How to Minimize the Mess During Your Backyard Barbecues

Unfortunately, keeping things clean doesn’t stop outside your house, specifically in your backyard. On the contrary, having a clean backyard takes a ridiculous amount of work, let alone making it a place where you and your loved ones actually want to spend time.

There’s even more work to do before a big, backyard party or barbecue. Not only do you have to do the standard cleanup work – trim hedges, mow the lawn, spray for insects – but you’ve also got to make your backyard a place where people can hang out, which can mean anything from spreading out picnic blankets to adding tables and chairs.

Once the party ends, the cleanup begins, and unfortunately, we don’t clean backyards; it’s just not our area of expertise, sorry. Since you’ll have to do this particular cleaning on your own, here are our tips to make it easier along the way!

Big Trash Can

There’s not a quick fix or easy solution to keep your backyard clean during these types of events, as even a small crowd can make a huge mess. But if you’re in a bind or you don’t have time to do anything else on this list, please do this: drag a big trash can outside with a large, heavy-duty bag (like a contractor bag, with thick plastic) and place it in a central location.

A large portion of the mess left in the aftermath of a backyard party is simply trash. From empty soda cans to napkins, plates, and forks, people are really just bad at cleaning up their garbage. It’s why, when creating Disneyland, Walt Disney famously walked the park himself to figure out just how many garbage cans he’d need to make it easy for people to use them.

Having a big trash can in a central area makes it easy for people to put their things away properly, which is usually what they’d prefer to do anyway.

Set up the Space

Another great way to keep things clean as well as making sure your guests have an excellent time at your backyard party or barbecue is by setting up the space to best function for them. This is different for everyone, but what you’re trying to avoid is cluttered spaces and “traffic jams” if you know what we mean.

Basically, you don’t want your grill in the middle of where all the kids are playing; that leads to a much more difficult time cleaning, as well as safety issues. You also don’t want the dining area too close to the pool or grill, where even more accidents can happen.

If you’ve got a smallish backyard, get creative. Utilize the entire home to allow people to easily relax without feeling cramped in the backyard. When people don’t have enough space, they’re more likely to leave trash and discarded food behind in random places.

Dispose of Everything

Okay, not everything. But one of the best things about a backyard party in general is that it’s a very casual event. This means you don’t have to break out the fine china or real silver utensils; quite the opposite. Instead, you can pretty much dispose of everything, from cups to plates to silverware. This allows for your guests to just toss all their trash into your aforementioned big trash cans.

If you’re environmentally conscious (good job), you should take advantage of the great compostable options, like the Chinet Classic White collection. Plates like these are fully disposable, but unlike single-use plastic (which can take generations to fully break down), these will decompose safely and quickly, though not, luckily, while guests are using them.

Choose the Right Menu

Finally, our last tip is to simply make it easy on your guests when it comes to their dining options. While baby back ribs might be your speciality, they might notbe as easy to clean up as barbecue sandwiches. The same goes for things like corn on the cob, which inevitably leads to a bunch of gnawed, empty cobs around the area (gross).

The goal should be for your guests to have a great time while making everything as easy as possible for you and your family. You don’t want to spend the whole night or next day after a crowd leaves picking up scraps from the backyard, so be prepared with these simple tips to make sure your next backyard event is a smash.

We may not clean backyards, but we’re ready and excited to clean the rest of your home, so schedule your cleaning service by contacting us today at 405.928.8535!