The excitement of throwing a party in college is unparalleled to nearly anything else. The preparation that comes beforehand usually overshadows the fact that more work is to be done the next day. Drinks, snacks, and even decorations will be purchased for the festivities. After the night ends, you will likely pass out blissfully knowing that you just threw a great rager. When you wake up, that is when reality strikes.

Here are a couple of tips that will make your party experience run smoothly:

DO clean the house before people arrive. This will make the post-party cleaning process so much easier, because you won’t have to be sifting through old messes as well.

DO put your friends to work. That is what friends are for! If they slept on your sofa because they had a great night, then they should also be willing to lend a hand with the clean-up.

DO sort the messes. Dump liquids in the sink, toss cups in the recycling, etc…

DON’T try to clean it all at once. This will make the task more daunting. Start with your living room, kitchen, and then bathroom.

DON’T forget to treat your hangover. Cleaning while suffering is less than ideal. Drink some water and have a meal before you dive into the process.

If you move methodically through the process, your clean-up will be a breeze. Don’t forget to stock up on all the cleaning products that you will need ahead of time, and be sure to have plenty of trash bags on hand!