(ARA) – The holiday season is fast approaching, which means – among other things – your home will soon be filled with family and other out-of-towners. Lifestyle expert, TV personality and mother-of-seven Hannah Keeley offers the following tips to ensure your home is guest-ready.
* Get the whole family involved. Let’s be honest, no one actually enjoys cleaning the house in preparation for guests. Make the often daunting task more manageable by assigning cleaning responsibilities to everyone in the family. Create and assign zones to each family member so, when you are expecting a guest, everyone knows exactly which area of the home they are responsible for cleaning.
“My family does this year round,” says Keeley. “We keep a chart on our fridge and rotate zones every week.”
* Keep it fresh. The scents of the holidays – home-cooked meals, scented candles and fresh pine – can be fragrant, but along with those familiar scents come soot, dust and other nearly invisible contaminants floating around the air you and your guests breathe. Crack the windows to let in some fresh air. Even better, consider installing a whole-home air filtration system like AccuClean (TM) by American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning, which will remove up to 99.98 percent of airborne particles from your indoor filtered air.
* Spruce up your guest room. If you’re expecting overnight guests, take some extra time to spruce up your spare bedroom. Make sure the bedroom door closes all the way, allowing your guests privacy. Comfortable bedding with extra pillows and blankets will keep your guests comfy during cool winter nights. You could also place an over-the-door hook with a few hangers on the bedroom or closet door so guests have a place to hang their clothes, without rooting through your closets.
* Organize the bathroom. Make sure the bathroom your guests will be using is stocked with fresh towels and washcloths. Be sure to keep plenty of toilet paper and tissues handy and visible – your guests shouldn’t have to search for either. Set out a small basket containing a few toiletries they might have forgotten – travel-sized toothpaste, shampoo or a contact lens case. Your handiwork doesn’t need to be expensive; one of Keeley’s favorite tips is cutting a regular old bar of soap into smaller pieces to create some inexpensive guest soaps.
* Keep ’em entertained. Collect brochures for your area’s local attractions – museums, parks, restaurants and more. Keep some good books on hand, as well as the local newspaper and a few magazines for good measure. Or, make some popcorn and treat your guests to your favorite classic holiday movie.
“There’s no need to drive yourself crazy making sure your home looks perfect and prepping for houseguests,” says Keeley. The holidays are right around the corner, but never fear – with just a few simple tips your home will be guest-ready in no time.
