This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Rubbermaid and Sharpie but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #RubbermaidSharpie http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO I love hosting parties and get togethers with friends. Pair that with Ryan's insane love for football, and we end up throwing a huge Super Bowl party every year. Parties are awesome - until it comes time to clean everything up after your guests have gone home. Today I want to share five ideas that will alleviate the stress surrounding party clean-up after the big game.
1// Simplicity. I know it is really tempting to go all out and purchase every single decoration at the party store, but keeping it simple will drastically minimize the amount of time you spend, both setting up, and cleaning up. While I definitely encourage festive flare at a party, I also know that people will be more interested in the game on the big screen, rather than the 50 streamers I hand-twisted and hung throughout the dining room.
2// Start With A Clean Slate. It is much easier to quickly clean up after a party if you had a clean house before it started. Make sure that dirty dishes are out of the sink, the dishwasher is empty and any unused decorations are put away before your guests arrive. This will allow you to...
3// Clean As You Go. Make it a point that at the end of every quarter, you do a quick sweep for abandoned plates or empty containers on the food table. By spending five minutes here and there on clean up, you'll be surprised at how little there is left over after the game.
4// Choose Disposable. I am the first to admit that I love presentation. Sometimes I have given into that passion and used regular plates and silverware at gatherings. This is fine for a small dinner party, but hosting a casual, large Super Bowl party calls for disposable items. You will have enough to clean without adding 50 extra dishes on top of that. Also, make sure to place a few trash cans in key places around the house (i.e., next to the food table, in the living room, etc). People are much more likely to clean up after themselves if there is a trash can readily available at all times.
5// Create A To-Go Bar. One of the biggest hassles after a party is dealing with all of the leftovers. Either it takes forever to put everything away or you just honestly have no need for 70 extra chicken wings. I never want to waste or throw away food, so offering a To-Go Bar is the perfect solution.
By pre-labeling containers with your guests' names, it encourages them to take items home. I like to provide various sizes of Rubbermaid containers.
They are inexpensive and allow people to keep different food items separate from each other. Just set up a to-go area near the food table, so guests remember to take some goodies with them.
I also include to-go bags on the table to make carrying the containers easier and the napkins in case of spills en route. Having a To-Go Bar eliminates the majority of leftovers and keeps party food cleanup and storage to a minimum.
If you want to make your own, inexpensive To-Go Bar for the Super Bowl next weekend, Target currently has both a Sharpie and Rubbermaid mobile coupon available! I was able to get this 40 piece set for around $5! Just text "COUPONS" to "Target" (you type the word target where you would normally type the phone number). You can get $1 off both a pack of Sharpie markers and Rubbermaid food storage containers. The coupons are running through February 8.
I'd love to hear any of your other creative ideas for stress free party clean-up! I know that I personally am much more likely to host a party if I'm not dreading the overwhelming mess that usually follows.
