 30 minutes while you get on with stacking the dishwasher or hand-washing.

Empty bins and clear surfaces and finally, vacuum and mop the floors and disinfect the surfaces.

Clean the Bathrooms

Clean and disinfect sinks, taps and toilets and be sure to replace any towels with fresh ones. Mop the floors and wipe down wall tiles too.

The House is Clean – Now What?

If you are nursing a hangover, reward yourself of all your hard work by drinking plenty of water to rehydrate and taking it easy for the rest of the day! However, the days that follow are an opportune time be time to pack away all that Christmas and New Year decor and put it all back in the loft or garage for next year.

Many times when we remove the excess decorations, our homes may feel a little flat and bland. It’s a great time of year to reassess what odd jobs need tackling and what improvements you can make to your home over the coming months.

If there’s excess clutter, consider editing down to those items you use all the time or really love. Gather up any items you haven’t used all year or which no longer speak to you to make a charitable donation.

In the meantime, consider refreshing your home with a few inexpensive touches. You may want to rearrange furniture to improve the flow or make swaps between rooms to give items you’ve had for a long time a new context. Consider swapping a rug from one room to another or switching up the cushions in your living room with those on your bed or creating that gallery wall you’ve been planning but haven’t gotten around to doing.

Plants are always a great way to give a room some additional life and don’t have to be expensive. Gather a few in a sunny corner or along a windowsill to create your own indoor garden. If you struggle to keep plants alive during the coldest months, consider some faux plants which will give the illusion of fresh life in a space – they are more realistic-looking now than ever.

Looking for more tips on updating your home in the new year? Check out our blog post for our top tips!

 

You may also enjoy these posts on the Tile Mountain blog…

New Year Resolutions For Your Home