With the holidays coming up, I’m sharing tips for preparing for house guests.
When friends or family are staying overnight at your house, you want to make them feel comfortable, relaxed, and welcomed. Here are some tips on how to do that.
*Clean bedrooms where guests will be staying. Make sure that sheets are clean and pillows are fluffed. If you need to get new bed linens, you have got to try these sheets from Amazon. I heard about them for months before trying them, but now they are my very favorite sheets. The affordable price makes them even more attractive!
*Include cozy blankets on beds during colder months.
*Consider buying some extra pillows.
*Consider spritzing a room spray to make your bedrooms smell fresh and clean! I like this lavender scent.
*Leave some empty space for your guests to store their own stuff.
*Speaking of empty space, clear some space in your guest room closet for your guests to hang their clothes.
*Place some favorite books and recent issues of magazines near the bed. Bonus points for including magazines about your town or state!
*If it is holiday time, consider including a small decoration in the guest room.
*Include a small lamp beside the bed. Some possibilities are HERE and HERE.
*Clean the bathrooms.
*Make sure there are plenty of towels and extra toilet paper in the bathrooms. These towels from Amazon are soft, absorbent and affordable!
*If a guest will be sleeping on the couch, get rid of the back cushions if you can so more space is available. Make a stack of sheets, pillows, and blankets to make couch sleeping as comfy as possible!
*Clean up your “piles” of stuff (clutter, books, papers, etc.). Your home will look 100% better just from doing this small step!
*Vacuum your house. Use a handheld vacuum for small messes or small areas.
*Get some fresh flowers from your local grocery store. If you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, they have the best and most affordable flowers!
*Bake some cookies! What better smell to make your guests feel welcome? If time is an issue, use a mix to make delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or my family’s favorite snickerdoodles!
*Have some kind of munchy type foods available for snacks. Ideas: charcuterie board, simple cheese and crackers, Chex mix, chips and salsa, pretzels or potato chips, appetizer type dips and crackers, trail mix.
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*Leave water bottles in the bedrooms.
*Plan meals, if needed. I love Amy Nelson Hannon’s cookbook Love Welcome Serve: Recipes That Gather and Give and Elizabeth Heiskell’s cookbook What Can I Bring?: Southern Food for Any Occasion Life Serves Up. Both of these cookbooks include great options for meals, snacks, breakfasts, and desserts. Any of Ree Drummond’s Pioneer Woman cookbooks are great too!
*Plan some easy breakfast options. Ideas: coffeecake, muffins, bagels and cream cheese, frozen cinnamon rolls, frozen biscuits, pancakes, quiche or frittata.
*Set up a coffee and hot tea station.
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*Create a card or sign with your wifi password. Consider providing extra chargers.
*Include notepads and pens in case they need to leave a note or write something down.
*Include directions for getting into and out of your house. Is there a garage door code or garage door opener they could use while they are staying at your house? An extra set of keys?
Now smile, relax, and enjoy your guests!