Tis the season for holiday parties and family gatherings! Whether you’re hosting a big work function, a small group of friends or a family celebration, you want your hospitality, and your home, to leave a good impression. Before you turn on the music and get changed into your favourite party outfit, do a walk around the house to double check these five overlooked things that might leave your guests feeling not-so-impressed:
Dirty Baseboards
Small bathrooms and entryways are usually home to dirty baseboards. Guests will most likely have to bend down to take their shoes off in the entryway or look directly at the wall while using a small bathroom so make sure you follow in their footsteps and see things from the angles they’ll be seeing them. A speck of dust is one thing but baseboards that haven’t been cleaned since last season might not be the nicest view.
Smudged Mirrors & Knobs
The bathroom is not usually a place you hang out in so sometimes the mirror can get a bit gross. Whether it’s toothpaste spots, streaks or marks from hair product, chances are you’ve become immune to the sight of it so do a quick wipe down of it before your guests arrive to ensure a sparkling first impression of your powder room. Door knobs are another culprit when it comes to overlooked smudges/marks. Walk through your home and wipe down all the door knobs so your guests don’t think you’ve never washed your hands.
Odd Smells
Whether it’s smelly trash cans, gross pet stench or funky fridge odours, there are always scents lurking around our homes that we’ve become “nose blind” to. Since you spend so much time in your own home you often don’t realize that some pretty weird smells live in different areas but any guests will be sure to pick them up immediately and that never goes well. Before anyone arrives, take some time to check out areas where you may find weird odours in your home like the bathroom, kitchen, mud room or anywhere your pets hang out regularly so you can avoid any unwanted smelly encounters.
Dusty Light Switches
It’s not hard to walk right past the light switches during a typical dust around the house, in fact it’s quite common. While we tend to use these switches all the time, we very rarely take the time to actually look at them so they can become quite neglected over time. Your guests aren’t as in tune with your home as you are so you can guarantee that they’ll be searching for, and looking at, light switches. Wiping them down takes no time at all which means you should do a double check before they arrive to make sure there’s no residue waiting to be discovered.
Shower Curtain Grime
If your guests are staying the night or long enough that they’ll need to take a shower, they’re definitely going to notice if there’s any gross weirdness happening on your shower curtain liner. Luckily this is a simple fix. Before your guests arrive, just give the liner a good clean or better yet, replace it. It’s most likely overdue anyway.
