Post Event Clean-Up Activities
The party is over; the guests have gone. Now, who is going to clean up? If the party host isn’t able to do it and didn’t specifically appoint someone, it may not get done, since everyone thinks it is someone else’s responsibility, so no one does it.
If your party will be held at a facility that provides clean-up services, you are fortunate, though you will still need to do a few things. Many facilities require the renter to pay a cleaning deposit. The party host will forfeit the deposit if the venue isn’t cleaned properly and in a timely manner. (Deciding to come back “in the morning” to clean up may not be an option if the venue is rented the next day.)
To insure that you get your deposit back, several days before the party ask someone to be in charge of clean-up activities or to assist the host in cleaning up. Don’t leave the host by her/himself to do it all, particularly late at night. Many hands can make the work go quickly.
If the host needs to ask someone to supervise the clean-up, choose someone who will understand the finer points of cleaning. Often, a young, single man does not have the same standards as a more mature friend or relative. Cleaning activities may include the following:
• Clearing tables and possibly washing dishes
• Removing gifts if the event was a birthday or anniversary party, a shower or a wedding
• Removing linens, decorations and centerpieces
• Dismantling tables and chairs or replacing them where they were originally found
• Stacking rented items for pick-up or returning them to the rental center the following day
• Cleaning the kitchen, including caring for left-over food and beverages
• Sweeping, mopping, and emptying trash
• Checking rest rooms and dressing rooms for trash and personal belongings
• Turning out lights, turning off air conditioners, and locking doors
Be certain the person in charge knows what to do with decorations and other items. You may need to provide containers for decorations, particularly breakable ones, and for food. If any of the decorations belong to the facility, note which ones. Also provide information on how to handle rented items - when the items will be picked up and where they should be stacked. If you are uncertain of the facility’s policies, be sure to ask, and if possible, get a written list of instructions. Most facilities will hold your cleaning deposit until they have had time to inspect the facility, then it will be returned if the cleaning meets their standards.
Though clean-up activities take some of the glamour out of the festivities, a few minutes spent delegating activities can save you money and headaches in the long run.
If your party will be held at a facility that provides clean-up services, you are fortunate, though you will still need to do a few things. Many facilities require the renter to pay a cleaning deposit. The party host will forfeit the deposit if the venue isn’t cleaned properly and in a timely manner. (Deciding to come back “in the morning” to clean up may not be an option if the venue is rented the next day.)
To insure that you get your deposit back, several days before the party ask someone to be in charge of clean-up activities or to assist the host in cleaning up. Don’t leave the host by her/himself to do it all, particularly late at night. Many hands can make the work go quickly.
If the host needs to ask someone to supervise the clean-up, choose someone who will understand the finer points of cleaning. Often, a young, single man does not have the same standards as a more mature friend or relative. Cleaning activities may include the following:
• Clearing tables and possibly washing dishes
• Removing gifts if the event was a birthday or anniversary party, a shower or a wedding
• Removing linens, decorations and centerpieces
• Dismantling tables and chairs or replacing them where they were originally found
• Stacking rented items for pick-up or returning them to the rental center the following day
• Cleaning the kitchen, including caring for left-over food and beverages
• Sweeping, mopping, and emptying trash
• Checking rest rooms and dressing rooms for trash and personal belongings
• Turning out lights, turning off air conditioners, and locking doors
Be certain the person in charge knows what to do with decorations and other items. You may need to provide containers for decorations, particularly breakable ones, and for food. If any of the decorations belong to the facility, note which ones. Also provide information on how to handle rented items - when the items will be picked up and where they should be stacked. If you are uncertain of the facility’s policies, be sure to ask, and if possible, get a written list of instructions. Most facilities will hold your cleaning deposit until they have had time to inspect the facility, then it will be returned if the cleaning meets their standards.
Though clean-up activities take some of the glamour out of the festivities, a few minutes spent delegating activities can save you money and headaches in the long run.
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