If you’re anything like me, as much as I love having family and friends over, I absolutely hate to get my house ready for guests. I’m a busy mom and I don’t always have hours and hours to get my house perfect for guests. So, I came up with some super easy, quick and most of all practical ways to get your house ready for guests!
Whether you live in a one-bedroom apartment or a 6-room house, these tips will help you get your house ready for guests in the fastest and easiest way possible. Above all, these tips are practical for everyday homes! These tips also come in HANDY when you have to get your house ready for guests in a flash. I’ve used these tips for years now and in every home that I have helped get ready for guests so I would love to share them with you.
To help you get your house ready for guests in a flash, I created this Ultimate Prep Your Home for Guests Checklist so you can easily get your house all tidy and prepared for guests! Download the FREE Checklist now!
So, let’s get down to it!
Tips to get Your House ready for guests
The number one tip to make your house ready for guests is to make sure that your home is inviting
A lot of people think that their house needs to be spotless and perfect for guests to be able to come over. But that’s way stressful! The thing you want to focus on the most is making your home inviting where your guests feel welcome. Here are tips to help you accomplish this!
It’s okay for your house to be messy- not dirty.
I always find that the first thing that someone does when they find out that guests are coming over is they go right into “I have to make sure everything is perfect” mode. But the reality is that when you have babies and children in your house that your house is not going to “perfect” for any longer than 5 minutes. Because truth is, your children are going to take out their toys and make a mess all over again. It can’t be helped!
Accept the fact that your house can be messy without being dirty.
So instead of trying to make sure your house is perfect, just focus on making sure your house is not dirty. No one wants to visit a dirty house. And by dirty I mean trash overflowing, food crusted dishes in the sink, the pets wee wee pads not cleaned, and your living room in a cloud of dust. These are the things that you should be focusing on when people come over.
But if your house is just “messy”, then I think that’s perfectly okay. I know some moms would be giving me the evil eye for saying that but sometimes there are things that happen in our house that can’t be prevented because we have a family. So this is my definition of “messy”:
- the kids’ toys are out because they just finished playing
- the dishes are drying in the rack and not fully put away
- the jackets hanging by the door are not in the closet
- the shoes by the door are not perfectly straightened up
- etc.
These things I can live with! Being dirty is something that I cannot love with.
Focus on Scent
One of the easiest ways to make your guests feel welcome and make your home be inviting is to focus on scent. Scent is one of those things that evoke so much emotion and feeling. If your house smells like day old fish then no one is going to want to sit on your couch and watch a movie.
One of the things I do is make sure I always have candles on hand! A candle is amazing because not only does it smell great and can make your home smell good fast, but it also sets an ambiance and elevates the mood of a space.
If you have little ones, be sure to put candles high enough for them not to touch! And if you have climbing toddlers who like to get into everything then maybe you can just put some diffusers out or use plugin scents!
Instead of mass decluttering, just organize
Usually, when you have to get your house ready for guests the first thing you do is want to clean, clean, clean. And while I’m totally on board for straightening up and making sure things are clean, I don’t usually focus on mass decluttering.
I’m a stay at home mom of an 18-month-old so there are constantly toys everywhere and just when I put something away 2 seconds later it’s all over the floor again. Because of this, I can’t totally declutter! So instead, I just focus on organizing.
Remember, it’s perfectly okay to have things out- just make sure it’s organized and “looks” neat. Don’t get too hung up on having everything perfect and clear. Kids are kids so your guests will understand that your kids’ toys are out!
Make sure the dishes are done
One of the easiest ways to get your house ready for guests in a flash is to make sure that the dishes are done and the countertops are clean. You have no idea how a dirty pile of dishes in the sink makes your home look dirty. To make your house “look” clean, make sure to do the dishes! It’s one of those little secrets to making your home “appear” clean when it’s not perfect.
Start cleaning a couple days before the guests arrive
I know this is super obvious and goes without saying, but if you know guests are coming a couple days in advance, then try not to procrastinate and start cleaning a little bit a day. You don’t have to go crazy, but it will save you’re your sanity by cleaning day by day instead of just mass cleaning 2 hours before guests are arriving.
A clean floor goes a long way
While your house doesn’t have to be perfectly cleaned and decluttered, be sure to clean your floors. Whether you do a quick vacuum on your carpets or a quick Swiffer to your floors- it makes all the difference! A shiny floor will automatically trump the fact that you have toy bins all over the place. This is one of the tips that differentiates your house being messy and dirty. It’s okay for your house to be a bit messy because of the children, but you don’t want your house to be dirty.
Clean the bathroom
Another tip to get your house ready for guests in a super easy way is to flash clean your bathroom. This just means to do a quick wipe down of the sink, counters, mirrors, and toilet. Maybe even throw some toilet bowl cleaner and do a quick flush so your toilet bowl is nice and sparkly. Quickly fold any towels and do a sweep and you’re done!
Don’t underestimate a good wipe down
To reinforce the “it’s okay messy but not dirty” tip, one of the ways to make sure your house is clean is to do a quick wipe down of surfaces. So wipe down your tables, counters, side tables, ottomans, and entertainment centers. You can even use a Swiffer to do a quick dust down of your living room and shelves. Trust me, it takes all of 5 minutes!
It’s okay to keep doors closed
Another tip to get your house ready for guests is to know that it’s okay to keep some of your doors closed. When I know there are guests coming over and I haven’t had a chance to clean like I wanted to, like fold the laundry in the basket and put away some shopping bags, I usually just put it all in my room and close the door. It feels like cheating but it’s not!
So, don’t feel bad if you need to throw some “cluttered” items in your room and just shut the door. You’re not a bad mom or host for it!
Don’t forget to have drinks and snacks
I sometimes forget this tip the most because I’m so worried about cleaning, but a good tip to get your house ready for guests is to make sure you have drinks and snacks for your guests. Or at least a plan for drinks or snacks.
Sometimes I just make a pitcher of iced tea and throw open a couple of bags of chips and I’m done. Other times when I didn’t have as much time to prepare food or drinks for guests I just involve them in the process and have my guests help me make something.
My friends LOVE doing this anyway! They love to feel included and to help me out. Or you can just order some food from a local restaurant and have it delivered. There are so many options! Just be sure to have some sort of plan or else your guests are going to sit there parched!
You can also never go wrong with a pot of coffee and some cookies!
Want more tips?? Download my Ultimate Prep Your Home For Guests Checklist to get more easy tips!
Also, don’t forget to download my free Ultimate Prep Your Home for Guests Checklist so you can easily get your house all tidy and prepared for guests! The checklist has all of these tips plus MORE that will help you get your house all ready for your family and friends. Make sure you don’t forget a tip by downloading the checklist now!
Well, that’s it! Those are my super awesome, easy to do, quick, and practical tips to help you get your house ready for guests! Remember, not every time you have guests does your house have to be “perfect”. Everyone understands that you are a mom and you have to take care of your family so don’t put too much pressure on yourself to have to perfectly clean before you have guests over.
Do you have any tips that help you get your house ready for guests?? Feel free to leave it in the comments below!
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