10 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Holiday Guests
It’s never too soon to start preparing for the holidays. Getting some of the work out of the way ahead of time means you can spend less time cleaning, organizing, and running to…
It’s never too soon to start preparing for the holidays. Getting some of the work out of the way ahead of time means you can spend less time cleaning, organizing, and running to the store once guests arrive—and more time enjoying your family and friends.
A little preparation can also save money, especially if you stock up on pantry staples and guest essentials while they’re on sale. Here are some of my favorite ways to get the house organized and ready for the holiday season.
1. Take inventory of serving trays and platters
Start by taking inventory of your serving trays, platters, cake stands, and other entertaining pieces. Make sure you have enough of what you’ll need and, just as importantly, that everything is easy to access.
Above our wall oven and microwave, we have a large cabinet that wasn’t being used to its full potential. I added Better Homes & Gardens expandable drawer dividers to organize my growing collection of platters, cake stands, and trays.
The dividers have rubber feet on the bottom for stability, but I wanted to make sure nothing could fall over. I added L-brackets and secured them to the bottom of the cabinet and the dividers. Now everything stays upright and is easy to pull out when I need it.
2. Stock up on snacks and coffee
I always love to leave a quick snack at our coffee station. On this particular day, I made leaf- and pumpkin-shaped cookies, but when we have overnight guests, I’ll usually leave out muffins or bagels as well. That way, early risers can grab something without having to wait for breakfast.
If you’re a coffee lover, the holidays are also a good time to stock up on seasonal blends. HomeGoods is one of my favorite places to find fall-flavored coffees at reasonable prices, with plenty of different flavors to choose from.
3. Prepare your holiday baking supplies
Baking is a huge part of the holidays in our house, so I like to make sure everything I need is ready ahead of time.
I keep my baking essentials together on my DIY baking cart, which makes it easy to grab ingredients and supplies without searching through different cabinets.
This is also a great time to stock the pantry. Instead of waiting until you need something, start buying your baking staples ahead of time when you see them on sale. It saves time later and can save quite a bit of money, too.
4. Get your steam mop ready
A good steam mop makes holiday cleaning so much easier. I use a Shark steamer on its hottest setting to give the floors a thorough clean.
My one issue with the Shark is the mop pads. Even after washing them, they can still look dirty, and I don’t like feeling as though I’m moving old dirt around the floor.
To get mine really clean, I soak them in a mixture of Nellie’s washing soda, OxiClean, and a small amount of bleach. I’ll leave them soaking overnight—or even for a couple of days if necessary—before washing them again.
One feature I love about the Shark is that you don’t have to touch the dirty mop pad when you’re finished. Press the two release buttons and the pad drops straight into the bucket.
Note: Always check the care instructions for your particular mop pads before using bleach or other cleaning products, and never mix bleach with ammonia, vinegar, or other incompatible cleaners.
5. Clean the front entryway
When we’re preparing for guests, it’s easy to concentrate entirely on the inside of the house. But the entryway is the first thing visitors see.
Each season, I like to give our front entryway a good wash before putting out the holiday decorations. Sweep away debris, wipe or wash down dirty surfaces, and freshen up the area so you have a clean starting point for decorating.
6. Deep-clean the guest bathroom
The guest bathroom is something you can tackle a day or two before your guests arrive.
Give it a thorough cleaning, including the cabinetry, countertops, mirrors, windows, floors, trash can, shower, and bathtub. Clean the toilet and make sure everything guests might need is stocked and ready.
Doing the deeper cleaning beforehand means you should only need a quick touch-up immediately before guests arrive.
7. Put out fresh towels
Fresh towels are a simple way to make the guest bathroom feel more welcoming.
I usually gravitate toward white bath towels, but I couldn’t resist these botanical towels from Better Homes & Gardens at Walmart. They’re soft, thick, and plush, and the jacquard design gives them a classic look.
Put out enough bath and hand towels for your guests so they don’t have to go looking for extras.
8. Add a good bath mat
Place a bath mat beside the tub or shower both for comfort and to help prevent slippery floors.
One trick for helping a bath mat last longer is to dry off as much as possible while you’re still standing inside the shower. Then step onto the mat once you’re mostly dry. This keeps the mat from becoming completely soaked every time someone showers.
9. Stock travel-size toiletries
It’s always a good idea to have a few personal essentials available for guests in case someone forgets something.
I like to shop the trial-size toiletries at Walmart. Guests usually only need enough shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, or other basics to get them through a few days, so there’s no need to buy full-size products.
Keeping a small basket of toiletries in the guest bathroom is an inexpensive way to make sure visitors have what they need.
10. Wash and store guest bedding ahead of time
Don’t wait until the day your guests arrive to start laundering sheets and duvets.
Wash everything ahead of time, allow it to dry completely, and store it somewhere clean until you’re ready to make the bed. I like to place the bedding in an under-bed storage bag along with a lavender sachet so everything stays organized and fresh.
When guests are on their way, all you have to do is pull out the clean bedding and make the bed.
Enjoy a more relaxed holiday season
Holiday preparation doesn’t have to happen all at once. In fact, the more you can tackle ahead of time, the easier those final few days will be.
Take inventory of what you already own, stock up when things are on sale, organize your entertaining supplies, and handle some of the bigger cleaning jobs early. By the time your guests arrive, much of the work will already be done—and you’ll have more time to actually enjoy the holidays with them.