9 things house guests notice and 9 things to please stop worrying about

While no one would expect a parent’s home to look like a child has never stepped foot inside, consider designating one area of the house for playtime when you have guests around. “Of course children will continue to play and dump out toys, and there’s no stopping them from doing that because they’re living there too,” says Bonucchi. “Try and reign in the toys so they’re not all over the house.”

Leaving your current weekend read or your favourite magazines lying around can spark conversation, making a good icebreaker for guests. “Guests, believe it or not, like to step into a home and see things that are real,” says Richmond. “To take away magazines and piles of books, you’re not representing who you are, and detracting from the experience of interacting with guests.”

Here are 12 things only fully-fledged bookworms will understand.

If Sunday is your normal dusting day, don’t rush to get your chores done on Friday just because you have guests coming. As long as your home is generally clean, your guests probably won’t notice. But if you’re self-conscious about the state of your house, now is the time to put in some extra effort. “If you’re feeling uncertain or uncomfortable because you haven’t vacuumed or dusted in a while, do those because it will make you as a host feel more comfortable in your home when guests arrive,” says Richmond. “But you shouldn’t go crazy. They’re not there for the home – they’re there for you.”

Visitors likely won’t notice if your mirror is sparkling clean, so don’t stress if you don’t have time to wipe it down. That said, a sparkling mirror could give your home a subtle sense of cleanliness that makes a big impact. “If it’s clean, no one will know it’s been cleaned, but they will be gifted with a sense that the house is brighter, lighter and cleaner,” says Richmond.

Avoid these 10 cleaning mistakes that are making your home dirtier.

If you know your guests won’t be setting foot in the master bedroom, don’t bother cleaning it. “It’s better to focus on the parts of the house that they’re going to spend the most time in,” says Bonucchi.

Being aware of how visitors see your home can make you panic about the things in your home in need of revamping. But don’t worry about painting that wall or fixing that leaky tap just because you’ll have people staying with you. “The idea of having house guests can trigger a lot of things for people,” says Richmond. “It’s great if the idea of having guests is motivating to finishing a project, but it doesn’t make sense in terms of a short-term house guest.” Warn your guests of things like faulty doorknobs so they don’t think they broke something, but don’t stress about doing all those odd jobs before they come.

You might be tempted to get your entire house spotless to prepare for visitors, but making sure you have basic amenities like toilet paper and towels should be your priority. No need to bother deep cleaning your skirting boards or windows. “It’s not stressing out about those fine details,” says Bonucchi. “It’s overall paying attention to the common comforts that people expect when they’re staying somewhere.”

“Having people over is the number-one panic inducer for people when it comes to their homes,” says Richmond. But that doesn’t mean you need to rush out for a new shower curtain or dish container, she says. As long as the space is clean, it doesn’t need to be stylish.

Now, find out how to be a good house guest.

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Source: RD.com