How to prepare your house (and you!) for overnight visitors

How to prepare your house (and you!) for overnight visitors

Six months ago it seemed like a great idea to invite the whole family to visit, but a few days before the crowds descend on your home, you now realize how much work is involved. Follow Goldstar Cleaning Services’ steps to prepare your home – and yourself – for your house guests, so you can take pride in your home and enjoy your company. Before your house guests arrive
  • Sleep in the guest bed at least once before you host visitors – if it’s too lumpy, hard or soft for you, don’t expect your guests to sleep in it!
  • Put out a bath towel, small towel and face cloth for each guest and essential toiletries in each washroom.
  • Leave an all-purpose cleaning spray, cloth and air freshener in each bathroom, and make sure there is a toilet brush by each toilet and hand soap and a towel by each sink.
  • If your guest room is also a home office, storage room or den, clear some space for their clothes, and consider moving around the furniture to give them more space. Make sure there are effective curtains or blinds for privacy and to block out the morning light.
  • If they are staying for just one or two nights, use a top sheet between the fitted sheet and the duvet to save you having to wash the duvet cover after their stay. Leave a spare blanket and extra pillows in a cupboard.
  • Make a basic meal plan and make sure you have enough groceries to cover at least the first few days. Put the list on the fridge and maybe your visitors will take the hint and offer to cook for you one night.
  • Put out books or movies they might like and leaflets about attractions in the local area.
During the visit
  • Let them know the house rules – foreign visitors may not customarily take their shoes off in the house and will appreciate the heads up if it’s your normal routine. Make sure everyone knows where jackets, shoes and outdoor clothing are kept and what they can or can’t help themselves to from the fridge.
  •  Adopt the hospitality industry’s “daily” clean routine to stop dirt and clutter building up in public areas when more people than usual are using them.
1. Floors: Use a static dust sweeper on hardwood or laminate floors, or have a quick vacuum around high traffic areas of carpet. Shake out small rugs. 2. Kitchen: Ask everyone to wipe down surfaces as they use them. Put the dishwasher on every evening and unload it first thing in the morning. Keep on top of any washing up. 3. Bedrooms: Leave your guests’ bedroom alone during their stay! If their room doubles as your home office or den, let them know when they arrive that you will need to access it, and what time of day you will need to use it. 4. Washrooms: Shared washrooms will benefit from a quick wipe down each day, and consider buying a spare bath mat and hand towel set. Make sure every toilet has a toilet brush and toilet paper supplies.
  • If you have given your house guests their own bathroom, respect their privacy and leave it alone. Do leave a bathroom cleaner, cloth, air freshener and toilet cleaner for them to use if they wish.
After they leave
  • Don’t put off the laundry – consider taking large amounts of bedding to be professionally laundered to save you time.
  • Clean guest bathrooms immediately to stop soap scum drying and sticking to the bath and shower – it will only make it harder to prepare the next time you have guests.
  • If you have a series of guests coming over the summer, consider buying spare sets of bedding and towels so you don’t have to rush the laundry.
  Running out of time? Bring in the professionals Keen to impress but running out of time before your visitors arrive? Goldstar Cleaning Services can come to your home and do a deep clean that will impress even the most critical mother-in-law. Contact us to arrange a personalized quote.