It’s Thanksgiving weekend, and this is a sign of the times. From here on out, we can all expect a string of Christmas parties and gatherings here and there, both with family and friends and with colleagues. After almost 2 years of spending our parties via Zoom and Facetime calls, we can now proceed with the holiday celebration being physically together. What a time to be alive.

While it’s almost a wonderful time of the year, these parties also mean dealing with a bunch of mess and cleaning, before and after the party. Pre-Christmas cleaning is just as important as after-party tidying.

Office parties are particularly more intense to deal with since you need to ensure that you have a space that is conducive for parties and that you return to a neat and tidy workplace once the party’s over.

Pre-party cleaning

Here are some quick cleaning tips you can do before the celebrations start.

Clean your washrooms

You may not realize it early on, but washrooms are a major thing during office Christmas parties. It’s where everybody tends to their personal business, which understandably accelerates when the party is in session.

Before your party starts, make sure that your washrooms are cleaned and sanitized for everybody’s use. Guarantee that there’s no foul lingering inside. You can use an aroma diffuser to make your washrooms pleasant-smelling. See to it that cleaning supplies are well-stocked and ready for use in the case of mishaps and spills.

Declutter.

Keep away stuff that will not be used for the party. This minimizes the risk of property damage and provides more space for more useful things for the party. Sanitize every counter and surface before the people pile in.

Vacuum your floors.

To dust or to vacuum? We’re going for the easier and more efficient answer: vacuum it. The combination of vacuuming and swabbing your office floors and carpet keeps it clean for a longer period. Moreover, doing so reduces the concentration of dust in the air, contributing to a better quality of indoor air and overall cleanliness.

Now, a follow-up question must be playing in your mind: should I clean my carpet or get it professionally cleaned? Well, the answer depends. For larger offices, which would cover larger floors or carpentry, we suggest having your floors professionally cleaned. It saves you a lot of time and trouble, so you could go over and focus your energy on more important details for your party.

Check your bins.

Ensure that your trash bins are empty and have a fresh set of garbage bags before the party. During the party, these bins can get pretty loaded in no time so make sure that the bags get changed every now and then, as these can create a lot of mess and may even yield a foul smell if left unattended. You can hire janitorial services, so you don’t have to worry about it as the party ensues. There are a lot of commercial cleaning companies in Litchfield County, Connecticut that you can call when the need arises.

So, the party’s over. The not-so-fun part of the party follows. How do you go about the after-party clean-up? Here’s how.

After Party Cleaning

Be prepared for thorough cleaning.

Countertops, washbasins, toilets, urinals, and every surface imaginable must be thoroughly cleaned. You want to make sure that all bacteria are eliminated, and that these surfaces and spaces are safe for reuse.

You also want to ensure that all the dishes and utensils, glasses, sinks, and other items used to serve food are clean. Don’t forget to check your refrigerator as well, and have it cleaned as possible.

Empty your bins.

Quickly empty your garbage cans after the party, so that these do not create a sickly sight and produce an unpleasant smell in the office.

Cross-contamination in cleaning is a huge possibility. Make sure you are handling your garbage properly. Incorrect garbage disposal and improper bin cleaning can breed germs that can in turn become a health risk for people in the office.

Store your decorations properly.

The party’s over but that doesn’t mean you can go and wreck everything, because that becomes a real possibility for some parties. If you’re serious about saving up, carefully remove your decorations, wrap them properly, and store them in a dry and secure place. You can still use them when needed, plus it makes the clean-up process more efficient.

Organize your mess.

This bit is actually something that you should ensure before the party. Distribute bins that are easily accessible to people for their mess and leftovers.

It’s important to create a partition for your mess so that the cleanup is not next to impossible. Distributing the mess to different bins creates a more manageable cleaning process for you. Strategically place bins during the party so that people can use them as needed. You can also provide labels if you want to separate plastics from biodegradables. This is also beneficial to you.

Hire professional cleaners.

If the party becomes out of hand or you just want to get some rest afterward, you always have the option to hire cleaning experts. Professional cleaners can easily help you out in dealing with the mishaps and the remains of what has happened.

Cleaners can easily take care of your space: they have the right tools, are knowledgeable about how to clean a certain kind of mess, and can do it in the best and most efficient way possible. The way you’re looking at it, your place will be ready in no time for the next party you’ll have, and the cleaning is right out of your hands.

And there you have it. Office cleaning before and after the party is a little bit tedious, but let’s face it, all kinds of cleaning are done. And it’s totally okay to feel overwhelmed about it. You can always just call the experts if the cleaning is something you don’t feel like doing. After all, you just had a great party after two years.