The quiet after visitors leave deserves to be enjoyed before it becomes cleanup alone.

The moment the door closes is one of the good parts of hosting, and it is usually spent reaching for a bin bag. All the pleasure of the evening is still in the room, and if you go straight into clearing, the last thing you associate with having people over is work done by yourself at midnight. The tiredness will be the same in ten minutes.

Sit down before you start. Have the last of the wine or the tea, look at the mess without doing anything about it, and let the evening finish properly. Then clear what will smell in the morning and leave the rest for daylight.