We are deep in the throes of summer, and that means we’re alternating between having way too much to do and having nothing to do. We have had some down time, but we’ve also gotten together with friends and had some entertaining to do.
A few weeks ago we hosted a playdate, and while it was small, it took a lot of preparation! We don’t typically host things at our house because Bella Notte has a jumping habit {not a great habit to have when she weighs more than Shane’s friends} and because we just don’t have a lot of space here. Since it was a small group, though, we were confident we could host everyone comfortably- with just a little tidying.
Since we don’t host people often, the one thing that I always do before guests come- even just my parents stopping by to chat- is take care of the guest bathroom. I have a five point checklist that I attend to each time I am going to have visitors. It only takes me a few minutes, but it makes all the difference in making sure you feel confident enough in your home to have guests and in the comfort of those guests in your home!
1. Clean the toilet. I clean the toilet fairly often in my home, being the only woman in a family of men and all. However, we have this awful hard water here that leaves water stains that regular cleaning just doesn’t tackle. I pull out the big tools when I have guests coming over! {Don’t worry, I also take care of the hard water stains when necessary, even when people aren’t coming over- I just pay extra attention before company.}
2. Give everything a good wipe down. Our bathroom is a magnet for dust, hair, and dog fur. It doesn’t help that it’s also our laundry room, so there’s always some dryer lint mixed in, too. I start out by wiping everything down with a disinfecting wipe, then I use toilet paper to get all the dust, hair, and fur. Toilet paper is the only thing that I find that can actually pick up all the lint on my bathroom surfaces and it’s already accessible, so it’s pretty much the ultimate in convenience.
3. Remove personal items. In my guest bathroom, I keep a few items that I may need while running out the door. I always get ready for the day in my bedroom & bathroom, but sometimes between getting ready and leaving, things happen- especially with kids- and so I keep things like deodeerant, lip gloss, and concealer where I can quickly use them before I run out the door, late as usual. It’s a great solution for me, but my guests don’t need to see my clutter!
4. Contain the mess. As I said before, my guest bathroom is also a laundry room. I don’t know about you, but my laundry room is never organized. I have bottles of cleaning products, hampers of dirty laundry, and of course baskets of clean laundry that I haven’t gotten around to folding yet. Luckily, I also have a curtain in front of the washer/dryer area of the room, so all I have to do is close the curtain and my guests are none the wiser! {Unless they read this post. In which case, the next time you come over, pay no attention to the mess behind the curtain.}
5. Restock the toilet paper. It seems so obvious, but how many times do you forget to replace the toilet paper just from regular usage? Add in the other tasks required to prepare for company and toilet paper is the last thing on your mind. Avoid making it awkward for everybody by making sure to stock a few extra rolls somewhere that will be easy to reach if needed.
Are you hosting any get-togethers this summer? What are the steps you take before company arrives?
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