Rachael speaks for a lot of us when she says, "We all love having our friends over at a holiday gathering. That is, until the party's over and we look around at the mess and say, 'Never again!'" Julie Edelman stops by to show Rachael some defensive cleaning tips.

• Originally designed for stability on the rough seas, the Teetertray is also perfect for those serving drinks while wearing stilettos, or those who might be prone to klutziness. ("Look up 'klutz' in the dictionary and you'll find a picture of me!" Rachael says.) The tray can be turned 360 degrees without spilling a drop!

• If possible, serve white wine rather than red wine (to avoid potential carpet stains). But, if you do wind up with a little red wine spillage, use some white wine with a bit of salt to get the stain out!

• Ever spend the morning after a party going through your sofa looking for discarded toothpicks and olive pits? You can avoid this not-so-pleasant task by putting out an empty dish for your guests to deposit extra pits, shells and toothpicks. As Rachael says, "Anything with a pit or a shell, give it a well!"

• Instead of a single welcome mat outside the front door, place a second mat on the inside of the door! With two chances for guests to wipe their feet, there's less of a chance you'll have muddy carpets to clean the next morning. And if you purchase a mat from Carpet One, 25% of the proceeds go toward the fight against Breast Cancer.

• Run out of coolers for those cold beverages? Put a new spin on your laundry machine by filling it with ice and stocking it with soda and water! When the ice melts, the water simply drains away.