Preparing For A Houseguest On The Fly

10/06/2010

Preparing For A Houseguest On The Fly

Megan Jeyifo

I got an email from my husband yesterday afternoon: "Uhh, I just reread a text from Madelyn. She's coming this weekend, not next weekend. Actually, Thursday night." My heart raced for a second but I stayed calm. After all, I love Madelyn. We're the godparents to her firstborn and I couldn't be more ecstatic at the thought of spending the weekend with her. But my dear husband and his poor text reading skills meant that the next two nights would be spent clearing out what I like to call "The Room Where Things Go to Die": locating matching sheets, scrubbing the bathroom, and doing all the little things that go into making an apartment suitable for a visitor. When I read this email, the Room Where Things Go to Die contained a couch standing on its side, a dozen boxes of family heirlooms collected on a recent trip to DC, two dog beds my incorrigible puppy tried to eat that I swear I was going to mend this weekend, about 30 dusty picture frames from the thrift store, a huge ladder blocking the doorway, and stacks and stacks of books. All of this, plus a twin bed and two mismatched nightstands in a 12 x 8 shoebox of a room. I am not a hoarder but it was getting out of control.

The good news is that as I type this, the objects formerly occupying the room are stuffed into various closets and under beds and the room is freshly swept. I'm hopped up on allergy meds from all of the dust but there's not a speck of it in the guest room and I can finally retire the whole Room Where Things Go to Die thing. All of the other areas of our home will need attention tonight but this shoebox is fit for a queen. Here are some five simple things we did to make our guest room feel like home for Madelyn.

1. Fresh linens! If you're like me and don't have a closet specifically dedicated to bedclothes, chances are your sheets are packed into drawers--or in our case, laundry baskets--and while they may be clean, they might not smell like they just came off of the backyard clothesline. I keep a bottle of fancy linen spray on-hand for emergencies just like this ... I'm lying. I have a three year old bottle of Febreze Fabric Refresher but it did the trick. I stripped the bed of its former clothes and sprayed the mattress, the fitted sheet, the cover sheet and the duvet. A little overboard, yes, but it smells delicious and isn't overpowering at all.

2. If there is no closet space in the guest room or if your friend is staying in a common area like the living room, give them a place to hang their clothing. I put up an over-the-door coat rack outfitted with a few plastic hangers and placed a wooden chair against a wall for her suitcase.

3. Our only full-length mirror is inside our closet. Since I moved some of the junky stuff in there, and the whole point of this exercise was to shield Madelyn's eyes from disaster, I stood a mirror on another chair in the room. We didn't have the time or the anchor screws needed to hang it, but she'll be able to check herself out before we take her out on the town Friday night.

4. Plant life. A few vases were filled thanks to a Trader Joe's bouquet purchased on Sunday. Something alive makes even the dowdiest room look nice, even if it's a single flower in a water glass. If you don't make it to the florist, consider relocating a house plant for the weekend.

5. Reading materials! In case of a forgotten book or as an excuse to get your guest to stop watching your TV with the volume up super loud at 3 AM, leave something to browse on the bed or nightstand. "Hey Madelyn, I left the new issue of ReadyMade on your bed. Don't you want to turn off the reruns and check it out? It's a really good one!" Of course I'm only using her as an example (and hoping our next house guest is reading). We also left three books with short stories instead of novels so she doesn't have to finish anything in three days.

I know I'm missing a lot but I need your help. Have some tips? How to you prepare for guests? There's still (a little) time to make Madelyn's visit more comfortable.

20 Comments

TAGS: houseguest ideas preparing for houseguest visitors

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02/01/2011
Judy
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Don't forget the chocolate on the pillow, a bottle of water, and a few note cards and envelopes in case your visitor wishes to to send or leave messages.
11/23/2010
Love my visitors
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I would not use the febreze, I myself would definitely not want to sleep in febreze. Instead, you could fill a spray bottle (set on as fine a mist as possible) with water and a few drops of real lavender essential oil from a natural foods store and spray that instead. Or pine, cedar, rose, whatever appeals to you. You may want to only spray the outside of the bedding with febreze (ugh) or essential oil/water spray, some people might be sensitive to anything extra. Setting up an alarm clock and fan are good ideas.
11/19/2010
Gigi
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I know this post is old, but I just found you. After selling our house, and staying at a few friends/relatives homes for 3 months, I agree with all the above PLUS a suggestion to add an electrical power strip on the nightstand. I had my laptop, cell phone, camera and the chargers needed to be plugged in every night, plus I have a CPAP breathing machine I use at night that needs to be plugged in. A power strip now goes with me every time we travel, cause even most hotels don't have an extra available outlet near the bed. And DEFINITELY a reading light, or even a small book light for us people that need to read before bed.
11/17/2010
jupiter
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Love the mirror propped on a chair. We're also lacking a mirror in the guest room (we don't even have doors on the closet, yet), so that would be a perfect solution for our next guest. Plus, a cool flea market chair and a funky mirror could add an extra dash of style.
11/16/2010
kjgsail
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I always have a small basket lined with a napkin or linen towel in which I have placed travel sized hand soap, bath soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, cologne/perfume, toothpaste, deodorant, and a toothbrush. I also leave a a water glass on the bedside table. If it's the right season, I cut fresh flowers from my yard and place in a vase to brighten the room, if not it's off to the store to buy a bouquet. I also place a large bath towel, medium bath towel, hand towel and wash cloth on the bed with a rack on the back of the room door to hang them. I also place various magazines and info on the area in the room. I also make sure there is a reading light as I love to read when I am visiting and many of my visitors like to do so as well. I open the windows in the spring/summer/fall to air out the room and spray febreze in the colder months.