Quick Tips for Hosting Holiday Guests

If it’s your turn to host guests over the holidays, you may or may not be excited about the prep work. You also may be uncertain about how to be a good host. Air Comfort is focused on your comfort at home, so we’d like to provide some helpful tips for when you’re trying to make others feel comfortable in your home.

• Change smoke detector batteries if you haven’t done so recently. Educate guests of the exits and fire extinguishers, and make sure they know how to open the windows and doors.
  
• Create a coffee station in a common area away from the kitchen, so guests can access caffeine without feeling in the way.
  
• Help guests better navigate an unfamiliar home by adding motion-activated night lights to hallways and bathrooms. Also make sure that your exterior lights are in working order.
  
• If you don’t mind company in the kitchen while you prepare food, add extra chairs or stools, so guests can sit and chat.
  
• If your guests are bringing small children, you may want to ask them to bring childproofing hardware, or install certain items yourself—like safety gates and cabinet locks. Remember to move any toxic cleaners or medicines cabinets beyond a child’s reach, and hide any matches and lighters.
  
• Make the entryway inviting to guests by adding extra storage for their clothing and shoes, like extra hooks on the wall and a storage bench or shoe rack. Lay down welcome mats to collect muddy or snow-covered boots.
  
• Take time to fully declutter any guest room, public areas and sleeping quarters. You want to get rid of unnecessary items from countertops, tables, and other surfaces. If you don’t have time to find permanent, new spots for the items you collect, bag them up and store them temporarily in unintrusive places like a basement or attic.
  
• Whenever you can, place toilet paper, towels, and toiletries out on open shelves, so guests can find them quickly.