On average, Americans will attend more than 8,000 social events during the course of their lifetime! Parties in particular are a great way to celebrate and reconnect with friends, family, and loved ones.

And a brilliant party will stick in people's minds forever, which is why putting the effort in as a host is always worth it and a lot of hosts look for extra party-planning help. In fact, the party and events market in the US is currently worth a whopping $4.9 billion!

However, party planning is only half the job. The post-party cleanup can be a real come-down from a great night, but it doesn't have to be. Preparing properly for your after party cleaning can make light work of it!

Want to know more? Then you're in the right place. Read on to find out everything you need to know about planning your post-party cleanup.

Planning Your Post-Party Cleanup

When it comes to throwing a great party, planning is everything. This ensures that the whole event goes off without a hitch and the post-party cleanup is no exception to this rule!

Because of this, it is a good idea to have a strategy for cleaning your home. This will ensure you do a thorough and efficient job.

To do this you will also need a well-stocked cleaning cupboard. Even if you don't use everything, it's useful to have it. The last thing you want when cleaning after a party is to realize you're missing a vital piece of your kit.

Cleaning up can be a big job so make sure to get help from your friends or housemates. That way you can delegate different jobs so things get done quicker.

If you have the budget, you may even want to think about getting in touch with an after-party cleaning business. This will be more expensive than doing it yourself, but decent after party cleaning prices can save you a lot of time!

With that in mind, let's take a look at five top tips on the after-party cleaning checklist to make your post-party cleanup as smooth as possible.

1. Get Air Flowing Through Your Home

After a party, there is almost always debris left lying around and this can make your home smell bad. Getting some air flowing through the house or apartment will immediately make it feel fresher.

To do this, open any blinds or curtains in your home and throw the windows and doors open. This will help you to see what you're doing and keep your head clear while cleaning.

This is especially important if you are going to use bleach or other strong cleaning products. These can give off fumes that will leave you feeling light-headed if you don't use them in a well-ventilated area.

To encourage airflow throughout your home, prop the doors open. This will also make moving between rooms while carrying rubbish a lot easier!

2. Clear Away Plates and Bottles First

Before you start deep-cleaning your home, you will need to clear the decks. This means getting rid of any rubbish, glasses, or plates left lying around.

It's a good idea to hang a garbage bag in each room and collect your garbage in this. This makes clearing each room a lot quicker than going back and forth between the kitchen and whichever room you're cleaning.

Once one garbage bag is full, throw it out straight away. The last thing you need lying around are bags full of rubbish.

You might want to use a tray to clear glasses and plates away from a room quickly. This will help you carry more to the kitchen.

If you have a dishwasher, stack this straight away and set it going once it's full. That way the washer will take care of one job while you get on with the rest!

3. Start With the Room Farthest From the Kitchen

Tidying your whole home can feel like a mammoth task, especially if you have to move between rooms. Often you will find you have to go back and forth between the kitchen when cleaning.

Because of this, planning which rooms you clean first is very important. The last thing you want is to mess up one room while trying to clear another.

This is why it's important to begin with the rooms that are farthest away from the kitchen. That way you won't end up walking through rooms that you have already cleaned while carrying rubbish.

When you do start cleaning, work through room by room rather than trying to clean the house all in one go. This ensures that you do a thorough job on each room and is a much more satisfying way to clean.

4. Spot Treat Any Tricky Stains

Whether you've had a house warming party or a movie night, tricky stains are inevitable at a party. These can come from people's shoes, from spilled drinks, or if a guest becomes ill.

Unfortunately, the chance of anyone dealing with these stains properly on the night is quite low. This can make them even more of a challenge to get out!

Because of this, you will need to spot treat any difficult stains as soon as possible. To do this, you will need to use specialist stain removal solutions.

Before using these make sure that you read the instructions to ensure you don't damage any of your home's furnishings. These will usually need to soak for a while before you clean them off, so apply your stain remover early in the day.

5. Do the Floors Last

The floors of your home can take a real battering during a party, particularly if you have carpets. Thankfully, this also means that cleaning them will make a big difference to the way your home looks.

However, it is important that you wait until you have cleaned a whole room before tackling the floor. For example, only once the rest of the bathroom is clean should you vacuum and mop the floor.

That way you won't mess them up again as you carry on cleaning the rest of your home!

Don't Let the Post-Party Cleanup Ruin a Great Night

When it comes to the post-party cleanup, the most important thing to do is have a plan of action. Sticking to this will ensure you tidy your home or venue up as thoroughly and efficiently as possible.

You're probably wondering how to I get people to pitch in and help out? The easiest way is to create a “Helping Hands List” using a free event planning app like the Pitch In Club The list goes out with your invites and people can choose whether they can help or not. Of course, they don’t have to, but if you don’t ask, you won’t know . This is the easiest way to get the word out. Once people start responding, you can easily track who’s coming and who was nice enough to offer a helping hand. That’s it!

For more great hosting tips, check out our Party Planning 101