15 Ways to Simplify Your Post-Thanksgiving Cleanup

If you have everything organized on the big day, you’ll have an easier time cleaning and keeping things neat as you whip up the best meal of the year. Make a shopping list now and get as much in advance as you can, provided it’ll keep until Thanksgiving. Identify the things that will be messy, like the turkey, and make a plan for how you’ll clean it up in a jiffy. For instance, have a garbage bag on hand that’s just for your big food messes, like your turkey container and bones.Plan your menu carefully, not only based on timing so it all comes together at once, but based on exactly how and when you’ll clean each element. Ideally, you want to clean as you go.

(Last minute, you can alsodesignate an old box to keep nearby as a dumping ground for large, dirty pots, pans,and casserole dishes to easily relocate to an unused room to get them out of the way until you’re ready to dive into a full clean-up.)

Your oven should be ready for all that cooking before it even starts.Make sure your temperature settings are correctand check for hot spots within the oven to avoid any messy baking mishaps.Clean every part of your ovenin advance so it’s performing at top functionalityandyou have less to clean after your meal is ready.

Dull knives won’t cut effectively, which is not only annoying, but can make more of a mess than if you’re using sharp ones.Sharpen your knivesthe day before you start cooking.

New recipes are fun, but if you don’t know them well enough, you can make messy mistakes.Test out anything you haven’t made beforein advance so you can fine-tune your recipe, prevent aboil- or bake-over situation on the big day, and clean any accidents beforehand.

You also want to purge your fridge and freezer of old foodand spoiledingredients that are cluttering it up, as you need your space super organized. Once you’ve done that,make whatever you can safely freeze ahead of the day. Think soups, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pie dough. You’llclean up your mess from making these long before any guests show up, andthen have themconveniently to defrost, heat, and servewhen you really need them onThanksgiving day.

If youwait until just before guests arrive to cleanyour place up, you’re bound to miss a few areas (you’ll be busy with last-minute cooking emergencies, after all). Go at it early and focuson the areas where everyone will congregate, like the kitchen,dining room,and living room, thenfreshen your cushions,disinfect your surfaces, and declutter everything you can see.

Idle hands are the devil’s playthings and idle guests are messes waiting to be made. Make sure the TV is on to the football game, there are board games or other sources of entertainment available, and you haveplaces for everyone to sit.Heading off the mess-makersbefore they get started is an easy way to make sureyoudon’t have to deal with the chaos they leave behind.

红酒可能是流动在这一天,但我t doesn’t have to flow onto your couch or carpet. Go through the areas where your guests will sit and clear off any books or decorations from the tables, so there is somewhere for the wine glasses(and juice, chips and dip, whatever) to be placed securely. At the store, pick upsome wine glass coversand ask your guests to use them when they’re not actively sipping if they’re prone to knocking over a glass. Get somewine glass coasters, too, to lessen the chances of water rings.

There isquite a bit of etiquettethat goes into being a guest at Thanksgiving; it’s more involved than just going to a friend’s house for regular old dinner, and guests generally know that. Before anyone arrives, ask who might be interested in being on cleanup duty, and let them know they don’t have to bring a dish or wine to the gathering in exchange for their help. You won’t sound entitled; they’re just grateful not to be on cooking duty this year.

According to Eat Well 101,the real secret of an easy-to-clean Thanksgiving meal is a rolling cart. Topped with absorbent cloths, this will make taking guests plates from the table to the sink much easier, but it can be used for extra food storage before everyone sits down to eat, too.

Single-use kitchenware is usually an environmental no-no, but on occasions like Thanksgiving, you can use a little. Opt for foil baking pans, for instance, to make cleaning up just a biteasier. One package of plastic plates won’t hurt, as long as you don’t make it a year-long habit.

OK, we don’t mean aliteralTupperware party, but we do think plastic storage containers are a must for Thanksgiving. Not only should you have your own on hand to easily get leftovers into your fridge without the mess and fuss of tinfoil, but you should ask your guests to bring their own, too,according to the New York Times. They can take their leftovers with them instead of cluttering up your fridge and cleaning upwill be much faster. (We also suggest stocking up onplasticsoup containersordisposable cupcake tinsfor this purpose.)

You can use your bathtub as a dish-soaking station so your kitchen sink is still usable in the moment,according to the New York Times. Designating specific dish zones is key. If you don’t want to get that rolling cart we mentioned, you should use a folding table somewhere in the kitchen just to hold dirty dishes. Stay on top of your dish load throughout the day, transferring dishes to your soak station, then the rinse station (your sink), and finally, the dishwasher or a drying station on a shift-by-shift schedule.

You can wash some of your dishes, like your wine glasses, the next day, especially if they’re not things you use often or they need an overnight soak. Forks, knives, plates, and things you’ll need for midnight leftovers or Black Friday breakfast should be your top cleaning priority, but in the interest of not getting overwhelmed, remember some stuffcanwait. (Justadd some waterto those wine glasses in the meantime so the wine doesn’t etch the glass.)

最后,让你的客人知道你兴奋they’re there, but you are definitely feeling the pressure of the big day and would appreciate anything they can do to help you mitigate the post-Thanksgiving disaster. Make sure cleaning supplies like paper towels are readily available to them and they know where they are so if something gets spilled while you’re busy, they can handle it themselves while you put the finishing touches on the holiday meal.