Hosting Christmas Lunch: The Before, During and After Clean

Hosting Christmas lunch means a full house, a full oven and a mountain of dishes. With a bit of planning you can keep the kitchen under control all day and avoid facing the whole mess at 9pm.

Two days before

• Clear the fridge to make space for platters, drinks and leftovers.
• Clean the guest bathroom and stock it with toilet paper, hand soap and a fresh hand towel.
• Check your supplies: dishwashing liquid, clean dish swabs, foil, refuse bags and serviettes.
• Empty the dishwasher and all the bins.

On the day: clean as you go

• Start with an empty sink and empty dishwasher. Fill a basin with hot, soapy water for prep dishes.
• Wash mixing bowls and pots as soon as you're done with them. Five minutes now saves thirty later.
• Line roasting trays with heavy-duty foil. Most of the baked-on mess goes in the bin.
• Keep a lined bin near the prep area and a second one for guests' plates.
• Keep a clean dish swab for drying and a separate cloth for wiping counters.

After lunch

1. Pack away leftovers within two hours, in shallow containers so they cool quickly.
2. Scrape plates into the bin, then stack by type.
3. Soak roasting pans in hot water with a good squeeze of concentrated dishwashing liquid while you load the dishwasher.
4. Wash glasses first in clean, hot water, then plates, then pots.
5. Wipe counters, stove top and table, then sweep the floor.

Accept help

When a guest offers to help, say yes and give them a specific job: drying, packing leftovers or taking the bins out. It's quicker, and people like being useful.

Stock up

Super Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid goes much further than supermarket brands. Pair it with Dish Swabs and Heavy Duty Foil from maxproducts.co.za and you're ready for the busiest kitchen day of the year.

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Products mentioned in this guide

Available now from our sister company Max Products at maxproducts.co.za, in trade sizes and delivered in Cape Town.

Dishwashing Liquid Super ConcentratedShop now →Dish Swabs (10 Pack)Shop now →Foil Heavy DutyShop now →

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