We recently had some of my husband’s family spend a couple of nights at our house during a family reunion. We had a wonderful time! We love to have people stay with us! While it can be stressful to have company staying over night… it doesn’t need to be! There are a few things that you can do to make their stay comfortable without very much effort. This list does not include preparing meals! If they will be staying with you the whole time, be sure to take that into consideration. This list only includes the overnight aspect of the stay!
1. Have a Designated Space
Like I said… we like to have people stay over. Because of this, we have a guest room space for company to stay that is always ready to go! If you have company a few times a year, I certainly recommend having either a dedicated space for company to stay or an area of your home that can easily be transformed into a guest space!
We have the guest room, but we also had an air mattress set up in Caleb’s office which seemed to work well, too!
2. Clean & Tidy Sleeping Areas
I like to dust, vacuum, sweep, and tidy as much of the room as possible. Because our guest room is also the laundry room, I like to make sure that the tops of the washer and dryer are all wiped off and that they are empty. I also like to make sure that the dressers and night stands are clear so they have places to put their things! The second night we thought of offering a fan. We sleep with a fan in the room and I am learning quickly that many others do as well!
3. Clean & Tidy Bathroom & Living Areas
The bathroom and living areas are the other places that your guests will see and likely spend some time. I like to fold any throw blankets and “stage” any throw pillows. I also vacuum and dust end tables and clear/clean the dining table and kitchen counters. Having an empty dishwasher is also helpful so it is quick and easy to load any dirty dishes! I completely clean the bathroom and make sure there are plenty of towels ready to go and in sight for the guests… think hotel-style! I also like to be sure to have plenty of soap and toilet paper available and visible! It’s also helpful to take out any trash!
4. Have Snacks/Drinks Available
I like to make sure that there are easily visible snacks and that guests know where drinks, glasses, etc. are located in case they get hungry at any point in time. Everybody has different eating schedules… some people like to have a snack before bed or whatever so it works well to have them available. We usually go with granola bars or fruit in a glass jar on the counter, but really any fairly filling snack works! We use the Brita filter pitcher, so we show where our glasses are located so guests can get water at any time. Having bottled water also works! I also like to have some type of breakfast and coffee available in the morning!
Like I said, we love to have guests at any time! Having a routine or plan to prepare for overnight guests makes it less stressful and more fun! What else do you do to prepare for company that stays over night?? Let me know in the comments!
Life on Lady Slipper Lane 