Who doesn’t love a good party? And throwing a great party, which will make you go down in history with your friends as the ‘host of the most incredible soirées’, takes a fair amount of planning and effort. Prepping for and cleaning up after a big night can deter some from wanting to host a get together at their homes. Spills, dirty dishes, broken glasses, cigarette butts and crumpled napkins strewn about can take a few hours of dealing with after the do, and a few days of recovery! Based on experience and post-party cleanup exhaustion, here are a few tips to make throwing a party a little easier on you and your house!
- Save the glassware!
Pretty curios and decorative items look great, but can be in danger around exuberant guests. Keep anything fragile, especially glass items, far away from the bar or from places where they might break. Many of us have tried to keep smiling through a guest’s apologies over a broken vase while mentally screaming “That was an heirloom from my grandmother!!”. It’s also recommended if possible to use stemless glassware, which is less likely to topple over.
- Where there is red, make sure there’s white
Keep white wine handy always. If you have a red wine spill dab it with white wine to do as much damage control as possible. It’s wise to not have any carpets or rugs around the bar area, and if using table cloths or cloth napkins, throw them into the washing machine to soak overnight when the party is done.
- Oh those dishes!
If it’s a large party we do have the luxury of having a marketplace full of fancy disposable cutlery and crockery. There are enough options that aren’t tacky and also several ecofriendly ones, which are biodegradable making it easier and not to forget, trendier, because green is always good! But if you are using your own dishes, have a designated area like a small table, for guests to leave their plates and glasses. Leave coasters around so that people place their drinks on them.
- Trash it
A large bin or box with a liner in the kitchen area or near the bar will help guests empty any bottle caps, napkins or disposable tablewear straight into the trash, rather than leaving it around. Keep small plates around the area so that guests can leave toothpicks and used napkins on them. It helps when cleaning up later!
- Smelling good!
1) Use lilies or any other flowers around the house. They look beautiful and smell great.
2) Once the work in the kitchen is over and to get rid of food odours – boil cinnamon sticks with vanilla essence in water on a low flame so the fragrance travels through the house. Orange essence instead of vanilla is great too!
3) Use essential oils through a diffuser to keep the house smelling great through the party.
- Don’t get bitten
With balcony doors open and people trooping in and out, it’s likely that the mosquito brigade will also choose to gatecrash. Light up some IRIS incense sticks to keep them out.
- Flowerpots aren’t ashtrays
Rather than letting smokers look around for somewhere to ash their cigarettes or stub them out in your potted plants, make sure you place ashtrays around so that the ash doesn’t end up on the floor or stubs aren’t thrown over a balcony!
We hope some of these tips are helpful. Till our next post!
Shagun
Today, March 22nd, is International World Water Day. Bangalore has featured on a list of the top 10 cities to be facing a Day Zero crisis, where taps could run dry. But this situation is actually the story in most places around our country. We need to make an effort to preserve our water. It may be a cliche, but every drop makes an ocean.
Instead of the traditional method of filling a bucket of water (or multiple buckets of water) , dunking your mop in and then swabbing the floors, we suggest a less messy and smarter way to clean. Fill a 1 liter spray bottle with two caps of Lizol or a cleaning solution of your choice and dilute it with water. Use a micro fibre mop, which is easily available online through places like 
Amazon. Choose one with a flat mop base rather than one with tassles. Spray the cleaning solution on the mop, instead of the floor, and mop away. This helps to conserve water and does a lot of good for your floors. Sopping wet mops only end up spreading the dirt more and the water gets absorbed by the tiles, leading to your flooring becoming dull. Have a look at a 
Do not let your help splash the bathroom with buckets of water in an attempt to clean it. It is better to mop your bathroom as a part of your daily cleaning routine. Once a week, pick a bathroom and thoroughly clean the tiles. Make a baking soda and vinegar mixture as a cleaning solution. That should be the one day that you wash down your floor and wall tiles after using this cleaning solution.
