Below is the plan we use to clean our house after a game day weekend. Tailgating in Baton Rouge and Lafayette means that the inside of the house isn't the only area in need of a post game day cleanup.
A game day in Baton Rouge and Lafayette means a lot of people coming in and out of your house all day and night. If you're the host or hostess, you have to think about what you're going to clean before the party, and what you're going to clean after the party so that everything is picked up and ready to go for the next group of guests.
Cleaning before the party means emptying the trash, putting away unnecessary serving dishes and anything else on the counters and clearing away dishes and cups. Cleaning before the party also means getting the guest bathroom ready by stocking it with any supplies guests may need.
It also means getting the dirtiest area guests will be using the most clean enough so new dirt will be easy to see later.
If you're serving food outside, get the porch, patio and/or yard clean enough to support the amount of people you expect to be using the space.
The area that will see the most use is the kitchen, so that should be cleaned before people start arriving too. You don't want to be left serving food from a dirty kitchen.
Not every cabinet needs to be organized before a home game weekend. Counter space, a clear (or mostly clear) sink, and ample room to set down food and drinks to be set out or transportation trays to and from the kitchen, along with space to store used cups and dishes, is what is meant by functional cleanliness.
That's the difference between cleaning for appearance and cleaning for function.
If your home requires more than a quick "pre-party reset," Come Back Clean's Momma's Way service offers more detailed cleaning and can give attention to areas such as cabinet fronts, doors, baseboards, blinds and window sills. Come Back Clean also states that Momma's Way is great for "preparing your home for company."
Damage Control During Gameday: Two Habits That Save You Hours Later
You don't need to follow guests around with a cleaning cloth.
Habits one and two cover most of the work.
1. Make Trash Obvious
People are more likely to throw something away when the trash can is clearly visible.
If everybody is hanging out in the living room and you only have a small trash can under the kitchen sink, don't make guests bring their trash all the way to the kitchen.
Keep trash visible. Same with recyclables.
2. Tend to Spills
A spill of a chip can wait.
A wet or greasy spill can not.
Ps. This can be applied to any mess really. The main rule is keep it small.
Clean up spills before they get walked through or set on.
Superficial cleaning is all you need to do to take care of spills during a party and get back to your guests.
Those habits can really help you on a Sunday.
The Sunday Order of Operations
There are some rules about how to do things to make sure you can get everything done. Trash and food come first. Leftover dishes and cups are collected before the tables and counters are wiped down. The guest bathroom gets cleaned before the floors are vacuumed and mopped. Outdoor areas get cleaned last as well.
There are different strategies for different areas of your house.
Prior to getting out your scrub brushes, make sure you get a trash bag and clear away obvious signs of a party first.
After that, dishes and the sink get cleared.
Surfaces get wiped down next.
The guest bathroom gets cleaned next as well.
When everything else has been cleaned, then and only then, should you get out your vacuum.
If you prepared food both inside and outside, take a look at the path between those two areas. Doorways and the floors immediately adjacent to them often tell the story of game day weekend the most.
Boil Pots and Outdoor Cooking Equipment Need to Be Serviced and Reset for the Next Use
Game day can be a bit of a mess, and that mess isn't always contained in the living room.
Outdoor cooking and food prep can leave behind a different mess than the indoor setup.
Outside, get the food and trash first, then remove other items. Don't immediately start spraying everything down.
For cooking equipment, follow manufacturer's directions to clean the equipment. Residential cleaning companies should not be assuming that all outdoor cooking equipment is cleaned the same way.
Look at the ground and see what has been tracked in from the backyard.
Around doors, there could be grass and soil, spilled drinks, and other messes. For different surfaces in your house, use the appropriate cleaner for that surface.
Pay attention to the path between the outdoor prep area and the kitchen. Between those two areas is where you are most likely to find food and soil tracked in.
While in Baton Rouge and Lafayette the biggest problem is containing the outdoor mess, inside the house the second biggest problem is containing the indoor mess.
When Should You Call for Clean Up After Gameday?
Not every Gameday requires professional clean up.
A few cups, a sink of dishes, and a vacuuming of the floor is not a big deal. You can easily tackle that yourself instead of turning it into an immense project.
Cleaning up after guests becomes more important when there is cleaning that needs to be done regardless of guests being there.
Maybe moving furniture to expose dusty baseboards, a less than thorough cleaning of the guest bathroom, or some detail cleaning of kitchen cabinet fronts, doors, blinds, or trim.
That is where a more in-depth cleaning service would be of greater value.
One of the limitations of professional cleaning is they are not able to assist you with repairs. That includes broken furniture or floors, damaged paint, plumbing issues, or other repairs.
If your home just needs to be reset, that is a different situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I Clean Before or After a Gameday Party?
Clean as best you can beforehand to make the highest impact areas (kitchen, bathroom, living area, entrance) presentable. After focusing on removing trash and food, then you can address the dishes. A little preparation the day before often alleviates a lot of work on game day.
What Is the Fastest Way to Clean Up After You’ve Hosted?
Always start with the removal of the largest waste object (trash) and end with the smallest (vacuuming and mopping.) Collect the dishes and cups and clear the food along the way. Clean the bathroom, and other surfaces along the route. If your guests used an outdoor space, make sure to clean the patio or porch as well.
Should I Book a Deep Clean Before or After a Home Game Weekend?
If you want your house presentable for guests, book the deep cleaning beforehand. Otherwise, if you expect your gathering to create a large mess, you may want to book the cleaning after. Of course you will want to confirm the cleaners’ availability in either case.
Does Come Back Clean Offer a One-Time Cleaning After Hosting?
Yes. For one-time cleaning, Come Back Clean recommends using Momma’s Way. This type of cleaning is deep and more initial and is best to prepare your home for company. You aren’t required to turn your one-time cleaning into a recurring residential service. It all depends on the current condition of your home and how much work is requested.
Need a Reset After Home Game Weekend?
Some Sundays call for a trash bag and a mop and an hour of work.
Others reveal your home needed a deeper reset before the first guest ever arrived.
Come Back Clean serves Baton Rouge and Lafayette markets. If your kitchen, bathrooms, floors, baseboards, doors, blinds, cabinet fronts or any other areas need more cleaning after you’ve had guests over, tell us the situation and what else needs to be cleaned.
What location do you need serviced? What is the current condition of the home? What areas need the most work? Come Back Clean provides a custom price quote based on your home, not a standard price for every job.
Get a cleaning quote for your post-gameday reset.
