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A Good Housekeeping report outlines seven expert tips for making holiday hosting cleanup easier, including using fewer dishes, preparing the kitchen in advance and setting up a guest drop zone. The report cites an International Housewares Association poll in which 31% of respondents named cleanup the most challenging part of at-home entertaining.
Cleanup after hosting ranked as the most challenging part of at-home entertaining for 31% of respondents in a poll cited by Good Housekeeping, which has published seven expert tips for making post-party work more manageable. The suggestions from cleaning and organizing professionals include using fewer serving dishes, preparing the kitchen before guests arrive and giving visitors a place to leave used plates and glasses.
The poll, conducted by the International Housewares Association, also asked respondents about other hosting challenges. Preparing everything at the same time ranked second at 22%, followed by cooking at 15%, planning at 9% and keeping food warm at 7%. The figures identify respondents’ reported challenges; the source does not provide additional details about the poll’s sample or methodology.
Several recommendations aim to reduce the number of items that need washing. Alicia Sokolowski, a professional cleaner and founder of AspenClean, suggests taking cookware or bakeware that looks suitable for serving directly to the table. She says that can avoid dirtying separate serving bowls, while advising hosts to use a heatproof trivet underneath. Enrique Gonzalez, a house cleaning professional and founder of Seattle Green Cleaning Fairy, recommends one-pot or sheet-pan meals to limit the number of pots and pans.
Gonzalez also recommends lining trays with parchment paper or aluminum foil when the recipe allows, which can make stuck-on food easier to remove. He cautions that parchment must be rated for the oven temperature and should not extend over the pan’s edges. Other tips include unloading the dishwasher and emptying the trash before the gathering, keeping cloths and suitable cleaning products ready for spills, protecting tables and floors, and setting out a tray or bin for used dishes and a labeled recycling bin.
Less Work After Guests Leave
The recommendations address a common practical burden identified in the cited poll: cleaning up was named more often than any other listed hosting challenge. Reducing dishes and containing mess can make the end of a gathering less demanding, while pre-event preparation may help hosts manage leftovers and rubbish without having to clear space in the middle of the event.
The advice is also designed to distribute small tasks. Ryen Toft, founder of Simply Luxe Organizing, recommends a self-serve drop zone where guests can leave glasses and plates, with a separate bin for recycling. In her view, collecting used items in one place can prevent dishes from being left across multiple surfaces. The suggestions are practical measures, not a guarantee that a gathering will require less cleanup in every household.
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The Poll Behind the Tips
The tips were published in a Good Housekeeping report about holiday hosting cleanup. Its cited IHA poll compared several aspects of at-home entertaining, with cleanup accounting for 31% of responses, a higher share than the next-listed challenge, preparing everything at the same time, at 22%.
The report’s recommendations come from professionals who work in cleaning and home organization. They focus on planning before guests arrive, limiting or containing mess during the meal, and organizing what guests leave behind. The source provides no additional poll details, so the percentages should be read as reported responses rather than a complete measure of how all hosts experience entertaining.
“You’ll wake up to one tray to deal with instead of plates on every surface.”
— Ryen Toft, founder of Simply Luxe Organizing
Poll Details and Limits
The source does not state when the poll was conducted, how many people took part, how they were selected or whether respondents could choose more than one challenge. Those details limit what can be concluded from the percentages beyond the ranking reported by Good Housekeeping.
The seven tips are professional recommendations, not results from a controlled comparison of cleanup methods. Their usefulness will depend on the meal, kitchen setup, household surfaces and available equipment. Hosts should also check cookware and liner instructions and use cleaning products appropriate for each surface, as Gonzalez advises.
Applying the Advice at Home
The report describes no further survey results or follow-up study. For hosts planning a gathering, the recommendations can be used as a checklist: clear the dishwasher and trash before guests arrive, prepare a designated place for leftovers, choose dishes that limit extra cookware, and set out a drop zone for used items. Keep a spill kit accessible and protect surfaces where food and drinks will be served.
Any broader conclusion about whether these steps reduce cleanup time would require further evidence; the source does not quantify time saved. The immediate takeaway is a set of practical options for managing the work, paired with a poll showing that cleanup was the most frequently cited hosting challenge among the choices listed.
Key Questions
What did the poll identify as the biggest at-home hosting challenge?
Cleaning up after hosting was the top-listed challenge, at 31% of responses in the poll cited by Good Housekeeping.
What is one way to reduce the number of dishes used?
Use attractive, oven-safe cookware or bakeware as serving dishes, or make a one-pot or sheet-pan meal. Sokolowski advises placing a heatproof trivet beneath hot cookware.
What should hosts prepare before guests arrive?
Toft recommends unloading the dishwasher, emptying the trash and keeping spare bags nearby. She also suggests clearing refrigerator space for leftovers and food brought by guests.
What is a guest drop zone?
It is a designated place, such as a tray or bin near the kitchen, where guests can leave used plates and glasses. Toft also recommends providing a labeled recycling bin.
How reliable are the poll findings?
The report gives the poll’s percentages but does not include its sample size, field dates or methodology. Readers can see the reported ranking, but the source does not provide enough information to evaluate how representative the results are.
Source: goodhousekeeping.com
