6 Dinner Party Tips for Easy Clean Up from a Girl Who Hates to Clean
It's practically October and the "holiday season" is in plain view. (Yipee!) Besides greedily thinking about what I'd love to get for gifts, entertaining is on my mind. I love throwing a fun get together, but I'll be the first to admit that cleaning is not my strong suit. It's just seriously not an interest of mine. That was hard to write with a straight face, by the way. Messes give me a headache and I totally hate dishes. There, I said it. Too bad eating without utensils isn't socially acceptable. I'd be game for that.
6 Dinner Party Tips for Easy Clean Up
Serve appetizers that can be eaten on a cocktail napkin. Drastic? Maybe, but we need to think about the aftermath here people. If you're serious about keeping your mess to a minimum, we have to get all boot camp with this thing. Cheese and crackers, pre made veggies in portable plastic dip cups, things you can stab with a toothpick. Let's do this.
Tag It. Personalize things like cups and straws. Not only does it make for simple and cute decor, but the goal is to reduce the chances of people grabbing more. Pet Peeve: Having to clean 3-4 cups per person. If you tag their stuff, they'll hang on to it throughout the party.
Keep decor simple. Let's face it, everyone already knows they are at a party. You don't need to go overboard. The less you decorate, the less you'll have to clean up. Totally practical. Think candles and a lovely centerpiece. The cute tags you create (see above) will also play up the decor.
Line it. Garbage bag, parchment paper, plastic or foil, tablecloths. From baking with parchment paper to using a tablecloth, lining surfaces that will get messy during your party will reduce cleanup time drastically. Do it!
Clean as you go. I'm not a fan of getting distracted when I have company but making drop offs to the kitchen will help. If you have a dishwasher, stick washables right in throughout the party. If you are in the market for a new dishwasher, check this out. The ElectroluxStainless Steel Dishwasher with IQ-Touch™ Controls (EI24ID50QS) could be a life saver when it comes to getting the job done fast. It boasts a professional level clean in only 30 minutes. That means no staying up waiting for the dishes. It also has Luxury Soft Grip Racks to hold your dirties in place to prevent flipping for a better clean. Just look at how many dirty dishes can fit into that thing. Total wishlist item right here.
Designate. Most likely you aren't the only host in the house. Dole out clean up responsibilities to your family members. Make sure to do this before the party starts so everyone can jump right on their tasks when guests leave.
Ah. Good clean fun. Just the way it should be! 
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Compensation was provided by Electrolux via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Electrolux.
What are your favorite time saving clean up tips? Am I the only one who hates cleaning?
Cleaning is not my thing either. My teens used to do most of the cleaning for me, but 2 of them are away at college now, and I have started to have to clean again.
I hate cleaning, but I do enjoy entertaining. Thanks for the tips, I'm always looking for shortcuts.
Cleaning, I avoid it at all costs...but alas, someone has to do it! These are all fun tips, that I will definitely be putting in to practice this holiday season. I'd rather eat, socialize and forget the mess!
These are all great tips! We do most of our entertaining in the summer time by the pool. I hate clean up so any short cut ideas are definitely welcome!
During holiday season, we use the finer things and clean up can be a pain. Other times, I reach for throw away items; paper goods that make life easier. Good tips!
I love your tips. I also hate cleaning.
Whenever I'm doing a party, especially for the kids I get most of my stuff from the dollar store so I could just throw everything away.
My favorite tip and one I do for every party is line it. I line everything with paper or a cheap table cloth from a dollar store. so much easier to put stuff away that needs put away, then fold the whole cloth/paper thing up and toss it.
Clean as you go - is my main party tip! Cleaning as I go saves so much time in the end!
These are good tips for cleaning every day.
These are good clean up tips for every day cleaning as well.
I can't stand the clean-up. It's a total drag and makes me curse the day I decided to have the party. I'm all for these kinds of tips.
Love how you personalized those straws! How cute!
I hate cleaning too!
I am definitely going to be using these tips in a few weeks when my youngest has his Halloween themed birthday party.
rainbow loom bands are GREAT to 'label' kid drinks and silverware. each kid gets a color. unless you have 34 kids. and then there's no hope.
These are all great tips and like you, I hate to clean! I am the type of person who will clean as I go just to minimize the mess.
Lining things definitely helps!
Those are great tips! Cleaning is the worst part of a party!
Thanks for these time saving tips! I hate to clean too!
Right? It's such a simple but MUST DO thing!
I love to entertain but hate the clean up, so thanks for the tips! I'll be putting them to use for my next party.
I agree with these tips, if you make entertaining easy you are more willing to do it. I always put on my serving plates before I start cooking so I have a place for them.
That is a great idea! Love it! Every little thing to make clean up more simple is always a good thing in my book.
Love the idea of tagging things. It's so true, even at adult parties, that a cup gets put down somewhere, forgotten and another is quickly found to replace it. It used to boggle my mind how a party with 20 people could somehow use 50+ cups. - Katy
Right? You really nailed that all! That is exactly what would happen and totally agree that it's mind boggling.. but oh-so-real! Thank goodness for tagging!
I would love one of these stainless steel dishwashers! Mine came with our home when it was built 9 years ago and the technology defintiely has changed.
I usually clean up as I go.
The kids all get paper plates and cups {labeled} so we know who's who's and then they are tossed.
We do a lot of pot lucks so everyone brings a dish so I am not up to my elbows in grease at the end of the night.
Great tips!
I am ALL FOR shortcuts when it comes to cleaning. I hate it, too!