How to Prepare Your Home for Thanksgiving Guests

We share our top tips on how to make your home feel welcome and comfortable for friends and family during Thanksgiving and the busy holiday season. If you’re lucky enough to have a dedicated space for guests, it’s always a good idea to start preparing your home for the holiday season in advance.

A day or two before your guests arrive is a good time to declutter your home. Tidy up guest rooms and other areas such as the foyer, kitchen, living room, dining room and bathroom. Remove any unnecessary clutter that’s on display from surfaces, countertops and coffee tables etc. to ensure each space looks neat and organized. Short on time? Simply bag up the clutter and store away in the garage or basement. After your guests have gone home, you can have a proper sort out and decide what you want to keep.

Making a good first impression

It’s important to make a good first impression with guests, so clear away all unsightly objects and clutter away from the front porch and give it a good sweep. If your front door looks a bit grubby, give it a clean. Also, place a welcome mat at the entrance to protect floors and so guests have somewhere to wipe their feet before entering your home.

Ensuring there’s wall hooks, will mean there’s somewhere for guests to hang coats and hats, and a storage bench will provide people with a place to sit when removing shoes.

Preparing the guest bathroom

If you don’t have a designated guest bathroom, you’ll still need to prepare whatever bathroom you intend for your guests to use. Start with removing any personal items from the room. Leaving your hairbrush out and a pile of clothes that need washing is not at all welcoming to a guest. Take all the towels out of the bathroom too and replace with fresh, clean ones.

Clean your bathroom from top to bottom and make sure it smells amazing. Add some pretty soaps and scented candles for a welcoming touch. You could even display mini toiletries on a nice tray for your guests to use so they feel at home. It’s also a good idea to add a wreath or a touch of holiday décor to your bathroom to help set the scene.

Extra toilet paper is a must in any bathroom, especially when guests come to stay, so leave some spare rolls next to the toilet to save them from having to rummage through cabinets.

Preparing the guest bedroom

If guests are staying the night, you’ll want them to feel comfortable and at-home. Make sure there’s fresh, clean sheets on the bed, and add a couple of extra pillows and extra blankets.

Give the bedroom a good clean, ensuring it’s tidy and welcoming. It’s also a good idea to open the window a crack to let fresh air into the room, and set out some magazines and books they might enjoy reading before bed. You could also place a jug of water and coasters next to the bed.

Your guests won’t have a designated area in your home to keep purses and car keys tucked away, so make it easy for them by mounting hooks and wall racks in the guest bedroom, and check there’s plenty of clothes hangers in the closet.

Preparing the kitchen

Feeding your guests well will make them feel right at home. Have a chat with your guests ahead of time and ask them what they would like to eat and drink when they come to visit, so you can stock up at the grocery store. You may want to show guests round the kitchen so they know where the essentials are. Leave mugs out, and have water, coffee, tea and juice on hand in the mornings.

When preparing your kitchen for guests, get rid of mail and bills and anything else that may be cluttering up valuable countertop space. Give all surfaces a good clean too, and remember to clean inside the microwave, oven and refrigerator. It’s also a good idea to disinfect the trash can and have plenty of trash bags to hand. Oh, and another thing, check there’s enough cutlery, plates, bowls and paper napkins or towels – you don’t want to get caught short after your guests have arrived!

Making your home safe

Although you may be able to navigate your home in the dark, your guests can’t. Make sure the outside light is working so they don’t trip up on the way to the front door. You could even make use of motion-activated night lights in hallways, bathrooms and bedrooms.

If friends and family have young children, ask them to bring items that keep them safe such as baby gates and cabinet locks. You may want to set aside an area in your home that’s safe for kids to play. Keep lamps and other fragile items away from table edges. Have a first aid kit made up, you never know when someone is going to slip and fall or cut themselves.

Ensure all cleaning products and medicines are kept out of reach from little hands. Plus, don’t forget to check that the smoke detectors work for peace of mind and have a fire extinguisher on hand.