It’s not always easy to quickly prepare your house for guests, but luckily these ways to prepare your home for guests will save you time and effort if you always keep them in your back pocket. Whether you were given a year’s notice or an hour, preparing your home for guests always takes a little bit of time. Thankfully, with these ways to prepare your home for guests, your stressed cleaning sessions will be no longer, and you will be the perfect hostess!
It’s never too early to start cleaning for your guests’ arrival. In fact, the earlier you start, the better. The last thing you want is for your guests to show up while you’re still knee-deep in the clothes you’re planning on donating! Whether you want to do a deep clean, or simply spruce up the place before your guests arrive, cleaning is one of the most important ways to prepare your home for guests.
There’s something so warm and inviting about candles. The flame adds so much warmth to your home, and the smell can make people want to curl up and live there forever. If you’re in a pinch and guests are coming over, lighting candles is the easiest way to get your home ready in a few seconds!
Sometimes, house guests give you about ten minutes notice. When that happens, I immediately put cookies in the oven and proceed to get the rest of the house ready. Sure, it takes a little planning. You have to constantly keep frozen cookie dough in your freezer, and resist the temptation to eat said cookie dough in a single sitting, but believe me; it is worth it in the end. You’ll seem so hospitable and put-together if last minute house guests arrive to warm cookies!
Guest rooms are often used as junk rooms, especially if you don’t have guests often. If you’re someone who currently uses the guest room as a junk room, start de-cluttering. You don’t want your guests to have to climb over your unused elliptical to get to their bed, you want a calming and comfortable place for them to stay!
Maybe it’s the Italian in me, but having food ready to serve is a must, whether your guests are staying for an hour or a week. Depending on how far your guests are traveling, they’re probably hungry, and even if they aren’t, they’ll appreciate that you thought of them!
Hosting requires a lot of energy. You must constantly be on your A-game, and that can be exhausting. Plan time to get extra sleep during the days leading up to your guests’ arrival, or at the very least, stop by Starbucks a few hours before your guests arrive!
This may be a little bit more work than you anticipated; but tailoring different things to your guests will make them feel so welcome in your home. Pick books that you’d know they love and leave them on the nightstand, or prepare their favorite food as a surprise. No matter what you choose to do, it will definitely go over well with your guests!
What do you do to prepare for house guests? Give me some more tips and tricks in the comments!