Creating An Inviting Home For Overnight Guests

I’m excited to have a friend flying in for a short stay this week and, having just returned home after evacuating for Hurricane Matthew, I’m having a big catch up day in preparation. I love entertaining, so I was inspired to write a post for the rest of you moms that love it, too! Here is a checklist of preparations for creating an inviting home for your overnight guests–with minimal effort!

Start With Your Guest Amenities

Always have fresh sheets for your guests to sleep on–even if you’re using a pull out couch or air mattress! Our guest room is really bare right now, but I’m proud to have a made bed for anyone drifting through town.

It’s also a good idea to have a stack of towels ready for your guests. White is often a preferred color because they have that fresh hotel look and can be bleached if makeup or other stains occur. I’m still working on getting white towels for my family’s every day use, but I saved the ones I do have for our guests. This first step only requires one load of laundry–easy!

Step One: Do a load of laundry–guest bedding and towels.

While you are gathering up your laundry in the bathroom, try to corral any kids’ stuff and create an inviting space. With a stack of fresh towels and a tidy counter top, the bathroom is done!

Step Two: Create an inviting guest bath. 

Don’t Go Overboard With Cleaning–Do What’s Necessary

Having company over doesn’t mean everything has to be absolutely perfect–you live there after all. When I know I have guests coming later, I try to at least straighten up the main areas. If vacuuming and dusting in the master bedroom or other less frequented areas doesn’t get done, that’s okay! They are last priority. If you don’t even manage to pull out a vacuum it is likely something that no one will notice anyways. Focus on getting things back to their places and making sure there isn’t a film in your main bathrooms.

I’ve found that when I’m visiting other peoples’ homes there are two things which put me at ease the most: an uncluttered environment and a clean toilet. And I don’t mean clutter like kids’ toys strewn across the living room–we all can relate to that–I mean clutter in the sense that you don’t have a proper place for your guest to sit or you are having to move dirty dishes out of their way for them to set their coffee down. Bottom line: make sure to swish and swipe the bathrooms and put things away! Your company will appreciate it!

Step 3: Clean up the bathrooms and corral the clutter. This should, hopefully, only take 20-30 minutes. 

Appeal To Your Guests’ Senses

If you really want to put a flair in your hospitality, you can have a snack or treats ready for your guests when they arrive. This isn’t essential, but I find it fun to have a little something prepared. I love seizing every opportunity to celebrate the season, so I made a giant batch of my grandma’s top secret Russian Tea to keep on the stovetop–the ultimate autumn beverage. You could also make a cheese and cracker plate, or find other fun ideas on Pinterest depending on the occasion.

Step 4 (Optional): Have a treat ready for your guests upon arrival–it doesn’t have to be complicated! 

One of my favorite recurring moments is stepping into my house (or any place for that matter) and breathing in a clean fresh scent. It makes the atmosphere homey. There are many ways you could provide that feeling to your guests–fresh cut flowers, lighting candles, spraying Febreze, or, as I like to do, diffusing a blend of essential oils. I LOVE my doTERRA Petal Diffuser and turn it on almost every day. For this occasion I will probably continue with the autumn theme and diffuse a little cinnamon bark and wild orange. Again, this is entirely optional, but it’s just one more quick way to make your guests feel at home.

Step 5 (Optional): Give your guests a homey feeling with a lovely scent. 

There you have it! The essential checklist for overnight guest preparation. If you have time for more, that’s great! But as moms we are juggling a lot and, if your guests know you at all or have kids of their own, they will totally get that.

Now it’s time to pour yourself a warm cup of tea, kick your feet up, and enjoy your company!

What do you like to do in preparation for guests in your home?