5. Nail down your pre-party cleanup
Even if you don’t have the weekend to thoroughly scour your home, you can still tidy in a jiffy by being intentional. And if you’ve been keeping up with your daily and weekly cleaning routine, you may not even have to lift a finger.
- Focus on the important areas: entryway (or mudroom), kitchen, living room and/or dining area, and guest bathroom(s).
- Clear away all clutter—even if this means putting everything in a basket or bin (for the time being) and tucking this away in an inconspicuous spot.
- Make room near the entrance for coats and shoes and other belongings (and have a plan for bulky winter coats, such as a rented clothing rack in a bedroom).
- Straighten the living room—fluff up throw pillows, clear off the coffee table, put away stacks of half-read books and magazines. Replace any burned-out lightbulbs.
- Empty the dishwasher so you have enough tableware—and space for holding all the dirty dishes during the party.
- Glassware can get dusty or grimy on open shelves—rinse it in hot water (skip the soap, which can leave lingering odors), then dry on a rack or with a lint-free cloth.
- Wipe down the bathroom sink and toilet, and clean the mirror and hardware; put out fresh soap and hand towels. Empty the wastebasket. Make sure to provide spare toilet paper rolls. Light a candle. Add flowers.
- Clear off kitchen counters of anything that’s not needed for meal prep or decoration. Take out the trash and empty the bins for recyclables.
- Lastly, clean the floors—a sure way to make a room instantly more presentable. Vacuuming is faster and more efficient than sweeping for removing dust and dirt from wood floors, plus you can use it to hit any other dusty surfaces.
6. be present during the party
There’s an etiquette to hosting guests. The following are tips on how to be an attentive host.
- Welcome every guest yourself—which lets you thank them for any gifts.
- Provide a place for guests to put their things, and offer to take their coats right away.
- Have snacks already set up around the space—and be sure to offer guests a drink within a few minutes of their arrival.
- Don’t spend all your time in the kitchen. If you are running behind with meal prep, enlist help while you make the rounds. Or bring the party to the kitchen (if it doesn’t gravitate there on its own).
- Refill water and wineglasses during a meal. Keeping pitchers of water and bottles of wine at both ends of a long table means guests can serve themselves (one less thing for you to have to remember).
- Don’t rush the meal—the dessert can always wait, and it will give you time to brew the coffee and put the teakettle on.
- But do clear off plates and glasses before they have a chance to pile up (and let people help if they want to). Just wait to start cleaning all those dirty dishes until after everyone has left.