Gussying Up for Guests: How to Prepare Your Home for Visitors

If you own a home, chances are you’ll play host to people you know throughout the year. Some guests notify you months in advance so you have plenty of time to prepare. Other visits come as a total surprise, like when your in-laws let you know their flight will be landing in just a few days. Either way, it’s up to you to get your house ready from top to bottom.

Hosting guests is about more than setting out freshly fluffed towels and making dinner reservations. To ensure a smooth visit, you’ll have to consider the safety, security, and comfort of everyone involved. Consider these measures you can take to prepare your home for guests, and don’t forget to compare home insurance quotes so you can rest easier knowing that your policy has your back—not to mention your guests’.

Comfort Checklist

Spruce up your guest accommodations a few days before your visitors arrive. It’s considerate to deep clean your guest bedroom and guest bathroom (if you have them) as well as any communal spaces. Here are a few preparation ideas to make your friends and family members feel right at home:

− Scrub the toilet, shower, countertops, and mirror

− Empty the bathroom wastebasket

− Set out extra toilet paper, lotion, and hand soap

− Launder at least two bath towels and hang them in plain view

− Change the sheets and pillowcases on your guest bed

− Store extra blankets in a linen closet or set a folded pile nearby

− Make sure your guest has access to an outlet, a glass for water, and a lamp

Safety-Proofing Your Home

Stepping over a raised plank in your hardwood living room floor might be second nature to you, but your unsuspecting guest could easily stub their toe and take a tumble. Or, while your whole family knows that the hottest setting in the shower is enough to induce burns, your guest may go about their nighttime routine and step right into the scalding water.

As Good Housekeeping writes, it’s important to check your home for potential hazards before your guests arrive. Make sure your rugs don’t slip, the hallways don’t contain anything that could topple over if bumped in the night, and your pets are secure.

Upgrade Security

You’re entrusting your guests with the keys to your kingdom—literally. It’s up to you to provide them with the pertinent information they need to keep your home secure throughout their stay. Real Simple recommends printing out emergency contact information, general phone numbers, and any must-know details about your home. Besides presenting guests with a spare key, you may need to teach them about your alarm system.

Are you opening your home to guests sometime soon? The key to any successful visit is prioritizing safety, security, and comfort. By taking the time to plan adequately for your guests’ impending arrival and walking them through exactly what they need to know about your house, you can make sure their visit goes off without a hitch.

The right homeowners insurance policy will protect your home and everyone inside it. Compare home insurance quotes with CoverHound today!