Hosting your first party in a new apartment can be a blast, but the adrenaline quickly runs out after the party when you’re faced with a huge mess. Cleaning up afterward, though, doesn’t have to be stressful. Want to know how to clean up easily and quickly after your first apartment party? Read on below!
Make it easy on yourself
With a few simple steps, you can make your cleanup process much easier, and it can start before the party! Make sure there are trash cans in noticeable places in each room so that people know where to throw their trash.
Additionally, when you’re ready for the party to wind down but don’t want to directly tell everyone to go home, start cleaning up. This gesture will let people know the party is ending soon, and some people might pitch in and help you.
Take it one step at a time
It can be easy to get overwhelmed by the big mess that follows after a party, but if you divide your cleaning process into easy steps, it’ll go much quicker. First, focus on the rooms and areas that are furthest from the kitchen or front door, as all your dirty dishes will go to the kitchen, and your trash will go to the front door, so those areas will tend to get dirtier throughout the cleaning process.
Bathrooms first
Start your cleaning process in the bathroom. Bring a garbage bag with you and empty the bathroom trash can into it, and pick up any other trash that might be lying around. From here, spray and clean off the mirrors, vanity, and toilet with a cleaning spray.
You want to clean the cleanest parts first and work your way to the dirtiest, or else the grime on your rag will make other areas dirty. Do the mirror first, then the vanity, then the toilet.
High areas before floors
Once you’ve finished cleaning your bathrooms, work your way out through the hallways and living room, first cleaning any raised surfaces. Your floor will get dirty throughout the whole process, so save this step for last.
Stack up any used plastic cups first to help them take up less space in your trash bag. Clean up any other trash that might be lying around, and then wipe down tables and other surfaces with another DIY cleaner.
Kitchen
Throughout the cleaning process, bring any dirty dishes to your kitchen and put them in your sink. Save dishes and kitchen counters for the end, until you’re sure you’ve gotten all the dirty dishes from everywhere else in your apartment.
Like everywhere else, take care of kitchen cleaning tasks from top to bottom, starting with your cabinets and backsplash and moving down to the floor.
Floors everywhere
Once you’ve done most of the cleaning in every room in your apartment, it’s time to tackle the floor. It’s easiest to save this step for the end and do it all at once. First, sweep or vacuum everything, and try to avoid sweeping dirt into any sticky spots on the floor.
After sweeping, take care of those sticky spots left by spilled drinks or food. For a great hardwood floor cleaner, mix half a cup of ammonium into a bucket of hot water (and avoid bleach, as when it combines with ammonia, it can produce poisonous gases). Scrub the sticky spots with a rag or mop until you can’t feel anything there anymore. Then, fill the bucket with hot water again and a cup of white vinegar. Use this mixture to wipe or mop down the floors.
