Tips to Prepare Your Home for Holiday Guests

This post is sponsored by Bona. All opinions are my own.

Every year at this time I tell myself I’m not going to stress when getting the house ready for guests. A few tips – five to be exact – help me keep my sanity when getting everything ready. Today I’m joining four other creative bloggers to bring you tips to prepare your home for holiday guests. That makes 25 simple tips to help you breeze through the upcoming holidays.

My five tips that are true life savers that will help minimize stress before guests arrive. I always follow these when hosting company.

 

1. Plan Your Menu in Advance

Gather your favorite cookbooks together and start planning your meal. I find it’s best to pair some of your tried and true recipes with a new one. If you include too many new dishes on your menu, you’ll raise your stress level. It’s also a good idea to make any new recipes a week or more before the event to make sure that a) it’s easy to create and b) that it actually tastes good.

 

2. Set Your Table a Day or Two in Advance

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to set your table a day or two before your holiday meal. I learned this tip from my mother. She wanted to focus on the cooking the day of our Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration. Setting your table is one less thing to do on your special day if you set it in advance. You can devote more time and creativity to your tablescape when you’re not rushing to get it done. Here’s my Thanksgiving table setting for later this week.

 

3. Add Creature Comforts to Your Home

You want your guests to feel comfortable and cozy in your home. I like to add extra pillows and cozy throws to my chairs and sofa. It’s an extra touch that makes your guests feel at home, and it’s such an easy thing to do.

 

4. Create a Bed and Breakfast Style Bedroom

If you’ve ever stayed in a bed and breakfast, you know there are simple pleasures that make your stay memorable. Quality sheets, soft blankets and bedspreads, top-notch pillows, and other personal touches like fresh flowers or or a tray of treats. Include little luxuries like a basket of magazines for nighttime reading or fluffy robes for lounging. Really, anything that will help your overnight guests feel special.

 

5. Clean Your House Ahead of Time

Cleaning your home may seem like an obvious tip, but you can make the job easier with effective cleaning supplies. I’ve been on the hunt for a really good floor cleaning product and I’ve finally found it, thanks to Bona PowerPlus! I don’t have any carpet in my home, although I do have a large area rug and several bamboo script mats.

 

I mop my floors every week and Bona PowerPlus Hardwood Floor Deep Cleaner does a thorough job, along with Bona PowerPlus Microfiber Deep Clean Pad. The pad features PowerLoop technology; the microfiber pad gently breaks apart and loosens tough dirt via the nylon scrubbers while the dual zone pad absorbs and traps dirt. And did I mention the pad is washable? Even better!

 

All you do is spray the PowerPlus Hardwood Floor Deep Cleaner onto your floor, and then use the mop with the pad to loosen any heavy build-up of dirt on the floor. The oxygenated formula penetrates floors for a deep clean. The bubbling action enhances  and lifts away debris. I love how well the Bona PowerPlus system works, and it’s so easy to use. I was thrilled to find that it also works on my bamboo script mats. I’ve sometimes washed them by hand but using this mop is so much easier and effective.

You’ll love the way your home sparkles for your holiday guests with clean floors. My home doesn’t feel clean to me unless the floors are swept and mopped – it’s kind of my thing. Now the task of cleaning for company is much easier!

Be sure to visit my blogging friends below to find out their tips to prepare your home for holiday guests.

Jennifer Rizzo

Kelly Elko

Kindred Vintage

Town and Country Living

White House Black Shutters