Get Your Home Ready for Guests in an Hour

By Ana M. Ferrer, Movers.com

It’s Friday afternoon and you just found out your husband invited some coworkers over for dinner … tonight! Or you’ve been so busy all week that you didn’t have time to prepare for the monthly neighborhood get-together.

Whether you’re hosting a large party or just a few friends for dinner, your home will need to be presentable. You want to ensure that your guests are comfortable, no matter how long they stay, but where do you start? Here is a quick list of tasks to get your home guest-ready, followed by some detailed steps for the most important areas. Now go get your home ready for guests and you ready to party!

Entryways

Start by tackling the entryway of your home. If there are steps leading up to your front door, make sure they are swept and clear them of any fallen leaves, snow or dirt. Give your front door a good wipe to clean off any dust and clean the windows around your front door.

If you have a coat rack or console table in your foyer, make sure it is neat and organized. If you make some room in a hall closet for your guests’ coats it will give the impression that your home is well-organized and neat upon guests’ first impressions.

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Bathrooms

After you’ve taken care of your entryway, move onto your bathrooms – another place guests will notice clutter and will definitely pass through.

Wipe down the mirrors, faucets and sinks to make sure they shine for your guests. Mirrors and faucets without water spots and smudges will leave your guests feeling fresh and clean. Replace the hand towels with fresh ones (or even decorative seasonal towels) and refill any hand soaps or toiletries for your guests.

Give your shower and toilet bowl a quick clean and use a damp towel to “sweep” the floor. Clear off any clutter from the countertop and stash it under the sink or in a basket. This isn’t going to give your bathroom a deep clean, but it should be enough to make it guest-ready!

Kitchen

Attempting to deep-clean your kitchen before a party could eat up an entire day. Focusing on these priorities will give you a cleaner kitchen you’ll be proud to show off to your guests.

Discard any leftovers or expired food in the refrigerator and move large containers and non-essential food items to the back of the fridge to make room for party food and drinks.

Give your countertops and appliances a good wipe before moving on to your next room.

Garbage

Grab an empty trash bag and walk around your home with it and pick up any trash you see. Empty all the garbage cans in your bathrooms, kitchen and office and your rooms will instantly seem fresher.

Stage the party area

Now that you’ve gotten all the garbage and clutter out of the way for your guests, you can begin to stage the area for your party.

Light one or two scented candles an hour or so before guests arrive, but blow them out 20 minutes prior to the party. Your rooms will have the scent from the candles without being overpowering.

Set up your tables and seating areas in advance and double-check you have everything you need so you won’t have to scramble at the last minute.

Fluff up any pillows and cushions where you’ll be setting up for the party.

That’s it! Now you can sit back and wait for your guests arrive to enjoy the party. Remember, these tips are just for touching up your home for impromptu guests, so don’t linger on any single task for too long.

About Ana M. Ferrer and Movers.com

Ana M. Ferrer writes content for Movers.com and sometimes writes her own personal blog. Movers.com specializes in connecting customers to professional moving companies and offers information for planning and executing residential, corporate and international moves.

Note: This is a guest post; the views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of Redfin.