As the holiday season inches closer, you’re probably running around gathering all of the ingredients needed to make your famous fall casserole and planning activities to do with family members who are coming to visit. In all the hustle and bustle, you shouldn’t forget that prepping for the holidays goes beyond just food.
If you’re having family and friends stay with you during the holidays, you should take a few extra steps to make them feel right at home. Plus, the proper preparation means less stress for you as well. When it comes to preparing your home for guests, here are a few things you can do to be the host with the most!
Write Down Passwords
You already know that the second your guests settle in, they’re going to want to connect to the Wi-Fi to save their data plans. You may also have guests who need to do a bit of work on their computers and are going to need an internet connection to do so. Rather than have to say or send it to your guests a dozen times, write down your Wi-Fi passwords where everyone can easily find it.
If you have close family members staying with you whom you trust very much, you may also want to write down your security or garage code so guests can come and go as they please.
Stock Your Bathroom
The last thing any house guest wants to do is holler down the hallway because there’s no more toilet paper in the bathroom. Make sure you buy plenty of extra rolls and keep several in your bathroom at one time so no one is left stuck on the toilet.
You should also put extra towels in your bathroom so anyone who wants to wash up or shower isn’t left without one. It’s best to have bath towels, face towels, and washcloths all easily available.
Lastly, if you want to be a really good host, have a few extra toiletries in your bathroom for any family members who may have forgotten to pack their own. Common items to have include toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body soap, toothpaste, and lotion.
Clear Out Extra Space
If you use your guest bedroom as a storage space for most of the year, now’s the time to clear it out and, temporarily, move all your stuff to your garage or bedroom. We don’t mean just the stuff sitting on the bed either, we mean all the boxes and other clutter spread throughout the room as well.
You wouldn’t want to have to tiptoe around someone else’s storage boxes, so don’t make any of your guests do so either.
Make the Bedrooms Hotel-Quality
You want guests to feel like they’re in their own homes, or better, so it’s essential to take great care when it comes to where they’re going to be sleeping. Replace all of the guests’ bedding with clean, fresh sheets, pillows, and blankets. Even if no one has used the current bedding, if it’s been there for a while, toss it in the washer so there’s no chance of it being dusty or dingy-smelling.
It’s also considerate to provide guests with extra pillows and blankets in case they want to be a bit comfier or cozier. Whether you leave these items in guest rooms or in a communal hallway closet is up to you.
Offer More Lighting
Place nightlights in hallways so guests can easily navigate your home at night without bumping into anything, and potentially even leave dim lights on in certain rooms — such as an under-cabinet light in your kitchen.
You should also add lamps to sleeping areas to provide your guests with some reading light at night.
Clean Your Bathrooms
No one wants to hop into the shower and see a wad of hair surrounding the drain or rust-colored stains lining the toilet bowl. Spend a few hours cleaning your fixtures, removing any hair from your drains, and scrubbing away any residue left by untreated water.
There’s something you should remember about that residue though. While you can clean it temporarily, the calcium and iron spots will keep coming back unless you professionally treat your home’s water.
Add Some Power Strips
With all the appliances and electronics you already have plugged in, there may not be enough outlets for guests to plug their phone, camera, and computer chargers into. To avoid forcing guests to fight over outlets, get a power strip or two so you can provide them with an efficient way to stay charged.
Account for More Bellies to Feed
Here’s where the food comes in again. While we’re sure your big holiday meal will leave all of your guests feeling full and satisfied, that’s not necessarily the only meal they’ll need during their stay with you.
Stock up all breakfast essentials — coffee, tea, cereal, oatmeal, eggs, etc. — and have plenty of snacks for guests to munch on throughout the day. While it’s fine to go out for a bite to eat, we doubt your guests want to do that every time they’re hungry.
It’s also important to account for any food allergies or dietary needs your guests may have. For example, if Aunt Cathy is gluten-free, make sure you have more than just wheat cereal and flour-based waffles for breakfast.
Have Your HVAC System Checked
No one wants to spend the holidays freezing at the dinner table. If you have an older heating system or your unit has seen its fair share of winters, have it inspected and tuned before your guests arrive. This will ensure your system is running efficiently and that you and all your guests will stay comfortable throughout their visit.
Write Up a Set of Rules
While we understand that you’re aiming to make your family’s visit a pleasant one and that you may want to go the extra mile to ensure they’re comfortable, it’s still your home, so they need to know and respect your rules.
Make a poster with a few house ground rules so everyone is aware of things you’d like them to be considerate about. Such rules may include:
-Limiting showers to a maximum of 15 minutes. (You have a water bill to worry about.)
-No smoking inside.
-Don’t feed any table scraps to the dog.
-After a certain time, keep the volume down.
Because guests will appreciate that you offered up your home to them, they’ll likely be fine with a few rules.
When it comes to keeping your home comfortable, trust the experts at Horizon Services, LLC! For nearly 30 years, we’ve been the trusted name in plumbing, heating, and air conditioning, offering an unmatched level of service at reasonable rates.
For more information or to schedule a service, give us a call at 1-800-642-4419.