New Year’s Eve Party Prep and Cleanup

At 11:59, it's magic. The countdown, the cheers, the champagne cork flying across the room, the confetti cannon somebody's cousin "just had to bring." At 12:01, there's champagne on the couch, glitter in the dog, and a blizzard of tiny metallic stars that will be turning up in your carpet until roughly next New Year's Eve.

You can't stop the party from happening, and you shouldn't want to. But you can set up the house so the mess stays manageable, and you can clean it up on New Year's Day without spending the whole first day of the year on your knees with a lint roller. Here's how.

Before the Party: Protect the House

Clear the Party Path

• Put away the breakables, the heirlooms, and anything you'd cry over if it got knocked off a shelf at 12:03.
• Roll up the good rug, or anything that's hard to clean, and stash it in a bedroom.
• Move the white couch away from the bar. Trust me.
• Close the doors to rooms you don't want guests wandering into.
• Pick a coat spot, like a bed in a guest room, so coats don't end up on the floor.

Set Up for Spills

• Put the drink station on a washable surface, like the kitchen counter or a table with a tray and a folded towel underneath. Spills land on the tray, not the wood.
• Put coasters everywhere. Every side table, every surface. People will still miss them, but fewer will.
• Set out trash and recycling bins in every party room, so bottles, cans and plates don't end up on every flat surface.
• Stash a spill kit where you can grab it fast: white cloths, paper towels, clear dish soap and a spray bottle of plain water.
• Empty the dishwasher and the trash cans before the doorbell rings.
• Stock the bathroom with extra toilet paper, fresh hand towels and a plunger in plain sight. Nobody wants to have to ask.

Think Twice About Loose Confetti and Glitter

Confetti is fun for about 12 seconds. Then it's a part-time job. Try these instead:

• Biodegradable tissue paper confetti, which is easier to sweep up
• A balloon drop at midnight
• Noisemakers, streamers and party poppers that shoot streamers, not tiny bits
• Sparkly decorations that stay put, like garlands and tablecloths

Just have to have the confetti? Confine it. Toss it outside, or over a tablecloth or old sheet on the floor, so you can fold it all up and shake it out the next day.

Safety First

• Open the champagne safely. Point the bottle away from people (and the light fixtures), and hold a towel over the cork as you twist the bottle, not the cork. Flying corks cause real eye injuries.
• Use flameless candles, especially near decorations and coats.
• Give pets a quiet room. Fireworks and noisemakers frighten a lot of dogs and cats. Put them in a closed room with water, a bed and some music.
• Plan for safe rides home, and set out plenty of water and food.

More here: holiday safety tips for entertaining.

How to Clean Up Champagne Spills

Champagne doesn't look like much of a stain at first. It's light and bubbly, and it dries clear. But it's full of sugar, which gets sticky, attracts dirt, and can turn yellow or brown over time. Treat it like a real spill.

Carpet and Couches

1. Blot up as much as you can with a white cloth.
2. Blot with cold water to dilute the sugar.
3. Blot with a quarter teaspoon of clear dish soap in a cup of lukewarm water.
4. Rinse by blotting with plain water, so there's no sticky sugar or soap left behind.
5. Lay a dry towel over the spot to soak up the moisture.

Check the cleaning code on the couch tag first. A "W" or "W/S" couch can handle water. For an "S" or "X" couch, call a professional. Here's how to read the tags: deciphering upholstery cleaning codes.

Clothes and Tablecloths

Rinse the spot with cold water, pretreat with a laundry stain remover, and wash. Do it before you put that sequined dress away for the year, because dried champagne can turn yellow in storage. Red wine spilled, too? Here's how to handle red wine and the rest of the holiday stains.

Wood Tables

Wipe champagne off wood right away. Alcohol can damage the finish. Woke up to a cloudy white ring from a sweaty glass? That's usually moisture trapped in the finish. Try a hair dryer on low, held a few inches away and kept moving, until the ring fades. Then buff with a little furniture polish. Dark rings mean the moisture went deeper, and a furniture refinisher can help.

Sticky Floors

Mop with warm water and a little dish soap, then go over the floor again with plain water. Otherwise it'll stay tacky, and every footprint will stick.

