The holidays are almost here, so your guest bedroom is probably about to earn its keep. Hosting large groups of people is never easy, so it’s a good idea to be proactive and organized. BrightNest partnered with Jill Pollack, organizational expert and host of HGTV Canada’s show Consumed, to come up with these tips for taking great care of houseguests.
Kid-proof your home. You may not have any little ones in the house right now, but if your guests have young children, it’s a good idea to take some basic safety precautions. Pay special attention to the kitchen, which will likely see a lot of action during the holidays.
Prep your front porch. You probably use your side or garage door most of the time, but guests will park on the street and enter through your front door. Do a quick check to make sure your porch lights are working, and have some salt and a shovel handy to keep walkways safe if it snows or freezes overnight.
Set up a shoe basket. This is more for you (and your home) than for your guests. Place a big basket near your front door to store shoes. This will prevent dirt from being tracked through your house, which wreaks havoc on your carpets and hardwood floors. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of making everyone take off their shoes, at least throw down some welcome mats so they can wipe the worst of winter off before they explore your house.
Test-drive your guest room. This is an easy way to find out what’s working and what isn’t. Is the temperature comfortable? How about the pillows and mattress? If there are any issues, you may want to balance your heating system or flip your mattress. And don’t forget to wash the pillows and sheets!
Check your outlets. These days, most people travel with a smart phone, laptop and possibly an iPad. If everyone is going to stay fully charged, you may need to increase your outlet availability. Grab a few extra power strips from storage (or Best Buy) and set them up in common rooms. That way, everyone can get their Angry Birds fix before dinner.
Clean out your closets. If you’ve been using your closets to hide a bunch of clutter, you should probably take care of the problem now before your niece or nephew gets buried in an avalanche of knickknacks.
