Get Ready For Guests

The holidays are coming up fast and for most of us that means various guests who probably haven't set foot across your threshold since last year.

Whether your guests are coming just for the day or will be overnight visitors, this handy holiday home checklist will help make your space as inviting and comfortable for your visitors as possible.
Entrance

* Make sure all pathways and the drive are as free as they possibly can from ice and snow. Taking Grandma to the emergency room because you didn't have time to grit or to make that phone call to get your driveway plowed is hardly an auspicious start to the holidays.
* Another big safety precaution is to ensure all of your outdoor lighting actually works and gives off enough light that people will not be tripping over strange objects as they try to navigate their way to your front door.
* Establish a spot to gather everyone's cold weather armor (coats, hats, scarves, boots) once they are inside. If your coat closet isn't big enough to accommodate it all consider designating a certain room as a cloakroom instead. You may also want to invest in a nice new doormat so that the amount of mud being tracked across your clean carpet is kept to a bare minimum.

Living Room

* Schedule a professional carpet cleaning before your guests arrive. Not only will your carpets look better but a newly cleaned carpet smells great too.
* Take the time to actually clean your windows - or hire someone else to do it for you - so that all those outdoor decorations you spent hours erecting can actually be admired from indoors.

Bathrooms

* Make sure you give your bathrooms a good once over before the guests arrive. If the grout is looking really grimy take out a toothbrush and clean it up with just a little hot water and dish soap.
* Apart from having a number of guest towels on hand in the bathroom, buy a few "emergency" supplies from the dollar store to give out to guests who may have forgotten to bring some of their overnight essentials like toothpaste, toothbrushes and certain other personal care items.

Kitchens

* The modern kitchen is often the real hub of holiday entertainment and social activity. Clear the clutter off the counter tops and encourage everyone to mingle by placing a few snacks and drinks out on a kitchen counter top or kitchen island.
* Make sure all your appliances work, especially those little ones you rarely use like that neat cappuccino thingy or the toaster. Although it maybe a little too late to go out shopping for a new stove, if your microwave has seen better days now is a great time to retire it and replace it with a newer, more energy efficient model.

Guest Bedrooms

* Clear out plenty of closet space so that your guests can actually hang their clothes up because no one really likes living out of a suitcase.
* Equip the guest room or rooms with a bedside alarm clock and a nice reading light. Your guests are sure to appreciate the gesture.



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