As the holiday season approaches, this is a time of family, celebration, and … messes! One of the biggest messes typically occurs during the family dinner on Christmas. Food on the table (or floor), dishes left in the sink (or on table), and everyone’s favorite, dishes (or food) in other parts of the house are unfortunate holiday traditions. Reverse your fortune by teaching your loved ones how to clear a table the right way. In this blog, we will explain how to keep a clean table this holiday season.
Need more than just the table cleared? Let the cleaning experts at Molly Maid help you! Contact your local Molly Maid for a free, affordable quote today! If you’d like to purchase a gift certificate for that special someone (or to let someone else clear the table), they are available online or in local offices.
At Molly Maid, we recognize that there is no clear cut “right way” to clear a table. Different things may be on a certain table, you may be serving appetizers oppose to one main course meal, etc. But there are some general guidelines. The table should be cleared of everything that was put on it prior to eating and wiped down. The floor should be checked (and possibly cleaned) for any leftover traces of food or drink. Lastly, dishes should be either cleaned or loaded in the dishwasher.
So the real question is … how to do you get your family to do all of this stuff? We have some tips!
Assign Roles … Before Eating
By assigning roles to each person eating, you set the expectation that everyone will be participating in cleaning after the meal is done. And is push comes to shove, anyone who rejects doesn’t eat! Just kidding …
Make It Fun
Create a holiday themed cleaning game, award prizes/gifts to the fastest cleaner (or the best cleaner), and don’t be overly critical if someone doesn’t clean “your way.” If those ideas don’t work, try playing some music that most would enjoy!
Take a Break
Have you ever ate so much that you felt “stuffed?” Did you want to immediately get up after feeling that way? No? We thought so. Let the people at the table relax for a short while (or finish eating) before making the announcement to clean.
