With autumn comes the very beginning of the holiday season, and though it is still October most people are planning their holiday travel now. Which for many people, means that houseguests are on the horizon. Best to get your home ready before the craziness of the holidays distracts you.
Whether it's just friends visiting for a weekend to enjoy the highest sales tax in the nation, or family swinging through for their yearly visit, you'll want to make their space comfortable. Here are a few things to think about when your calendar tells you a houseguest is iminent...
1- They need some space. Best is an actual guest room, but short of that, try to create an area that can be just theirs - at least during sleeping hours. An air mattress in a dining room set apart from the living area or the fold out in the den will work just fine as long as they can enjoy it in at least partial privacy.
2- Make it comfy. I'm not suggesting you run out to get the highest threadcount sheets you can find, but bedding should be comfy, clean and pressed if necessary. And pillows are important - the flat, dead pillow you've had since college needs to find its way to the garbage, NOT your guests' bed. Pillows aren't expensive, so try to keep at least one fluffy pillow and one that's more standard on hand. Avoid perfumed fabric softener; you never know what your guests might be allergic to.
3- Offer some space for guests to unpack. Most guest rooms I've been in double as the office or an overflow storage space, but if you can spare a few hangers in the closet and a drawer or two, your over-nighters will appreciate it. If you can't spare the closet/dresser space, pick up a luggage rack. They're super inexpensive and it will make living out of a suitcase for the duration of the trip much easier for your guests.
4- Let them see what time it is. A lighted alarm clock is a necessity. No one likes to wake up in a strange bed and have no idea what time it is. Which leads me to...
5- Available outlets. Make sure there are one or two available outlets for guests to charge their cell phones, laptops, etc. Many people use their cells as their watch/clock/alarm these days, so this is a small but important courtesy.
6- Keep reading material in the room. Especially if your guest area doesn't have a tv, be sure to set a few books or magazines you think they'll enjoy out on the nightstand. Many people have a hard time sleeping in an unfamiliar bed so a little late-night reading isn't so far-fetched. (A lamp on the nightstand is a good one too).
And lastly...
7- How many people do you know that get up for a drink in the middle of the night? No one wants to stumble around an unfamiliar kitchen in the dark, so have some bottled water on hand to leave on the bedside table before lights-out.
It may sound like a lot, but really each of these items are things you can do that cost little or nothing. And they'll make a big difference in your guests comfort (and yours!).
