Thanksgiving Clean-up Tips & Tricks
Cooking any meal can be messy, but cooking for a crowd will leave your kitchen in complete chaos – unless you have a plan. We spend countless hours pre-planning the meal, but we rarely take time to consider how to manage the mess. This year, ease the stress of Thanksgiving clean-up with these helpful tips.
Empty the Fridge & Dishwasher
Before any holiday get-together, clean out the fridge. Not only will you find things easier, but you’ll create space for extra beverages and leftovers. Importantly, don’t forget to empty the dishwasher before guests arrive, you’ll need it!
Prepare Pans
To avoid cleaning pans, line them with tin foil or parchment paper. Once the food is cooked, take out the foil/parchment and throw it away. This may be one of our best tips for meal clean-up – you won’t have to clean what you don’t dirty!
Triple-Line Trash Cans
No one wants to be looking for garbage bags while they are in entertaining mode. Just add a few extra trash bags to the bottom of your garbage bin so that when you take the full bag out, there’s an empty one ready to replace it.
Set up a Soaking Station
For those dishes that you can’t get to right away, have a backup plan. A large commercial dishpan filled with soapy water is great – simply add the dishes that need to soak. Stash the soaking station in the pantry or laundry room to keep kitchen counters clear.
Be Ready for Leftovers
Get a head start on managing leftovers by organizing reusable containers – big, small and mid-size you may need them all. You’ll also need a roll of masking tape and a marker for quick and easy labelling.
Clean as You Go
Clear the table between every course. Hold off on dinner until your appetizer dishes have been put away. Take time to load the dishwasher before serving dessert. Your guests will appreciate the little reprieve between courses, and it will keep the kitchen from getting out of hand.
Visit our post from 2019 on the Thanksgiving Cleaning Countdown, for more tips on getting your home ready to host Thanksgiving.
Photo by Libby Penner on Unsplash
