Once you become a homeowner, you will find yourself in several situations over the years where you will be having houseguests – whether it is family or longtime friends visiting, or someone that needs a place to stay in between their own living situation. Whatever the case may be, having houseguests can either be extremely exciting or extremely exhausting – depending on the scenario! The best way to ensure that you are ready to host houseguests is to make sure that you are totally prepared and have everything in order ahead of their arrival. The more that you prepare for hosting, the less stressed out you will be when the time comes. Here is a guide full of great tips that you can use to make sure that your home is prepped for your houseguests:
Ensure guests have a spare key.
First, make sure that the houseguests that are visiting have a spare key, especially if they are planning on staying for a longer duration of time. This is always an easier route to take so that they are not having to consistently ask you to let them in and out of the house as they are coming and going. By offering them a spare key, or even having a spare key made if needed, you will avoid knocks on the doors and ringing of the doorbell!
IN THE GUEST ROOM(S)…
Clean your sheets and make the beds.
Regardless of how many guest bedrooms you have in your home, it is important to make sure that the rooms are tidied up appropriately and that they are ready for guests. This can include emptying any drawers in the dressers in the room, making some room in the closet for their clothing if they choose to unpack, as well as cleaning the sheets and making the beds. Overall, this will help to make the rooms look more inviting for your guests and help them to feel more comfortable.
Make sure you have enough pillows and blankets.
In addition to cleaning up the rooms, make sure that you have enough pillows and blankets available for your guests. This is especially important if you are needing to add in an air mattress or futon in any of the rooms. Your guests may be used to sleeping with multiple pillows, or may get cold during the night, so having pillows and blankets easily accessible, or even stored underneath the bed, is always a good idea!
IN THE BATHROOM(S)…
Have toiletries available.
In the bathrooms, make sure that you have all the necessary toiletries available and accessible for your guests. Ahead of time, prepare by ensuring that you have shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, toothbrushes, and toothpaste, available in case your guests forgot any. Everyone likely has lots of soaps and body washes built up from hotel stays – so now is the perfect time to make use of them!
Put out some towels.
Make sure that each of your guests has their own towel that they can use for the duration of their stay. A great way to make sure that you are not getting towels mixed up is by offering each guest a different color or design, that way everyone knows which theirs is to use.
IN THE KITCHEN…
Have food on hand – and snacks!
Lastly, make sure that you have enough food and beverages on hand for your guests so that they will have options in case they get hungry. When it comes to food, make sure this includes some snacks that guests can munch on throughout the day before you cook a larger meal!