Impress your guests this holiday

In-Laws Staying the Night During the Holidays? Impress Your Guests This Season

With the holidays just around the corner, you may be getting ready to entertain guests in your home. If you have family or friends coming in from out of town, you may be preparing your home for some overnight company and want to make sure that their visit is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. 

So beyond the usual Christmas decorating checklist, what do you need to help your guests feel comfortable? The easy answer is bedding! You want to make sure that the room they stay in is pleasant and enjoyable, even if it doesn’t have a holiday theme. Here are some tips for making your guest room just right for holiday visitors.

  1. Less Is More. Many people use their guest rooms as spare rooms that they can stash things in. But you probably don’t want your guests to have to find their way through a labyrinth of wrapping paper rolls, boxes of old toys, and old housewares! Clear out as much clutter as you can. Send some stuff to a local charity, and put the rest into a closet.
  2. Keep the Bedding Sophisticated. You probably don’t want your adult siblings to be sleeping on Star Wars-themed sheets and an old Lisa Frank bedspread. After all, you aren’t having a junior high slumber party! Stick to solid colors or sophisticated prints. Keep the color scheme as simple as possible, and make sure that the sheets match the comforter.
  3. Consider a Mattress Topper. So your guest room hasn’t been used for quite a while, and the bed is a bit uncomfortable. If you don’t want to buy a new mattress for your holiday guests to sleep on, consider purchasing a mattress topper. Two inches of memory foam can mean the difference between a metal coil poking your guests in the back all night long and having a good, restful night’s sleep.
  4. The Nose Knows. Guest rooms that are not in regular use, especially if they are used for storage most of the year, can get a bit musty. Open the windows to let some fresh air in (if you live in a cold area, shut the guest room door while the window is open so that you don’t freeze out the entire house). Wash all of the bedding, even if it is already clean, to get rid of musty odors. Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet, leave it for at least an hour, and then vacuum to pick up any smells that may be buried deep within.
  5. Don’t Forget the Details. Write out the WiFi password and set it on the nightstand so that your guests don’t have to ask for it. Have some snacks available in case your guests get hungry in the middle of the night. Put some new toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste in the bathroom in case they forgot them when packing. By making your guests as comfortable as possible, you will help make sure that they have a good night’s sleep and a pleasant stay.