This post is sponsored by Evite.com and Clorox® Clean-up® Cleaner + Bleach.
I laughed when one of you emailed recently and mentioned hosting two events in the same day (one at noon and one in the evening) in order to get the most benefit out of having worked so hard to clean the house.
That is so me! When I know I have something scheduled that will motivate me to deep clean, I start volunteering to host all sorts of other stuff. I might as well have six parties if I’m going to clean for one!
It’s always so much easier to clean up from one party when I know I have another one coming! But parties are out-of-the-everyday so they produce out-of-the-ordinary messes. I despise those difficult messes that feel like they’re just . . . too . . . much. Since I get easily overwhelmed, I tend to assume the carpet/tablecloth/side-table is forever ruined. (Yes. I’m overly dramatic, too.)
Evite (you know the ones who make party invitations ever-so-easy?), has teamed up with Clorox® Clean-up® Cleaner + Bleach and shared solutions to their top five party messes over on their website.
Here’s my personal favorite:
Candle wax drip on a tablecloth: Don’t fear for Grandma’s linens. Once the wax hardens, scrape off very gently with a butter knife. Put a few layers of paper towels or plain paper grocery bags without ink on them on top of the drip on the tablecloth. Using low heat, iron until the wax is melted and transferred to the paper. Move the iron to a clean spot on the paper towel and repeat until the wax no longer transfers, then wash the tablecloth.
I don’t get tablecloths out often, but they do come out for parties. I’ve personally dealt with wax drips before and know that all the normal ways of cleaning fabric go out the window when it comes to wax.
They also give solutions for other overwhelming party messes such as:
- dealing with red wine spilled on a sofa
- removing stains from kitchen countertops
- cleaning mud from carpet
- treating water rings on a wood table
One of the tips involves . . . mayonnaise!! (For real!)
What unique party messes stress you out the most?
Disclosure: This post was sponsored, but the thoughts and opinions and neurotic-multiple-party-planning-issues are all mine!
--Nony
Phew, I did it! I spent the last month reading backwards, and I’m finally caught up to current posts!
I found your blog through a random fb share, and realized that I had found my people. In the past month I’ve done a lot of de cluttering and cleaning, and while my house is still far from perfect, I just now invited some friends over for dinner this evening, and I know that I don’t have to clean like crazy. A twenty minute pick up, wipe down the bathrooms , and I can spend the rest of the day decorating my tree! Thanks so much for the inspiration! Right now I need to empty my dishwasher! My bed is already made!
Oh how I love this comment!!! Go you!!!
The post about pre-made decisions has been a real help for me lately!!
Sounds ridiculous, but brushing my teeth had to be one. Yikes!
Wiping the sink & taking out the trash are some others that work for me.
dana, i just want to tell you thank you for doing what you do. i’ve been following you for a while and i ‘m a project person too and i always struggeled with the boring everyday jobs like dishes. especially after a new baby was born my house would go to total disaster. i found you after baby 2 was born i believe and started to keep up with dishes and laundry and pick up, plus i spent all my 3rd pregnancy going through every single drawer and cabinet to declutter before the baby was born. less stuff, less work. before no. 3 was born i knew that no matter how my schedule and routines will change with this baby, i will keep doing dishes every single night to safe my sanity. and now we’re 3 months and running just smoothly. i love it! i have friends ( church mom’s, kindergarden friends of my oldest and other playdates) visiting almost every day, and i am never stressed out about it. usually the house is picked up ( besides what the toddler is playing with at that very moment) and i just have to vacuum and check the condition of the toilet before somebody comes over… ( talk about potty training boys who refuse help… boy, he will clean the bathroom for the rest of his life once he’s old enough!) i also downloaded your newest ebook and i loved what you shared. it’s so true about the purpose being there,but us having to accept it! reading your spiritual journey was a blessing to me.
Now I kinda want to find all these messes already around my house and try to experiment which one would come out, using mayonnaise! Haha!
The link is expired by this point 10 years later.
(I’m reading from the beginning, slower than I was before baby #4 was born recently)