Dust off the furniture

Your guests deserve somewhere clean and fragrant to perch, so dig out the garden furniture and give it a freshen up. Counter Clean can be used with our microfibre cloth and your choice of concentrate to wipe down plastic, wood and even fabric covers. If you don’t have any garden furniture, scatter some cushions and blankets on dry ground. 

Set the scene

You don’t need to break the bank or a sweat to create a beautiful ambience. If you’re feeling particularly committed, you could put together a mood board to give you plenty of ideas to borrow. Think about lighting, decorations, colour schemes, tablescapes, and personal touches to make it a party to remember. 

Games

No doubt the conversation will flow as freely as the drinks, but it’s worth having some games up your sleeve just in case. Keep things classy with a croquet lawn, or rope some good sports into a tug of war, sack race, or treasure hunt. 

Prepare for all weather

Unless you’re somewhere with reliable weather (lucky you), it’s best to prepare for anything. Drape some blankets around or get cosy with a fire pit after dark. Make sure you’ve got a plan for wet weather, like a marquee or a room prepared inside. If it’s looking to be a scorcher, put umbrellas up for shade and dot some bottles of suncream and jugs of water around. You can probably stop short at skis. 

Stay on top of the mess

We’re big believers in the ‘little and often’ approach to cleaning. Provide plenty of bin bags for rubbish, and keep a Counter Clean on hand to wipe down surfaces and fill the air with summer fragrance. Go for our Citronella & Niaouli Summer Scent to keep pesky midges at bay.

Food and drink

Make your life easy by prepping food and drink beforehand. Be sure to let your guests know if it’s a sit-down affair or if you’re keeping things simple with canapés and nibbles. If you can, get hold of some big mason jars so you can batch up your drinks and let people pour their own. That way, you can be in the garden with your guests instead of  topping up drinks indoors. 

Don’t forget to tag @purdyandfigg in snaps of your alfresco gathering, and pass on your own tips and tricks for effortless hosting.