Welcome Mat: Taking Care of Out-of-town Visitors's featured image

Summer is a wonderful time for road trips – and visiting friends or relatives from out of town.

If you have guests arriving soon, it's important to prepare your home so that everyone is comfortable.

Of course, a good clean is in order before they arrive, say the house cleaners at MOLLY MAID. De-clutter the house and do a deep clean from top to bottom.

Here are tips to make your visitors feel at home:

  • Take extra care in the spare bedroom, or the area where guests will sleep. Make up the bed with clean sheets. Leave a night light and a good reading light too.
  • Test the air mattress if that's the guest 'bed'. Make sure it stays inflated and vacuum the surface so it's dust free.
  • Provide extra pillows and blankets.
  • Make a bit of room in a spare closet or empty a drawer in an extra dresser.
  • Put a set of clean towels on the bed, one set for each person.
  • Put out toiletries guests may have forgotten such as mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, soap and toothpaste.
  • Collect and leave area information for guests such as a local city magazine, public transportation information and tourist-type brochures.  Have a few of your own activity suggestions for them too.
  • Have some snacks on hand for when they arrive so you can all plan on how they want to spend their time in town.
  • If they're staying for a week or more, make a spare key just in case guests want to strike out on their own.