Top 8 Post-Event Cleaning Tips for a Tidy Space
Imagine this scenario: The night has drawn to a close. The last few guests are making their way to their vehicles or taxis. Overall, everything was a success; everyone had fun, there was good food, music, and entertainment.
Whether you held a fundraiser, prom, or another form of social gathering, the cleaning often begins immediately afterward. The larger the event, the greater the potential there is for more cleanup requirements.
This can seem like a daunting task. However, when you plan and prepare for it, you can reduce the anxiety and stress, and increase the efficiency and productivity of the post-event cleaning.
Cleaning During the Event
While the event is in full swing, you can reduce the amount of cleaning required at the end by working with the staff to keep on top of things during the event. However, you should do so discreetly and without interfering with the festivities.
1. Provide extra receptacles
Servers can only do so much. So, if you have a bar or buffet, where guests can help themselves and move around the event with food and drink in hand, then placing additional garbage bins in key locations will help to reduce the amount of waste that ends up on the floor.
Recycling stations can be placed next to the regular garbage bins to encourage recycling practices. As the evening wears on and the alcohol consumption increases, though, be prepared for the items to get a little mixed up.
By ensuring that the bins are emptied on a regular basis by the staff at the event, you will also help to prevent waste from ending up on the floor, thus defeating the purpose of the additional bins.
2. Double the supplies
For large events, you should double the amount of garbage bags, cleaning rags, and other sanitizing products you would normally have.
The last thing you need is to get to the end of the night and find that you have run out of something and cannot finish the cleaning task at hand. Sanitization is crucial after a large gathering, especially following the recent pandemic, and this should be high on the priority list.
3. See a spill, clean a spill
Spills often lead to permanent stains when ignored, but more importantly, they can also cause slipping hazards. You don’t want to be sued because someone slipped on a dropped food item or drink.
As soon as a spill is noticed or reported, it needs to be cleaned up. Removing the slipping hazard prevents the need for extra scrubbing and cleaning after the event. If the spill is not on the floor but on a seat or tablecloth, then this also should be dealt with as soon as possible to prevent stains.
Stains can be the bane of the staff’s existence following an event. Certain foods and drinks are very stubborn and, therefore, difficult to remove. If the seat coverings are rented, then you can be faced with additional cleaning charges when they are returned.
4. Washroom maintenance
Any public venue with washrooms will require inspection and cleaning on a regular basis throughout the event. These inspections allow for washroom hygiene standards to be maintained, ensure guests’ safety, and reduce the amount of cleaning to be done at the end of the night.
As a communal place where multiple people go, regular disinfecting, garbage emptying, and countertop cleaning can go a long way to protect your guests’ health, and the more this is done throughout the event, the less that needs to be completed afterward.
Post-Event Cleaning
Post-event cleaning doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you and the staff have been able to make regular rounds and keep on top of things during the event, then the post-event cleanup should go quickly and smoothly.
5. Start from the top
Begin at the top and work your way down. Remove high-placed decorations and floating balloons first, and dust off the light fixtures at the same time. It is surprising how dirty lights can get following an event. As you move downward, remove the decorations from the walls and then continue to the table and the chairs level.
All the food items should be removed and disposed of in the correct dumpsters to deter pests from coming into the venue for a late-night snack. Recycled items should also be removed from the venue and stored, ready to go to the recycling depot the following morning.
Additionally, you should sweep the floors and ensure that everything goes into garbage bags so they can be taken out in as few trips as possible.
6. Washrooms
Even with regular checks throughout the night, a final cleanup will need to be done for the washrooms. You will need to clean the toilets, wipe and sanitize all surfaces, empty the garbage bins, and mop the floors. Also place toilet bowl cleaners overnight to ensure a good, deep clean.
7. Rented equipment
Once all the garbage and debris have been picked up and removed, make sure that all items that were rented are wiped down. Apply a stain remover if necessary and give the carpets a courtesy vacuum.
Then, gather all the items and store them properly until the rental company comes to pick them up. Remember to label what was rented and what belongs to the venue to ensure that the right things are collected.
8. The final cleanup
Once all the surfaces, countertops, and toilets have been cleaned, the final stage will be to ensure that all the garbage has been taken out. Then, sweep and mop the floors. Of course, remember to turn off the lights and lock all the doors.
Contact RBC Clean for Professional Event Cleaning Services
The most effective tool in your arsenal will be RBC Clean. We are experts in all forms of cleaning, including commercial, emergency, residential, and event cleaning. We will handle all of your cleaning services with ease and efficiency.
For more information on our event cleaning services, call us at 1-855-493-9259 or contact us online.