If you’re packing away your summer wardrobe and breaking out the fleece, the holiday season is probably not far behind. If your home is going to be the hub of activity with friends and family from out-of-town, you probably want to prepare your dwelling for the influx of guests. The following are household hacks to help you prepare for your loved ones.
Spruce Up Your Décor
The upcoming holidays are the ideal time for you to gather with family and friends. If you’re housing guests from out-of-town for an extended period of time, you may need to prepare your dwelling for your company. Although you may not have sufficient time to redecorate your kitchen, bathroom or bedroom, there are ways you can easily brighten up your space. In the bedroom, swap out dull comforters and linens with something vibrant, warm and seasonal. You can create a cozy environment with scented candles in the bath and guest rooms. New throws, pillows and plush towels are other luxurious touches your guests are sure to welcome.
Prepare Your Home’s Exterior
You want your main focus to be on spending time with loved ones over the holidays. To prevent household problems from occurring, you want to prepare your home’s exterior properly. A roofing company can prevent leaks by inspecting your roof for signs of damage such as curling or missing shingles. If they find problematic areas, have them repaired by the experts immediately to avoid water damage to your home’s interior. Since your guests will be coming and going, you want to boost your exterior lighting. Inspect lights for missing or burnt bulbs. If your exterior is dimly lit, add outdoor light by changing to bulbs with extra wattage. You can also easily install ground lighting with the plug-in varieties or solar powered units. Shovel walks immediately after it snows and apply salt.
Make Your Entryway Inviting
Whether your guests have been to your home before or not, you want them to feel welcome the instant they pull up to the front. Before your guests arrive, prepare your dwelling for holiday guests by organizing your entryway. Add seasonal decorations such as a door wreath or welcome mat. A coat rack placed at the entry provides a neat place for your guests to hang their winter outwear. Fresh holiday flowers give your home a colorful boost, and they smell nice.
Give Your Home the Smell Test
Although you may not notice household odors, your guests may be sensitive to certain smells. If you have dogs or cats, freshen up your dwelling by setting your air filtration system to high. You can also open the windows and doors to air out your entire home. If your dwelling still needs some assistance, light scented candles or place cinnamon sticks and water in a saucepan and heat on the stove top.
Take Inventory
Holiday guests may be staying anywhere from a couple days to a week or more. Before your guests arrive, you want to take inventory of cupboards, closets and dressers. Because you don’t want family members to live out of their suitcase, you want to make room for their clothing, toiletries and other personal belongings. Once your guests arrive, show them where they can set up house and hang their wardrobe. If you don’t have sufficient room, you may want add more storage units by way of additional hangers, trunks or dressers.
Add Personal Touches
Simple personal touches can make your out-of-town guests feel like a million bucks. You can put together the ideal guest room with a supply of reading material on the nightstand. Set out fluffy robes and slippers to help them unwind after a long day of merriment. Place a basket with shampoos, lotions, soaps, hand towels and other essentials to pamper your guests. Snacks such as nuts, cheese and cracker packets, fruit and fresh baked cookies placed in their room can tide them over until meal time.
Offer Privacy
With ongoing celebrations and indulgences, your guests may not want to be on the go continuously. To ensure that they don’t get overtired, offer them privacy where they can unwind. Place a T.V. in the bedroom, so they can watch their shows and relax. You can also allow your guests time to take a nap, rest or catch up on emails. When they are ready to be part of the action again, they will know where to find you.
As a hostess, you may be anxious at the thought of housing guests. But if you’ve invited family from out-of-town to stay with you during the holidays, you’ll be able to ensure that they feel welcome by following the above household hacks.
