Food Fumbles Happen – How to Prep Your Home for the Year’s Messiest Party
Food Fumbles Happen – How to Prep Your Home for the Year’s Messiest Party
Super Bowl LV is this weekend, and it is shaping up to be the messiest party you might have this year. That’s true whether it is just you and the dog enjoying all those tasty Super Bowl specialty foods or you are gathering with your bubble to watch and see whether the Chiefs or Buccaneers emerge as the victor.
After all, it is the time of year for barbecue, hot subs, and saucy grinders, pizza, and cheesy snacks, drinks, sweets, and more. None of which are good for clothing, furniture, or carpets. And if you are like we are, you might find yourself jumping off the couch with a drink or food (or both) in hand, shouting about a call or play.
Thus, the inevitable food fumble. The spilled drink, slopped food, drips of sauce and grease, and even the trail of destruction the family dog might create by grabbing something irresistible from the table or counter…all bets are off when the game begins.
The good news is that Super Bowl food fumbles don’t have to mean the ruin and destruction of the rug, sofa, or that favorite jersey. You can take easy and smart steps to prep your home and keep the mess under control. Here are a few expert suggestions.
Spill-Proof the Place
You can begin the unavoidable cleanup process before the party even begins by placing rugs or runners over areas likeliest to receive spills and food fumbles. Lay a protective carpet right along the length of the sofa as well as the snack table. You can also use clear plastic runners or table cloths over tables, side tables, tablecloths, and more.
Make sure there are plenty of oversized napkins, rolls of paper towels, large paper plates, and even paper bowls to help everyone keep their food where it belongs – either in their mouth or waiting for the next commercial break safely on a plate or in a bowl, and not the floor!
Select the Best Foods
The menu for your party is likely to feature a bunch of finger foods, and that is the best choice for controlling the mess. Choose foods that you can pick up and keep control over. Martha Stewart just released a bunch of great and even portable recipes of this kind just a few days ago. She offers up her spin on pigs in a blanket, naturally using gourmet sausages and buttery puff pastry! There are also meatball sliders, and easy to hold cupcakes for dessert, among other treats. Other great recipe resources for this year’s smaller game day celebrations include collections from The Pioneer Woman, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and NBC Sports, among others.
Be Ready to Take Action
The pros at TwoMaids also suggest that “stocking up on materials like paper towels, dish soap and sponges before the party can get you ahead of the game when it comes to dissolving any spills or stains.” Others point out the wisdom of keeping the right spot and stain removers ready to address the food fumbles almost as quickly as they happen. Classics like club soda, baking soda, and gentle dish soaps are great, but so too are stain sticks and other spot treatments.
Remember that stains are not all the same and you have to use the right “play” to “tackle” them. Using the wrong methods and products can make things worse. A few simple tips include:
o Food on the carpet should be cleaned immediately and stains blotted rather than scrubbed.
o Set in stains (i.e. those that had to wait to after the game was done) will need surface or stain removers.
o Water-soluble stains like drinks can be addressed with water and nonbleach detergent. The fat-soluble ones may be trickier and require specialized treatments.
o Consulting experts if a stain headed into “overtime”. Flooring experts are always the best route if the carpet or flooring took a real hit. Dry cleaning experts, like Travis here at Oak Hill Dry Cleaner are the best answer if that beloved team blanket, football jersey, tablecloth, small throw rug, or just about any other item was the victim of a food fumble. Don’t forget he also handles all kinds of regular household linens, so you can have him do all of the spot and stain removal on tablecloths, napkins, towels, as well as all of your clothing that might get some stains on game day.
o Do a post-party inspection. It can be impossible to address a stain or spill that has dried fully or set in for a few hours. Do a quick walk through of the whole space before calling it a night. By doing so, you’ll prevent stains from soaking in all night.
This year’s Super Bowl is going to be incredibly different from years past, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a great time. Celebrating the game in new ways means trying out new recipes and creating new traditions. Use these “plays” to avoid the problems caused by food fumbles and get in touch if you are facing stains that insisted on heading into overtime.