How to Quickly Prepare for Last-Minute Guests
Having guests arriving used to be a cause for panic years ago, but I have learned to enjoy having people come into my home. There are several steps I take when I quickly prepare for last-minute guests.
These simple steps ensure that you will enjoy the opportunity to open your home to other people. A game plan is important and helps to keep the stress of any situation at bay.
Being unprepared is one of the biggest enemies for a homemaker. It keeps homemakers from being hospitable, joyful, and calm. I try to have a plan for most things, simply because I handle stressful situations better when I have a plan. Let’s get to it!
How do I prepare for house guests?
One of my biggest reasons for daily tidying the home is for this reason. If I spend twenty minutes every evening tending to the home, then it is never more than a half hour away from being ready for guests. Maintenance cleaning, or daily tidying, is the number one way I prepare for guests.
What is my cleaning routine for last-minute guests?
If last minute guests are going to drop by, I need to have a plan for getting the home ready quickly. When someone is dropping by on short notice, there is no way to do a full clean. This is what I do to clean sweep the home in preparation for last minute company.
- Pick Target Areas to Tidy I will pick the three main areas that our company will be in and clean only those. Usually, this is the kitchen, hall bathroom, and living room. All other areas are put to the side while I tackle these three areas.
- Put Away Unwanted Items Any items we don’t need- toys, blankets, books- get tucked away and put in their places. Blankets get put in the blanket basket, instead of on the floor. Pillows get placed in corners of the sofas. Books will get put into their proper drawers for later.
- Clean Surfaces A quick wipe of the surfaces will do in a pinch. I only wipe down the surfaces that we will use and that will be in direct eye-sight
- Sanitize and Prepare Bathroom The bathroom requires a few of my sanitizing wipes and a fresh hand towel. I will quickly wipe down the sink and toilet, make sure the hand towel is fresh, and ensure that there is plenty of toilet paper on the roll.
- Tackle the Kitchen There are probably crumbs on the kitchen floor and counters. I will enlist a kiddo to sweep the floor while I wipe down the counters and tuck any mail laying on the counter in a hidden place. If there are dishes in the sink, I will put them in the dishwasher, if it’s empty.
- Turn on the Essential Oil Diffuser Now that the three target areas are tidy, I will diffuse something yummy in our diffusers.
Additional Tips for Last-Minute Guests
- Set a timer- set a timer and prepare until it goes off. What’s not done, doesn’t get done.
- Turn on Music- Cleaning is always more fun with music playing in the background!
- Ask for Help- Be sure to ask your family for help.
- Plan a small treat for company- Pop some popcorn, throw some mixed nuts in a bowl, or make homemade lemonade as a treat
- Fresh Flowers- If it’s summer and you have flowers outside, bring some in to add some visual beauty
- Shut Doors- Shut the doors to any unneeded spaces- closets, bedrooms, laundry room, etc.
- Enjoy your Company- This seems silly to mention, but enjoy your company. Prepare some conversation points so your time can be easy and well-spent.
Video of How I prepare for Last-Minute Guests
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