Attention hosts! We have a post-party cleanup bible for you
Explore the magic of vinegar, baking soda and other home remedies
There are two kinds of people in this world—hosts and dost. I used to be a host, the queen of party planning, from food and drinks to playlists and decor. That is, until one disastrous New Year’s Eve.
With my parents out of town, I hosted a small party. But you know how it goes—friends bring friends, and soon my house looked like an American dorm party scene— mini parties everywhere, drinks spilt, food in places where it shouldn’t be, and utter chaos. By the time everyone had left, I was dead on my feet, but relieved to clean up the mess and finally collapse.
Or so I thought. Freshly in pyjamas, skincare on point, I stumbled into my parents’ bathroom only to find it covered in a tsunami of puke. Walls, ceiling, shower curtain, nothing was spared. That was the day I retired as a host and officially joined Team Guest.
House parties are fun but the after-effects can be horrendous. But if you have more standing power as a host than I did, we’ve rounded up some post-party cleanup hacks should you find yourself in a situation like mine or something worse because yeh daag achhe bilkul nahi hai.
Post-party cleanup hacks that’ll help restore your home
Save the white couch from the red wine
Staining a white-coloured possession is a cosmic rule. You can try to avoid it but it’ll happen anyway. (If it’s a dal-stained kurta that needs saving, here’s how.) And if it’s your pristine couch that has had a run-in with red wine, don’t panic. Mix equal parts hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing liquid, apply it to the stain and let it sit. Blot with a dry cloth until the stain disappears. Pro tip: test the solution on a hidden spot first to ensure it doesn’t react badly with the fabric. Crisis averted
Throw down with the throw-up
A house party, free-flowing drinks and someone throwing up is a more dangerous triangle than the Bermuda. No one wants to clean up after someone else, but alas it’s the burden of being a party host. So if someone has thrown up, on a couch, bed, or the walls of your bathroom, especially if they’re painted and not tiled, baking soda will be your saviour.
Just put some baking soda on the area and let it sit for 15 minutes. The baking soda will absorb most of it, and once it’s hardened, you can just scrape it off. Clean the walls thoroughly with disinfectant or soap water. That should do the job.
Use magic to get shoe prints off the wall
Some party guests stick to walls like flies, leaving behind conspicuous dirty shoe prints as proof of their presence. Now before you get maar from your mom or a judgemental side-eye from your house help, grab a magic eraser sponge. Wet it with water and gently wipe away the marks. Just don’t scrub too hard, or you might take the paint off with it.
Drive the grease off the carpet
Carpet stains from greasy party foods are the ultimate hosting battle scars. Since proper plating is rare at a casual house party, it’s natural your carpet will also be force-fed some pizza, fries or biryani. Skip the dry cleaner and reach for cornstarch and vinegar. Sprinkle cornstarch over the stain to absorb the oil, then clean with a vinegar-water mixture. Your carpet will look like it never attended the party.
Put the olive oil to work on water rings
Wooden tables and guests who skip coasters leaving behind water rings from their glasses, are a marriage made in hosting hell. These stubborn marks don’t just dry up—they settle in, threatening to become squatters with rights.
But olive oil and salt, the duo that makes a delicious pot of aglio e olio, can also help you get rid of stubborn water rings. Mix equal proportions of the two and apply it to the stain. Gently rub it in with a microfibre cloth. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes before wiping it clean with a damp cloth. (See how to do it here)
Smoke out the fumes
Even if you insist on outdoor smoking, the smell invariably steals indoors and clings to the walls, curtains and rugs. Open the window and let in fresh air as a first line of defence. To get the smoke off the fabrics, sprinkle some baking soda, leave it overnight and vacuum it the next day.
If whiffs still persist, add coffee beans or grounds in a bowl and leave them in different corners. They are natural odour absorbers and will leave your house smelling like freshly brewed coffee.
Clean drains without pain
Drains are kind of nasty on any given day, but after a house party? You want to avert your eyes. Blockage from food and trash can result in clogged drains that smell bad and cause waterlogging. Save yourself the trouble by keeping drain cleaner on hand. Pour it into the drain, let it sit overnight, and then flush with water to clear the blockage.
No cleaner? DIY it with some hot water, baking soda and vinegar. Pour some hot water down the drain first, then throw in some baking soda and vinegar. After an hour or so, pour some more hot water to clean it completely.
Buy drain cleaning powder here for ₹33
Wax on, wax off
Candles set the mood for house parties as well as being a dreamy decor accent. But they can easily be knocked over and drip where they’re not supposed to. To clean up the hardened wax, first use a blunt knife to scrape off as much of it as possible. Then put a brown paper bag over what remains, cover it with a dish towel and iron on a low-heat setting. The wax will stick to the paper and come off. You can then clean the residual stain with a damp towel. You may have to repeat the process a few times to get all the wax out.
SOS fixes
Broken glass: You’ll be able to clear big pieces of glass easily but the tiny shards that go everywhere will be tricky to get to. Use a flashlight to spot these tiny pieces, then cut a potato in half and use its moist surface to pick up them up.
Pee on the couch: If babies are at the party and one of them accidentally pees on your couch, you don’t want to wait to clean it up. Blot the urine with a dry cloth, spray an equal parts mixture of white vinegar and water and let it sit for 15 minutes. Use another dry cloth to wipe it up.
Tomato ketchup carpet spills: Spilled tomato ketchup needs to be immediately cleaned up if you don’t want a permanent red stain on your carpet. The immediate fix would be to scoop the spilled sauce with a knife or spoon to prevent spreading. Then blot the stain with a cloth dipped in lukewarm water. You can deep-clean the dried stain later with carpet cleaner, or send it for dry cleaning.
