Dinner Party Cleaning Checklist
Stressing about being a hostess? Follow this quick cleaning checklist to prepare for everything from dinner parties to holiday parties! Don’t forget to check out the downloadable checklist and planner as well!
Girly brunch, Wine and Cheese soiree, Friendsgiving, Dinner party for your boss… (do people still do that or did I watch too much Mad Men?)
All delightful and lovely parties you can throw in your house or apartment.
But of course, the last thing you want is all of your girlfriends sipping their mimosas from dirty glasses. Or your boss noticing the giant clump of dog hair in the corner. Ick.
Fun as they are, parties always mean cleaning. And if you’re anything like me, cleaning your house before a party is the least exciting part of the whole plan.
(Who wants to scrub a toilet bowl when you could be making these delicious cocktails!)
If only we all had a magic wand that we could just wave, and everything would fall into place.
Alas, magic wands haven’t been invented yet. (And if you ever watched Click with Adam Sandler you might actually be glad about that…)
Luckily though, it’s fairly easy to clean house if you plan just a little bit ahead! Divide up the work by rooms so it’s more manageable. It’s also much easier to remember everything if you only have to focus on one room at a time. Running full speed through your apartment trying to accomplish little tasks along the way…not fun! Follow this quick guide to clean your home before your dinner party guests arrive and you won’t forget a thing!
Bathroom
Wipe down Mirrors
Get rid of those ugly water splashes, toothpaste bubbles, and weird streaks. If you have a glass cleaner, that works best. Plain water will actually make the streaks worse!
Scrub the Toilet bowl
Unpleasant to think about, but it must be done. You don’t want giant streaks running down the inside of your bowl.
And ladies, if you live with only girls and you’re having some gentlemen over, clean under the seat! We never think to lift it up ourselves. But weird stuff gets in that level between seat and bowl. Wipe it down. Then don’t forget about it again. For your own health and sanity as much as the men!
Sinks
Give the sink bowl and any counters around it a quick wipe. Get any loose hair out of the drain too.
And make sure to wipe down the faucet until it sparkles! If you have scouring powder, use it. There really is nothing better. (Cleaning sinks was my specialty as a child. At camp I was the designated “sink-girl” on cabin-clean-up days.) Scouring powder takes away those layers of smear and smudge and gives you a shine like nothing else.
Kitchen
Stove
Even if you aren’t planning on having guests in your kitchen, or if the meal is already cooked, still wipe down the stove. Some guest is going to wander in there looking for water or beer or the bathroom. And it’s pretty impressive if you’ve laid out a beautiful, tasty spread…and you have no mess in the kitchen.
People will wonder how you did it. Even if they’re quiet about it.
Countertops
Like the stove, countertops should be kept clean. This takes about 2 minutes…depending on the size of your counters. You don’t need to go all out. Just wipe them down, clean up spills, scattered spices, and any errant food bits.
If you want to take the extra measure and put away your less attractive dishware/appliances. Go for it. But this is your house and you do live here. Guests aren’t expecting a Four Seasons. You’re allowed to keep appliances and cookware on your kitchen counters. (I almost always have a pot on the stove because I run out of space in cupboards.) An unattractive toaster in the corner will be excused. A bunch of breadcrumbs or spilled sauce won’t.
Pro Tip: Having counters clear is super helpful for you later when you need places to set dirty dishes as you clean!
Take Out the Trash
This really goes for any room your guests will be in: bathroom, bedroom, living room, dining room. Anywhere there is a trashcan they might see…take it out. It just makes your home feel more inviting and classy. Like you make no trash at all!
But this is more true for the kitchen. Especially if you’ve been cooking. Take out the trash and recycling. If there are food scraps in there, you don’t want them stinking up the place.
It’ll make cleanup easier at the end too. You’ll have a whole empty trash to fill up.
Sweep/Mop
Cooking sometimes leaves a mess, so it’s always a good idea to at least sweep the floor of the kitchen before guests arrive.
If you think people will actually be in the kitchen, mop it too. Nothing like having guests standing on a greasy, sticky floor!
And if you’ve cleaned the floor thoroughly, you won’t have to worry about accidentally dropping dishes on their way to the table!
Living Room/Dining Room
Sweep/Mop/Vacuum
No doubt the living room and/or dining room is where most of your guests will spend their time. Take extra care to make this room presentable. Vacuum any and all rugs. Sweep all floors (including under the edges of said rugs). And mop the hard floors. Your guests probably won’t consciously notice. But you will. And sparkly clean floors add to the presence of the room.
Dust
Just like the counters in the bathroom and kitchen, you want to make sure the surfaces your guests will interact with most are clean. Layers of dust seem to accumulate instantaneously. (I blame Miss Daisy in our apartment. It’s always her fault.) Before guests come over just quickly make sure each surface is presentable. And doesn’t have a fine sheen of dust or crumbs.
Declutter
Get rid of any extraneous magazines, empty cups, mail, or general clutter. You want your space to feel clean and welcoming as people walk in. And you want each guest to have enough space for their cup or plate or hors d’oeuvre napkin!
Don’t go overboard. If you don’t live a minimalist lifestyle, don’t make it seem like you do. This is your home. Leave out your typical decorations, your books, your photos, little special knick knacks, anything that makes your home special to you. (Unless you’re worried they might get broken!)
Entry Way
Declutter
The entryway is the first glimpse your guests will get into your home. Keep it clean and tidy. Make sure there is space for guests to enter. They might need to take off their coats and shoes. This should all be as seamless as possible, so make sure there is space!
Put away anything that might get in the way. And anything that doesn’t present the image you want your guests to take away. That means mail, keys, wet umbrellas…anything you normally keep in that area! Instead, put out a candle and a photo. Or hang a wreath. Put out a mat to catch snow or mud in the colder seasons.
But generally, keep it clear.
Sweep
Entryways are good places for dirt and general debris to make their way into your home. Sweep all of that up before guests arrive and keep things looking clean and tidy. They’ll bring their own dirt in with them. They don’t need to add to a growing collection.
Closet/Coat Room
Declutter. Take out valuables. Have some sort of organization in place.
If people are hanging their coats in a closet, that’s not too stressful. Just make sure there are enough hangers!
Using your bedroom? No problem. Just make sure it’s also clean. And the area where coats will be stored is completely free for said coats.
Make sure you are thinking about how you’ll lay the coats so you can remember whose is whose…it always impresses guests when you remember. And at the very least you want to be organized enough to not mix up people’s stuff!
Finishing Touches
If you have a front porch, sweep that area. Arrange any furniture so it doesn’t look like you just had a wild party out there.
If you live in an apartment, make sure your welcome mat outside is clean. Or at the very least, your area outside the apartment door is clean and uncluttered.
Fluff pillows and throw blankets.
Wipe down and dust obvious surfaces.
So there’s the quick rundown. Not too bad, right? It’s definitely more manageable than you thought? (I hope so…)
I know planning a party is so stressful. Inviting anyone into your home for anything other than “Netflix and chill” is stressful. And cleaning and presenting is actually the worst part of it.
To help you out, I’ve created a free downloadable checklist collection of everything you’ll need to do before guests arrive. It includes general tips, a checklist by room, and a timeline to schedule all of the tasks so you have a second to rest before guests arrive!
(And don’t forget to write a Thank You note to any hosts who have had you over for dinner lately. Especially now you know what they went through!)
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