You’ve just woken up with a fuzzy head. You can’t remember much of what happened last night. Your house is tip. There’s broken glasses, sticky stains, and beer bottles everywhere. As well as that, your hangover is raging at full capacity. When you’re hungover, the last thing you want to do is mong out in dirt (we hope…no judgement), and although it’s a task that prepares mental preparation, cleaning up is well worth it so you can lie across your sofa without putting your foot in a questionable liquid.
Here, we’re going to look at the fastest ways you can clean up after a party, so you can focus on the most important thing — nursing yourself to recovery!
A fresh slate
The best tip for cleaning up after your party, is to make preparations beforehand. Putting refuse sacks in each room not only stops you trailing a heavy, partially split bag through your house while spilling dregs from bottles and cans — this can also encourage your guests to put their rubbish in the refuse sack when they’ve finished their drink.
Take your bins out before people arrive, so if they are thoughtful drunks, they can head straight to the kitchen to put their rubbish in the bin (and probably get another drink. Okay, maybe they’re not that thoughtful). So, make sure it isn’t bursting at the seams before anyone arrives – effective waste disposal should not be overlooked, especially at parties!
If you have one handy, empty your dishwasher pre-party. In the morning, the first thing that you should do is clear your kitchen counters and surfaces to get everything away washing while you get started on the rest of the house. Glasses and dishes will be the main culprit of the mess, so once they’re dealt with, things will already look a lot better. If you don’t have a dishwasher, fill a washing up bowl with hot water and washing up liquid and let everything soak in there for the time being. Lay a towel out for extra drying room.
If you’ve got coasters, save your surfaces the pain of being stained by ring marks and get some coasters down! This will save you buffing them off later with non-gel toothpaste.
And breathe…
The odour of alcohol and stale hangover definitely isn’t one of our favourites. Before you begin the deep cleanse, open all your windows to circulate fresh air throughout the house. This will make a massive difference to how clean your house feels.
If you have any candles, place them around your house. Not only will this fight off any unwelcome smells but will also set a nice atmosphere for your delicate self.
Suds and all
A bucket of warm water and cleaner goes a long way. Starting from the front door where it all started, wipe down all the surfaces so that you can get rid of those invisible sticky stains that’ll catch you off guard in the future. Work your way through your house so that one chore is done and dusted. Literally.
Those stubborn stains
Got some stubborn stains? Mix four tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda with ¼ cup of water and scrub. After, mound some bicarbonate on the stains and leave to work out the stain while you clean the rest of your house.
Lastly, vacuum at the end of your cleaning ritual so that you can get the bicarbonate dust up, as well as any other rubbish you may have dropped along the way.
Now most importantly, hop in the shower, get your comfiest rags on and chill out with your favourite takeaway. We all know you deserve it.