How to Clean Up Glitter

Diamonds aren't forever. Glitter is. But you can get most of it.

• Hard floors: Skip the broom, which just flings glitter into the corners. Use a damp microfiber mop or cloth, which grabs it. Then vacuum.
• Carpet and rugs: Vacuum with the hose attachment, going over the area in several directions. Then dab up the stragglers with a lint roller or a loop of packing tape.
• Couches: Vacuum the crevices with the crevice tool, then go over the cushions with a lint roller.
• Tabletops and counters: Press a ball of play dough or a damp paper towel onto the glitter. It lifts right up.
• Clothes: Shake them outside, use a lint roller, then turn them inside out and wash them on their own.
• Skin and hair: Glitter on your face? Use an oil-based makeup remover or a little baby oil on a cotton pad. In your hair, brush it out before you shower.
• The dog: Brush, brush, brush. Outside.

How to Clean Up Confetti

• Let wet confetti dry first. Tissue and paper confetti bleed dye when they're wet, and a wet vacuum clog is no way to start the year.
• Pick up the big drifts by hand or with a dustpan. Then vacuum.
• Empty the vacuum often. Confetti fills the canister fast.
• Metallic confetti clings to carpet with static. A rubber broom or rubber gloves loosen it first.
• Outside: Rake it up from the lawn, or use a leaf blower to pile it up, then bag it.

Confetti Dye Stains

Colored confetti that got wet can leave a stain. On carpet, blot it with the dish soap solution, then plain water. On clothes, rinse in cold water and soak colorfast fabric in oxygen bleach before washing.

The 15-Minute Before-Bed Cleanup

I know. It's 1 a.m. But these few jobs make New Year's Day so much better.

1. Get the food into the fridge. Anything that's been sitting out more than 2 hours gets tossed.
2. Blow out every candle, and unplug the lights.
3. Gather the glasses, and set them by the sink.
4. Blot any fresh spills, especially on the carpet and the couch.
5. Take out the trash, and put the bottles in the recycling.
6. Check for broken glass before anyone walks around barefoot in the morning.

If Something Breaks

Put on shoes. Pick up the big pieces with gloves on. Press a slice of bread or a damp paper towel over the area to grab the tiny shards you can't see, then vacuum. Wrap the glass in newspaper before it goes in the trash.

New Year's Day: The 30-Minute Recovery

1. Open the windows for 10 minutes to air out the house.
2. Run the dishwasher, and hand-wash the champagne flutes and good glassware.
3. Wipe down the counters and tables, especially the sticky ones.
4. Do the glitter and confetti sweep, room by room.
5. Mop the sticky floors.
6. Treat any stains on clothes, napkins and tablecloths, and soak them before they set.

Then make a big breakfast and start the year off right. More ideas for fast cleanups: The Two-Hour Emergency Reset.

New Year's Eve Cleanup: Quick Answers

How do you get glitter out of carpet?

Vacuum with the hose attachment in several directions, then pick up what's left with a lint roller or packing tape. On hard floors, use a damp microfiber cloth instead of a broom.

Does champagne stain?

It can. Champagne dries clear, but the sugar in it gets sticky and can turn yellow or brown over time. Blot it with cold water and a little dish soap, then rinse with plain water.

How do you clean up confetti?

Let any wet confetti dry first so the dye doesn't bleed. Pick up the big piles by hand or with a dustpan, then vacuum, emptying the canister often.

How do you remove a white ring from a wood table?

Point a hair dryer on low at the ring from a few inches away and keep it moving until the ring fades, then buff with furniture polish. Dark rings may need a furniture refinisher.

Keep Going

Ring in the new year with a clean house with these related guides:

• The Day-After Christmas Stain Rescue: Red wine, gravy, candle wax and tree sap.
• How to Get Candle Wax Off Anything: Tablecloths, carpet, wood and menorahs.
• Party Clean Up With Kids: Get the whole family pitching in.
• Making Your Home Party Friendly: Set up for a great party.
• Holiday Safety Tips for Entertaining: 20 things to check before company comes.
• The 15-Minute Speed Clean: Get guest-ready before the doorbell rings.
• The Two-Hour Emergency Reset: Company's coming and the house is a wreck.
• After-Holiday Cleaning: An easy green cleanup guide.