While some people say that the holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year, others find it to be the most stressful season. Holiday house guests can be one of the most significant stressors. However, holiday entertaining doesn’t have to be stressful if you plan ahead and prepare your home ahead of time. The following suggestions can help you to prepare your home for guests this holiday season:
Do a Thorough Deep Cleaning
When housecleaning to ensure that holiday guests will feel at home, your top priority is to make sure your kitchen and bathrooms are spotless. Take time to wash and dry all your linens. Then stock the bathrooms with extra toilet paper, hand towels and washcloths. After that’s finished, you can take care of all the other usual day-to-day cleaning you ordinarily do like dusting and vacuuming.
Even if you’re proactive about cleaning your home regularly, there are stealthy secret places where dirt and grime can accumulate. Preparation for a deep clean may reveal that you need to dust off the tops of your ceiling fans, wipe down the top of the refrigerator and declutter the cabinets underneath your sinks.
Do Annual Inspections and Make Any Necessary Repairs
There are appliance inspections you should ideally be doing at least once a year. For example, you’ll want to clean the condenser on your refrigerator and replace the water filter. It’s also critical to ensure that your HVAC system is functioning efficiently. If the inspection reveals any problems, be proactive about having a qualified contractor attend to whatever repairs are necessary to get the system working at maximum efficiency.
Stock Your Pantry and Refrigerator
Before your guests arrive, be sure to stock up on everyday necessities like bread, butter, milk and paper towels. Make sure you have generous amounts of coffee, decaf, tea, juices and snacks available. Move the coffee maker and the tea pot to a universally accessible place if it isn’t already obvious where to find these items. You’ll also want to stock up on sugar, creamers, stir sticks and napkins.
Make Sure There’s a Bed and Closet Space for Everyone
It’s easy enough to entertain houseguests if you have plentiful space allocated in guest bedrooms. It’s a little trickier if you don’t. Even so, you can still accommodate guests if you’re creative with your furnishings. You could replace an ordinary sofa with a fold-out sofa bed or futon. Air mattresses and cots aren’t very comfortable, but they are an available last-resort option if needed.
Make Your Space Look Festive and Fun
If you and your guests celebrate Christmas, you’ll want to get out your Christmas ornaments, wreaths and Christmas lights. Spend some time decking your halls so your place looks festive. Also consider adding any other elements that might make the space more enjoyable for your guests. An advent calendar could be a fun and playful touch to consider adding to your holiday décor. If you have party games or decks of cards that are stashed somewhere in the deepest recesses of a closet, make sure to locate them and move them to an easily accessible spot so you’ll have them handy if needed.
These suggestions can help you to prepare your home for guests this holiday season. These are some of the easiest and most effective things you can do to ensure your house guests will enjoy themselves when they come to visit you in your home.
