Whether you have your home for sale or not, chances are you will be welcoming visitors at the door this time of year— holiday houseguests. Is your home ready for holiday visits from friends and family?
Here’s how to prepare for the invasion.
The day before guests arrive is no time to pull apart junk drawers and clean out linen closets. Get a head start and remove clutter from guest rooms and living areas. Add small side tables next to living room seating to provide spots for snacks and beverages, and have some extra folding chairs available if necessary.
Leave some lights on for safety. Even though you can navigate your home blindfolded, your guests can’t. Make sure outside lights are working so they don’t trip on the way to your door. Put motionactivated night lights in hallways, bathrooms and bedrooms to ensure safe passage after the sun sets.
Child-proof if necessary. Ask parents to bring hardware that keeps their small ones safe, such as baby gates and cabinet locks. Transfer toxic cleaners and medicines from base to wall cabinets. Hide matches and lighters.
If you didn’t replace smoke and carbon monoxide batteries when you switched the clocks from Daylight Saving Time, change them now.
Your kitchen is command central during the holidays, so make sure it is ready for guests and extra helpers.
Move your coffee station into a family room so guests don’t crowd the kitchen when you’re trying to fix meals. If you like to visit while you’re cooking, place extra stools and chairs around the perimeter of your kitchen so guests can set a spell.
If you’ve got a guest room, think about replacing the ceiling fixture with a ceiling fan and light combo to help guests customize their room temperature without fiddling with the thermostat for the entire house.
Make sure there is adequate closet and drawer space. Supply a variety of hangers — at least a dozen good wooden or metal ones — that will hold trousers and jackets, dresses and coats.
A gracious guest room includes a place for a suitcase, such as a bench where older folks can also sit when removing shoes. Outfit bedside tables with the essentials: a light for reading, a bottle of water with a glass, alarm clock and box of tissues.
Place a warm throw or blanket at the end of the bed to prevent guests from having to search for more covers in the middle of the night. Show fresh air lovers how to open and lock the windows during their stay.
Bring toilet paper and toiletries out of hiding, placing them on open shelves or in baskets around the bathroom so guests can find them easily. Outfit each tub with a bath mat to avoid falls, and remove slippery floor rugs.
Fill pretty containers such as teacups with Q-tips and cotton balls and display them on the washroom counter for anyone who’s forgotten their own.
Leave an ample supply of clean cotton towels for each guest, and add a few luxuries that one might not find at home: a beautiful soap, special hand lotion or a small bottle of perfume or cologne.
Adriana Donofrio Podley Properties Glendora 626 914-2904 adrianad@podley.com
