The holidays are fast approaching, a time for family, friends, good times, and possibly stress. If you have guests coming to your home, whether it is just for the day or a week’s worth of time, you need to prepare beforehand to keep things running as smoothly as possible. Here are a few tips to get your home in the best shape before everybody arrives, helping you keep your sanity, and ensuring everybody will have a great time.
Organize the clutter
If you have guests staying in your home, they are going to be spending a large amount of time in rooms that are not usually visited by guests, depending on which bedroom you give them to spend the night. Before they arrive, clean the clutter that has been accumulating in these rooms over the past couple of weeks, or even over the past couple of years. That pile in the junk that you have become accustom to will be a huge eyesore for your visitors.
There are areas of your home that naturally build up clutter, especially right around the doors. Whether you have a pile of kid’s backpacks, or everybody’s shoes seem to be stacking up next to the couch, get them taken care of and put in their proper place before the guests arrive. This also includes filing or getting rid of newspapers, mail, and magazines that have accumulated over time.
Account for their belongings
Although the bulk of your houseguest’s belongings can go in the room they are staying in, there are a few items, such as coats, purses, and shoes, which are often left by the door for easy access. Without the proper place to put these items, your home will begin to look cluttered faster than ever.
Clear out a closet close to the door, or invest in a coat rack that can be hung right by your door. You may also need a place to stack an excessive number of shoes. This will be worth the investment, and can be used well past the holiday season.
The appliances
This holiday season, your appliances will be even more important than before. To keep your guests comfortable, make sure everything in your home is in proper working order. Here are a few things to note before your guests arrive:
- Be sure that both your hot water heater and your furnace are in proper working order. There’s nothing worse than having one of these kick the bucket on a freezing night. Check the temperature on the water heater to ensure your guests will be comfortable.
- As tempting as it might be, don’t use the self-cleaning function of the oven right before guests arrive. This can be stressful and could cause it to fail under the stress of holiday cooking. Instead take care of the cleaning well beforehand; to make sure your oven will be in the best shape when the time comes.
- Empty the canisters of your vacuums, making them ready for any mess.
Your appliances will become more important than ever during this time; make sure they are ready to take care of your guests in every way possible.
This holiday season, don’t stress too much when the guests arrive. Get your home ready for the situation at hand. With a little preparation, the season will go by much more smoothly than otherwise.
By Cassie Costner
Cassie writes for www.shamrockplumbing.net, a Utah plumber, on the best way to maintain your water heater, furnace, and other appliances. She has written on other holiday topics, including meal preparation, and decorating options for each season.
