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Use this helpful guide to focus on ten things your guests really notice about your home to help you prioritize tasks when you have little time to prep!
Oh, and before we get started, here's what they DON'T notice:
- Your pantry organization systems
- Your laundry room (unless you are doing a full house tour and choose to share it)
- Baseboards (other than powder room baseboards discussed below)
- The thing you're probably worried about!!
However, whether it's a dinner party, a baby shower, or a weekend houseguest, there are some items that guests either ask about, or I typically notice when I am a guest. So, I've made a quick list for you to help think of some things you may not have thought about before. This list is not a judgment upon any hostess, and I certainly am not perfect myself. These are just the things that I like to check for while I'm preparing to host.
1. Bathrooms – Including baseboards and anywhere you can see from the toilet!
Yes, of course, you probably knew to clean your bathroom before guests came over. This note is a reminder to take it a step further and see your bathroom through the eyes of the guest. If you were sitting on the toilet for 30 seconds to a minute, and then standing at the sink for the same amount of time, what would you see? Would you notice dust in the corner? Dirty baseboards? That cobweb under the sink you can only really see if you're sitting on the toilet and you always forget about it as soon as you get up? Those things.
2. Dusty Surfaces
I hate dusting. I really do. It was my job growing up, but the little perfectionist in me still gets so frustrated when I dust a surface just to turn around and see dust collecting on the surface again five minutes later. ARGH!! However, think about any surface your guests may come in contact with and make sure it's freshly dusted, including any nightstands, end tables, dinner tables, wooden chairs, counters, etc. For example, if you anticipate your guests will sit down in the living room and put their drink down on the coffee table, double check the coffee table for dust. And maybe set down a few coasters while you're there.
3. Lack of Lighting
This applies more to houseguests than the dinner party guests, but always ensure there is adequate lighting in the guest room. Sometimes the guest room is the last place we think about. Try to make sure that there are a few table lamps in addition to the overhead light, so your guest doesn't have to fumble through the dark to get to bed after turning out the light at night.
Bonus points if the lamps you choose have USB charging ports in them, like this:
Pictured Above:
4. Lack of Plugs / Charging Ports
…Which brings me to my next point. Whether it's a dinner party or an overnight guest, it's not uncommon for someone to need to charge their phone while at your home. I like to keep an extra iPhone charger in my kitchen's junk drawer for easy access during a party, so that I don't have to run to another room to grab one.
Similarly, overnight guests will need access to outlets. If you know that outlet accessibility will be a problem in your guest room, go ahead and put a surge protector or attractive-looking extension cord in your guest room. These cords have really come a long way aesthetically in the past few years. Here are a few that I like:
Pictured Above:
5. Cluttered Surfaces
Your guests will need a place to put down drinks and plates and generally just exist. I always like to do a final sweep to make sure my guests have adequate room. In terms of overnight guests, that includes providing space in the guest room or area for them to lay out an outfit or charge their phone.
6. Pet Hair
Okay, so this one I'm a little more of a stickler about. Listen, I have two cats and a dog. We have pet hair. A lot of it. And I have friends who are allergic to cats, and I have friends who are allergic to dogs. So cleaning up pet hair before guests come over is actually a non-negotiable for me. On top of all of that, I have WHITE COUCHES (it's almost like I enjoy doing this to myself).
If it's a dinner party or game night that will be mostly within my kitchen/living room area, I'll go over every soft surface with this absolutely amazing pet hair roller thing before vacuuming any rugs. This pet hair roller is a GAME CHANGER. Nothing else has ever worked for me like this. I would buy this again and again, but alas, I haven't needed to replace it in over a year.
Pictured Above:
7. Thirst & Hunger
I firmly believe the first thing you should do when your guests get in the door and settled is to offer them a drink. And there should be some snacks already set out. It's like this weird inner Italian-grandma instinct in me that says “No one is allowed to be hungry or thirsty in my house!!!” I've become hyper-aware of this since the new first season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, when Sai kept commenting on how she wasn't being fed at people's events!! I would feel so embarrassed if my guests were making fun of me that way.
Is that me being weird? Regardless, people tend to get grumpy with they are hungry. So especially if there are overnight guests, I always try to keep some water and granola bars or bags of chips easily available.
8. Temperature
**starts singing the Sean Paul song “Temperature” in my head**
Just me? Okay. Despite that fact that I always run cold, Mr. Jones likes to keep our house thermostat in the upper 60's year-round. Unbelievable, I know. As a result, I've become quite the connoisseur of space heaters, heated blankets, and warm sweaters. If you’re not sure if your house is too warm or too cool for overnight guests, I suggest keeping both a small fan and some extra blankets in the room just in case! For short-term guests, I would try to put the temperature near 70 degrees UNLESS I was hosting like 30+ people in my home, in which case I would leave it cooler since our body heat would warm it up.
Pictured above:
9. Smells
One of the first things your guests are going to notice are the smells in your home. This goes both ways – they'll notice the intoxicating aroma of a roasting chicken, and they'll recognize that your entry way smells like a can of air freshener exploded. This is admittedly a tough balance to strike, but I like to do a quick walk through for any unpleasant smells, do what I can, and light a candle. I'm only human, right? Caveat: Be wary of competing scents! If you're baking vanilla cookies, maybe fresh lemon air freshener wouldn't be a good mix (maybe it would, I don't know!!)
10. Your Stress!
Finally, your guests can smell your fear. Ha! Not quite, but if you are visibly uncomfortable, they are going to pick up on that. If you are constantly scanning your home for messes while they're sitting across from you, they'll notice that too. As difficult as it is for those of us who want to present a clean home, being a good hostess means actually hosting your guests, not just providing a clean or aesthetically pleasing environment in which your guests exist for a few hours. Sounds obvious, but it is so easy for anyone, including myself, to forget at times.
So, your guests are here! Take a breath, take a drink of water (or something stronger), and focus on the REASON you are hosting – the people around you. Good luck!
