You don’t have to sanitize your whole house before guests arrive, but there are a few areas you should focus on. Preparing your house for entertaining friends and family may be stressful, whether preparing for a holiday or hosting loved ones from out of town. Because your home reflects you, you want it to be clean and pleasant when guests arrive, setting the tone for their stay.
But there’s no need to feel overwhelmed when hosting guests. Cleaning the primary guest-facing areas of your home first is an easy way to get started. Begin with your front door and entryway and work into the main living space, dining room, and kitchen. This will give you a decent sense of which areas to focus on and remember more sensitive locations, such as the bathroom and guest rooms.
To speed up the process, list the most critical things to clean before guests arrive, ranging from high-traffic parts of the house, such as the doorway, to items in your entertaining arsenal, such as serving ware and glassware.
The Entrance
Although it is an area of the home that is frequently disregarded when it comes to cleaning, your foyer is the first thing guests notice when they arrive for the evening. A clean doorway sets the tone for the rest of the house—it’s all about making an excellent first impression.
Clear the Clutter
Fortunately, cleaning up this area is simple. Begin by removing whatever you usually leave out. Remove your stuff from a shoe or coat rack and store it in a spare room to make an extra area for guests to leave their belongings. Make sure you have an entry rug where your guests may wipe their shoes when they arrive and that it is clean.
Make Ambience
If you have a light fixture in your foyer, clean it and turn it on a dimmer. I enjoy establishing the tone as soon as the visitors enter the room. One alternative is to light a scented candle near the entrance so visitors are welcomed with a pleasant aroma as they enter the gathering space.
Bathroom
As a frequently used section of the house, your bathroom must be ready for guests. Do you have enough toilet paper? Is there a clean shower for overnight guests? Remember these factors when preparing your event venue.
Clean Fixtures
Suppose you haven’t previously deep-cleaned your plumbing fixtures, such as the shower, bathtub, toilet, or sink. In that case, do so before guests arrive. Allow the surfaces to soak in a solution of equal parts water and vinegar. Scrub the covers with a stiff-bristle product and then rinse with water.
Towels and Wash Mats
You want visitors to refrain from drying their hands on soiled towels. As a result, it is recommended that you wash any machine-washable objects in your bathroom, such as bath and hand towels. We also suggest scrubbing your bathmats while you’re at it.
Stock Up on Necessities
The last thing you want is to be interrupted while hosting because the bathroom needs more toilet paper. Avoid this by stocking the space thoroughly before inviting guests into your home. In addition to paper products, keep extra soap and hand towels in your bathroom for when you run out.
Rooms for Guests
Whether or not partygoers stay the night, spare rooms must be kept tidy. An extra bedroom near your main gathering space, or one utilized for coats or personal items, is a place at a party where two or three individuals may escape for a side talk.
Fresh Bedding
Make people’s nights comfortable by ensuring the bed is ready. Wash any bed linens, such as sheets, pillowcases, and blankets, and keep extra blankets and pillows on hand.
Make Room for Personal Items
Remove superfluous personal goods and create additional space for guests to store their belongings in your spare room. Make room for their baggage and any travel bags, as well as a place to hang any clothing items. Reduce clutter whenever possible; anything the guest would not ordinarily need should be relocated so that they feel like they are in their place.
Kitchen Because the kitchen is the heart of your home—and where guests will congregate to see if they can lend a helping hand, fill up on beverages, or dispose of trash—you should prepare it for heavy foot traffic.
Clean Surfaces
During cleaning, corners, nooks, and home crannies, such as the pantry, are frequently overlooked. Keep them neat enough to be presentable if they’re in plain sight or accessed during the party. Also, thoroughly clean your kitchen countertops and high-touch areas, such as the refrigerator door handle and faucet. A clean kitchen ensures your guests’ food and beverage service is safe.
Serving Ware
If you haven’t had friends around in a while, your serving pieces need a once-over before you load them with food. Cleaning up these necessities will save you time on the day of your event. Always have clean serving ware, platters, glassware, and serving utensils for hosting. This gives you more time to engage with guests and reduces clean-up during the event. Once you’ve chosen your pieces, it’s best to give them a good rinse or run them through the dishwasher to remove any dust or stains.
Get Rid of Odors
Although you may not notice the smells of yesterday’s dinner, your guests will. Make your kitchen more appealing by removing unpleasant scents. One step is to clean out the inside of your kitchen garbage can. You may also absorb unwanted odors by leaving a dish of white vinegar or baking soda on the counter overnight.
Surfaces with a High Touch Index
Visitors are more likely to touch certain items in your home than others. To prevent germs from spreading, wipe off frequently handled objects such as doorknobs, door handles, light switches, remotes, and faucets.
Floors transport all of the filth that enters the home; therefore, vacuuming and cleaning are required before welcoming company. Do a spot cleaning of your flooring right before the party and wipe away any last-minute dirt that pets or children may have tracked in.
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