After the party: the 15-minute reset

Nobody wants to clean at midnight, and nobody should do the whole job then. But fifteen minutes before bed is the difference between waking up to a flat that needs a tidy and waking up to a flat that needs an apology. The trick is doing the right fifteen minutes, in the right order.

Two minutes before anyone arrives

The fastest clean-up starts before the doorbell goes. Two minutes of prep saves twenty later:

• Empty the dishwasher and every bin, so there is room for the mess.
• Put a spare bin bag in the bottom of each bin, under the one in use. When one fills up, the next is already there.
• Put a recycling bag somewhere obvious, so cans and bottles go straight in instead of onto every windowsill.
• Leave a spill kit on the kitchen side: kitchen roll, a clean white cloth and the washing-up liquid.
• Put out a bowl in each room for wrappers and bottle caps.

Before bed: three rounds of five minutes

Set a timer for fifteen minutes and stop when it goes off. The timer is the whole trick: it turns a job with no end into a race with a finish line, and it gives you permission to leave the rest.

Minutes 0 to 5: the rubbish

One bag for rubbish, one for recycling. Start in the room furthest from the kitchen and work back towards it, so you never cross a room you have already done. Empty anything left in cups and cans into the sink before it goes in the bag, or the bag leaks on the way out. Once the rubbish is gone, you can finally see what is actually dirty.

Minutes 5 to 10: glasses, plates and spills

Everything that held food or a drink goes to the kitchen. Load the dishwasher, and put whatever doesn't fit in a sink of hot soapy water to soak overnight. Wipe the tables and the kitchen side while you are there: sticky tonight is one wipe, sticky tomorrow is a scrub.

Spilt something on the carpet? Blot, don't rub: press a white cloth straight down and lift straight up, then add a splash of cold water and blot again. If it was coffee, this step-by-step guide to getting coffee out of carpet also covers what to do once it has dried, which is useful if you only spot it in the morning.

Minutes 10 to 15: food and air

Leftovers that came out in the last couple of hours get covered and go in the fridge. Anything that has sat at room temperature all evening goes in the bin, however good the dip was. Open a window for ten minutes to clear the air. Tie the bags and leave them by the door, so taking them out tomorrow is one trip, not a hunt.

Let the last guests help

The last three people standing will always offer, so say yes. The trick is giving them a job with a finish line. "Can you do the cans?" gets done. "Can you help tidy?" gets a vague shuffle round the living room. Better still, make it the house rule that everyone carries five things to the kitchen on their way out. Ten guests, fifty things, and nobody has done more than a minute.

The morning lap

Another fifteen minutes, with daylight and a clear head:

• Glass hunt: behind the curtains, on the windowsills, in the bathroom and under the sofa.
• Lost property in one bowl: chargers, keys, a scarf, one earring. Send the group chat a photo of the bowl.
• Wash whatever soaked overnight. It comes off in seconds now.
• Vacuum the room that saw the most feet.
• Take the bags out and give back anything you borrowed, from chairs to the speaker.

Anything that needs more than a wipe, like candle wax or a mark on a wall, can wait until then too. You will do it better and faster after a night's sleep than at one in the morning.

Next time: keep the party in one room

The easiest party to clean up after is the one that stays in one room. A games night does that. The circle stays put, the snacks stay in bowls, and nobody wanders off to start a second party in the kitchen. Next time, start with Imposter: you can play it free in your browser on one phone, and the rest of the night is in how to host a games night at home.

After-party clean-up FAQ

How do you clean up after a party quickly?

Set a 15-minute timer and work in three five-minute rounds: rubbish and recycling first, then glasses, plates and spills, then food away and a window open. Start in the room furthest from the kitchen, carry several things on every trip, and leave anything that needs more than a wipe for the morning.

Should you clean up after a party the same night?

Do fifteen minutes, not the whole job. Sticky surfaces wipe clean tonight but need scrubbing tomorrow, spills are easier to lift before they dry, and food left out overnight has to be thrown away. The rest can wait for daylight.

What should you clean first after a party?

The rubbish. Once the cans, bottles, plates and wrappers are bagged, you can see what is actually dirty, and the rest of the reset goes twice as fast.

How do you deal with a spill on the carpet after a party?

Blot it, don't rub it. Press a clean white cloth straight down and lift straight up, add a splash of cold water and blot again until the cloth comes up clean. With coffee, avoid hot water, which sets the stain.