It is always fun to plan an elaborate party and see it come
to life. However, in addition to the
pre-work of the party, afterwards always comes the drudgery of the after meal
clean-up, including clearing the table and washing up the dishes. Here are some professional party planning
tips for dealing with your after meal clean-up and dish washing to help make
your life a bit easier.
Tip #1 – Devise a simple plan ahead of time on how you will
deal with such issues as storing your leftover food items, dishwashing, and
trash disposal. If you will be keeping
leftover food items for your family to eat at a later time, then make sure you
have enough of the right sized bowls and platters to store them on in your
refrigerator. If you will be sending
leftovers home with other people take the time to purchase some appropriate
disposable containers which you can give to them and not have to worry about
them being returned. For the dishwashing
component, decide ahead of your meal which items can go in your dishwasher and
which cannot. For your trash and
recyclable items, have bags inside containers placed at strategic locations
around your home. Assign someone to look
at them from time to time and empty them when necessary.
Tip #2 – One of the best things you can do to make your life
easier post-meal is to start off with a clean kitchen and refrigerator. The day before your party take the time to
clean out your refrigerator and remove all unnecessary clutter from your
kitchen and countertops. By doing this
you will be able to work on your counter tops and easily clean them. In addition, you will be able to simply open
the refrigerator to store things without having to move things around to make
room.
Tip #3 – Another one of the best things you can do for
yourself is to clean up your dishes and messes as you are preparing the meal
itself. Your goal should be to sit down
at the table with your guests, with as little waiting in the kitchen to be
cleaned up as possible. By doing this,
you can ensure that the only dishes which will have to dealt with are those
which are sitting on your table.
Tip #4 – Once your meal has concluded is the time where you
should gather up all of the dishes from the table, scrape them, start soaking
them in water while you continue to clear the table of leftovers, and then wash
all of your dishes either in the dishwasher or by hand. While it is always very tempting to let the
dishes sit until your guests have gone home, you will find the work is much
easier if you do it right away at the conclusion of the meal. While you are clearing off the table gather
up any leftovers and immediately put them into containers and into your
refrigerator for safety.
Tip #5 – It is polite for people to ask to help clean-up
after the conclusion of a meal. Allow
your friends and family to help you out.
This will make your clean-up go much quicker and smoother. It will also allow you to get back to
enjoying your company as soon as possible.
Tip #6 – Your party day is not the time to deal too much
with what goes in your dishwasher and what you hand wash. Things which are dishwasher safe should go in
the dishwasher, and when it is completely full that is the time you should
start hand washing what is left. Hand
washing while everything is soaking makes it a very easy task, and your hand
washed dishes can then rest on a drying rack while you get back to your party
and guests.
Tip #7 – If you find a pot which is very miserable to wash
and doesn’t want to come clean, let it soak overnight with a solution of baking
soda and dish soap. This will allow it
to be easily cleaned the next morning.
While clearing the table and washing dishes is never the
most fun part of a party, it can be relatively simple and pain free when you
incorporate the tips above.
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