You don’t need to hire a cleaning crew or rent a dumpster to take care of the trash created from your big event. It’s no secret that cleaning up from an event is one of the biggest downsides to being a host, and often this inconvenience keeps many people from hosting events altogether. But we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater! With some simple preparation, you can make clean up afterwards a cinch:
- Prepare before the event
Before the event even starts, make sure you have trash bags, napkins, paper towels, a boom and mop (if necessary), and other cleaning supplies ready to go. There’s nothing worse than confronting a messy clean up at the end of the night when the stores are closed and not having the proper supplies. As they say, an ouch of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
- Have clearly defined areas for waste
This might seem obvious to some, but to newbie event producers, this cannot be overlooked. Have clearly marked trash receptacles in convenient areas for your guests to throw out trash. Without them, even guests who want to be clean will have trouble getting rid of their garbage. Also make sure to periodically change the trash bags so that the garbage isn’t overflowing..
- Clean up periodically during the event
This is one of my biggest secrets to an easy post-event cleanup: clean in short spurts throughout the event. If you see trash piling up or if some drinks are left unattended for long stretches, it will help you reduce the total cleanup at the end by getting some of it done ahead of time. If you are too busy managing the event to do this yourself, have one of your team members take charge of this duty. Which brings me to my third suggestion…
- Make someone in charge of cleanup
Give one of your team members or fellow hosts the responsibility to keep the event clean. The assignment of responsibility will make them focus on it, and they’ll know that they have no one else to rely on to make it happen. Having someone in charge of clean-up will free you up to handle other obligations. If you have to handle cleanup yourself, then keep it in the front of your mind as one of your top priorities throughout the night, so a big mess doesn’t sneak up on you at the end of the event
- If you can, hire help
While this isn’t always necessary, hiring help to deal with cleaning up will always be easier than doing it yourself. Depending on how profitable your event is and how you value your time, it could also be more profitable for you to hire a cleaning team so you can focus on income-producing activities. Help doesn’t just mean a cleaning team, hiring a dumpster rental or a portable toilet rent rental may be an added convenience for your guests and your team.
Don’t let the threat of a large post-event cleanup intimidate you. With some planning and forethought, you can make it a lot easier on your team, making for a better event for everyone.