My friend Kacey Bradley is back today with some genius
ways to spruce up your home before out-of-town guests arrive.
As the holidays approach, everyone’s getting ready to enjoy some of the best moments of the year. Crazy sales are happening at stores, you always have an excuse to eat and all your family members will be coming to town to celebrate with you. If you’re hosting house guests this year, there’s a lot to look forward to — and a lot to plan for.
Don’t let yourself feel overwhelmed while you try to figure out what you’re going to do to prepare for your house guests. Read on to find out 12 things they really want, so you can be assured everyone will be happy.
1. Remember the Wi-Fi Password
Part of living in the 21st century is being reliant on Wi-Fi, whether you want to or not. Your house guests may need to work while they visit you, or they could just want to stay updated on what’s happening in the world while they put their life on pause for a trip. To do this, they’re going to need access to your Wi-Fi. Some guests may feel too awkward asking for your Wi-Fi password, so let everyone skip this part of getting settled in the guest room by leaving out the password on a piece of paper on a dresser for them. You can even check if your router has guest access so they can have a special, temporary password that’s different than yours. This can save you a lot of time if you set up your router a while ago and can’t remember what your password is!
2. Have Extra Chargers Handy
Most everyone will travel with a charger for their phone, laptop or tablet since they use them daily. But after packing, traveling and unpacking in your home, those chargers can easily get lost. Have a universal charger port ready and waiting for guests to use. They can plug in their devices no matter what kind they have so no one has to make any last-minute, late-night runs to the store.
3. Suggest Local Hot Spots
Relatives or friends who visit for the holidays this year may not have been in your town before. Help them skip a few internet searches by leaving out a list of popular places to eat and hang out. They’ll be able to find something fun to do without wasting time researching or driving around.
4. Make Gift Wrapping Supplies Reachable
Certain holidays and family traditions come with gifts, but that doesn’t mean everyone will have had the time to wrap them before they traveled to your home. Make gift wrapping supplies reachable by putting a sign on the closet door where you keep them. This way, guests can wrap what they need to when the house quiets down at night.
5. Store Extra Toilet Paper
Extra toilet paper is a lifesaver. If you’re on a budget, rework it now so you can splurge on a few extra packs of toilet paper before your guests arrive. Leave extra rolls on top of the toilets in your home so no one ever finds themselves stuck in an empty bathroom. It’s better to have too much than not enough.
6. Refill Soap Often
Soap works the same way as toilet paper. Everyone is going to be using it, so you might as well get plenty extra. A couple of times each day, double check the bathrooms. Refill the soap if it looks about half empty and keep an eye on the toilet paper. Guests will feel pampered and taken care of with just a little bit of effort.
7. Wash All the Towels
It’s standard to wash all the hand and bath towels that guests will be using, but make sure to keep cleaning them if guests are staying longer than a weekend. Toothpaste stains and damp bath towels are no fun to deal with, and guests may be too embarrassed to bring it up.
8. Make Hot Water Readily Available
Everyone knows that if you run the hot water too long in the shower, the water will eventually start to get cold. It’s a good idea to have your water heater checked before your guests arrive to ensure this doesn’t happen too quickly.
Just to make sure nothing else is wrong if your water does start to get cold, you can read up on why hot water runs out, so you’ll know if you need to call a professional to look at it later on.
9. Pay Attention to Allergies
Some of your holiday house guests may have allergies, so make sure to ask and be aware of them. If you have pets, vacuum more often to remove as much dander as possible. Bake food according to what everyone can eat, and don’t spray scents or use candles that may trigger allergies.
10. Buy Extra Snacks
Holidays are known to include big dinners, but that doesn’t mean your guests won’t get hungry again later on in the night. Some people stay up late or get up early, and they may end up wanting some snacks. Keep extra goodies in the pantry and let your guests know that they’re welcome to grab some if they need something to munch on.
11. Be Clear About Expectations
As much as you want to cater to your house guests’ needs, they also want to be aware of your own. They’ll want to know what your expectations are while they’re there. Consider if you want them quiet at night for a sleeping baby or where they should keep their coats and shoes. Talking about these things when they arrive will prevent issues from happening later.
12. Keep Things Light
Having house guests over can also mean you’re going to have some tense situations. People who disagree can get into arguments if conversations turn down the wrong road, so as the host, try to keep things light. Talk about things everyone can enjoy and don’t let anyone bring up negativity that could ruin the trip.
Meeting your house guests’ needs doesn’t have to be difficult. Think about what they’ll need, like toilet paper and snacks. Extra efforts like leaving the WiFi password out and checking on the water heater will be appreciated and can make all the difference as you try to have the best experience possible with holiday guests this year.
Kacey Bradley is the blogger behind The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the
world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. Along with writing for her blog, she has written for sites like U.S. News, SUCCESS, Ruffled, and more!
Follow Kacey on Twitter and subscribe to her blog to keep up with her travels and inspiring posts!