This post is brought to you by Proctor & Gamble. All opinions are my own.
Thanksgiving, oh Thanksgiving. You bring such joy with tasty treats that come but once a year. My grandmother’s delicious stuffing recipe, duplicated to perfection by my mom. Corn casserole! Sweet potatoes with a crispy layer of brown sugar! Turkey, gravy, hot buns and butter! Then comes the pie. Oh the pie!
We feast on Thanksgiving like never before. It’s one day a year, after all. A day to come together as a family, have our fill of our treasured recipes and enjoy each other’s company. Then the guys (and a few of the girls!) head off into the living room to catch the big game.
“Not so fast, guys! All that delicious food didn’t just sit on the table, now did it? Mom cooked all morning, she shouldn’t have to clean!” I say, thinking “how hard can it be to clean a few dishes?” We start clearing the table and piling them next to the sink. They spill over onto the counter, the island, the weird butcher block in the middle of the kitchen that the landlord left behind because it’s too heavy to move. Some don’t even make it off the table because there is just no room left!
We have ourselves a Turkeypocalypse!
How to Survive a Turkeypocalypse
It happens to all of us! That moment when we realize that every casserole and side dish, every serving spoon and gravy boat led to one disastrous moment: a complete and utter invasion of dirty dishes. Oh, and let’s not forget the other messes!
One time, I tried to make my own stuffing! Did you know you can put too much gravy in stuffing? It gets really super puffy and weird. Like almost explosively weird. Ok, actually explosively weird. Then there’s the messes around the table. Between the kids dropping food, the adults over-estimating the amount of food that can fit on a plate and creating runoff and the dogs sneaking around like international jewel thieves after the Hope diamond, things get crazy! My aunt brings her pony, who can actually reach the table and steal food! He’s not really a pony, but look at him! Cool, though, right? He’s a gentle giant!
Saying things get messy is an understatement. I bet it’s the same way in your house too. I think it’s like that in houses all across America on Thanksgiving. We’re all facing our own Turkeypocalypse.
It’s time to take back Thanksgiving, people! Stop letting dirty dishes ruin a good day! Here to tell us how is football legend Clay Matthews, with a very special PSA:
Wow, poor Roger, right? Let’s not be Roger, okay? Whether you’re looking forward to curling up on the sofa to watch the big game or settling in at the clean dining room table for good conversation, a giant mess shouldn’t keep you from doing what you love with the people you love on Thanksgiving! If everyone pitches in, that mess will be gone in no time! Here are a few easy tips to help you out!
- Make an assembly line! Get a couple people on clearing duty and have them separate dishes by dishwasher safe and hand wash only. Have one person at the sink, rinsing dishwasher items and handing off to the loader, then handwashing the delicate items with Dawn Ultra. It has 2X more everyday grease cleaning power per drop*! When the dishwasher if full, toss in your Cascade Platinum to clean your toughest Thanksgiving messes!
*Based on cleaning ingredients vs. non-ultra Joy®. - While your assembly line is going, get your kids on Swiffer WetJet duty! I actually love mopping with the WetJet, so I try to get this chore before anyone else can claim it. Mopping is one of the few cleaning chores I enjoy, and the all- in-one mopping system really powers through tough dirt and grime!
- Once the dishes are loaded and the floor is clean, wipe down your counter with Bounty paper towels, then take a break! You’ve earned it!
Grab coupons and stock up on all these great cleaning products before Thanksgiving so you’ll have them on hand to beat back the Turkeypocalypse!
Remember, don’t be Roger! Fight the Turkeypocalypse! Together we can take back Thanksgiving for future generations!
What are your best tips for avoiding a Turkeypocalypse? How do you get the messes cleaned up fast?
The clean up is the WORST! I usually just let the dishes sit in the sink until I can’t stand to look at them anymore.
Turkeypocalypse I love this great title …I sure hate to be the one doing the clean up.
This is so true. You have to set the rules, make sure people follow them and you’re set.
Ah, I never want to think about this but it’s good to prepare. I think a cleaning assembly line could work well!
Seeing that stack of dishes kind of made me want to use paper plates.
Eating is the best part and cleaning up is always the most difficult. I so agree on doing a clearing duty. I mean if everyone helped eat all the good stuff, then everyone should also help clean up.
Absolutely!! No single person should be stuck with the hard part!
Thanks for the tips! I am usually taking care of it alone while everyone else watches football!
Oh no! I should have added something like “hide the remote and the batteries. Have a clean up scavenger hunt! You get the goods back when the table is cleared.” That’ll get them helping fast.
Thanks for letting us know about these great products and for the discount code too! I know cleaning up after Thanksgiving is a daunting task, but someone’s gotta do it – and that’s me!
Its hard to clean up especially when the stink was full of dishes it makes me lazy to wash the plates
I hear you! That is the worst, seeing that never-ending mountain of dishes!
We try to get everyone to help in after eating. It really works great.
Lol i love the title of this post. Yeah, it’s stressful but always ends up laughs, and games.
I hate cleaning up, too. It’s a good thing my kids are adults and they help.
Great tips. I leave everything for the next day! LOL
Very cute post! I like that- turkeypocalypse! Assembly line- noted!
I love the idea to form an assembly line. It’s practical and could be fun too. 🙂
Thank you! I bet if you danced a little jig it could be fun! Ooh, or make it the turkey clean-up conga line!
you are pretty right.. lets enjoy this 😀