Should You Clean Your Floors Before or After a Party? Experts Settle the Debate

From curating the perfect menu to getting your home ready for hosting, planning a party is a lot of work. As you prepare, one question you may encounter is whether to clean your floors before or after the main event. While cleaning them beforehand guarantees guests walk into a tidy home, fallen food, spilled drinks, and other factors quickly void your hard work. To simplify your decision, we spoke to entertaining and cleaning experts who break down the benefits and drawbacks of cleaning before and after a party—and offer a unanimous verdict on which path to pursue. 

Pros of Cleaning Floors Before Guests Arrive

There are plenty of benefits to cleaning before guests arrive for any event in your home.

• It shows respect: Cleaning before guests arrive shows that you have invested time, care, and effort into your space ahead of their arrival, says Jo Hayes, etiquette expert, lifestyle consultant, and founder of EtiquetteExpert.Org.
• It's a confidence booster: Clean, sparkling floors that greet your guests make you appear more put-together, says Olivia Parks, owner and lead organizer at Professional Organizer New Orleans. "You feel confident about your space," she says.
• Creates a sense of safety: A home with clean floors offers a sense of safety. "If small children will be attending, especially those who crawl and pick up dropped food, it’s safer for them," says Savannah Setzer, owner of Mop & Bucket, LLC. It also helps anyone sensitive to dust and allergens.

Cons of Cleaning Floors Before Guests Arrive

Now, let's explore the downside of cleaning those floors before the party.

• The effect doesn't last long: Cleaning your floors before guests arrive may not be practical if guests keep their shoes on, or if it’s expected to be a large, messy party, says Kamila Soltynska, founder of Best Home Services.
• Doesn't have much visual impact: "The floors might not be as much of a priority compared to other cleaning tasks that have more visual impact, like clearing counters and general preparations like cooking," says Soltynska.
• Your home may smell like cleaning products: Depending on the product you use, freshly cleaned floors might leave your home smelling strongly of cleaning supplies, which your guests might not appreciate, says Parks.
• You risk wearing yourself out: You may overextend yourself and start the event tired, Setzer warns. Or worse, "Sometimes people get so focused on keeping things perfect that they forget actually to enjoy their company," says Reshmina Ahmad, owner of Cura Maids.

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Pros of Cleaning After Guests Leave

There are definite advantages to waiting to clean your floors until after guests have left.

• You can prepare in other ways: If you wait to clean until after your guests leave, you have more time to prepare a home-cooked meal or get yourself ready for the event, Parks says.
• Prevents mess from solidifying: Cleaning your floors when guests have gone allows you to deal with stains and other messes before they set in, making mopping much easier, says Dennis Vong, founder and owner of Inland Power Wash.
• Prevents unusual odors: Floors hold onto odors more than people realize, Setzer warns. A quick mop after guests have left can reset the whole house.

Cons of Cleaning Floors After Guests Leave

There are a few disadvantages to waiting to clean until your guests have departed.

• You may make a bad impression: First impressions matter, says Setzer, adding that guests may notice dusty floors and dirty baseboards.
• You have to clean double the dirt: If the floors weren't clean to start with, you're now dealing with old grime and new mess at the same time, says Ahmad. "Something like red wine or mud is way harder to clean if it sits overnight on a floor that hasn't been properly mopped in weeks," he says.
• You may be exhausted: Nobody wants to vacuum and mop after hosting, Setzer says. Plus, the mess might be bigger than expected, which can make cleanup feel like too much to handle, Parks notes.

What the Experts Recommend

The cleaning experts all agree—it’s best to do both. "Cleaning both before and after guests arrive makes everything easier overall and each helps in its own way,” Parks says. "Cleaning beforehand helps your home feel welcoming, prepared, and put-together when guests arrive. Cleaning afterward lets you reset your home to normal, and in my opinion, it also gives you peace of mind knowing everything is fresh and clean again—especially if you had a guest with a cold or cough."