Having a house party at the weekend - what are your top tips for minimising mess and hassle?

[MadreInglese]

We have about 50-60 people (eek!) coming over for a party at the weekend, we think we're about organised, simple food, bought some booze but asked people to bring a bottle, got decorations ready to put up, etc

Just wondering if anyone has any good tips for house parties? Do you go for plastic or glass cups, and proper or paper plates, and so on?

Any ideas appreciated, thanks

with 50 people I would be doing plastic glasses and paper plates

get in lots of napkins and/or kitchen roll and have ready the Vanish spray and old teatowels or rags for blotting carpet spills

I'm having one next weekend so it would be lovely if you could pop back & debrief!

I'm going for (hired) glass glasses and paper plates though actually all food will be tiny canapes so hoping to get away with just napkins if possible.

Have you got music organised?

Old teatowels - check (good one, thanks!)

re music, we have my brother sticking cds on being dj

food is mostly little nibbles and canape type things, then hot sandwiches later on - so hopefully we won't really need plates

I'm thinking of sticking out our recyling box labelled 'glass' and hoping people pop empties in there

also have a 'smoking gazebo area' outside so going to provide a fag butt bin

and we have a downstairs toilet so are borrowing a stairgate that will double as a coat flinging area and stop people trekking upstairs at all

We had 90 for ds's christening. We got glasses from Majestic (where we got the wine). Iirc they were free to hire and they delivered. Paper plates. Food came from M&S [lazy emoticon]. We had hoped we would get about 40 but everyone we invited said yes!

oh yes, forgot re hiring glasses, was thinking of the washing up...

tbh we have a dishwasher so not too faffed about the washing up issue

it was more the thougth of trying to fit 50 plates and 50 glasses in the dishwasher...

Every so often, go round with some black bags and tell ask people to pick some rubbish up in their area.

As per Peep Show - have several strategically placed 'vomit stations' around the house

Would go for paper plates & plastic glasses just to avoid breakage really

vomit stations, omg I saw that episode! lol

You could get a few stackable stools that can be shoved in corners and dragged out as needed.

we have a had a few parties lately, and have had 120 people here for our wedding

usually hire glasses (again, majestic are brill), always use proper plates - we stocked up on plain white plates at £1 a pop from a stoke-on-trent factory shop - but often stick to finger food and paper napkins.

we put throws over the pale coloured sofa, and put white tablecloths over the sideboard and table.

will there be kids there? - we've borrowed a projector from dh's work and set up a "cinema" in the dc's room, which goes down well if they seem to be getting stir crazy

have at least two, pref three, corkscrews and bottle openers available

no kids (just big kids!)

extra bottle openers good idea

lol at black bags

i've found that people are really a lot more civilised these days, not like the old student house-parties.

a crate for used glasses is a good idea. have enough glasses - 2 each - even if you don't use them - you don;t want to be washing up halfway through

I only get invited to the kind of parties where you need black bags

lucky you

yes