Home Maintenance

Tips and Tricks to Prepare Your Home for Guests

Whether your guests are staying the night or just spending an evening, when company arrives you want your home to look its best. A bit of effort can give you peace of mind that your home will be a comfortable and welcoming space for guests.

Declutter

Making sure your home is clean and tidy is possibly the most important tip on this list. This means cleaning up all the small facets of your life that you’d typically leave out mail, art projects, and unshelved books. The easiest way to declutter is to ensure everything has a “home” within your home, where it can be stored safely and out of the way. Although this may seem daunting, creating a daily routine of decluttering your home will make this easier when you don’t have much notice before your guests arrive.

Clean

For guests to feel comfortable, vacuum or sweep your floors, wipe countertops, and freshen up any guest bathrooms with new towels and toiletries. It’s particularly helpful to clean up any common areas of your house like the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. A fresh clean carpet will make your guests feel welcome and comfortable. 

Organize

For guests in a new place, it can be helpful to have everything well organized. This will make it easier for them to find objects they may need such as spare towels or the television remote without having to rely on you. Set your television remote in a clear location in the living area, and have spare toiletries in your bathroom where your guest can find them if needed.

Stock Food

Guests always appreciate their host having some extra food and drinks on hand, regardless of how long they plan to stay. Having a selection of snacks on hand will make it easier to feed your guests if they have any dietary restrictions.

Preparing a Guest Bedroom

To prepare a guest bedroom, make enough space in the room for them to store their bags and personal belongings. Fresh sheets on the bed are a must – and it can be helpful to have some extra pillows and blankets on the bed to ensure your guest is comfortable.

Another helpful tip for preparing your guests’ bedroom is to leave some extra toiletries in their room, including extra towels, soap, and tissues. If you have a spare clock or phone charger, place this in the guests’ room as well.

Preparing your home for a guest can seem overwhelming – however, these tips should help make the process easier for both you and your guest

Water is a must for a home or business. At the same time, water can also cause all kinds of damage. Too much water in any space can lead to all kinds of problems. If you have water issues, these tips can prevent further damage to the space.

Work Fast

When dealing with water damage of any kind, time is of the essence. You want to work as fast as you can right now. The water must be removed from the area quickly or it may create all sorts of additional issues. Once you notice that water is accumulating in an area because of a problem such as a leak or a fierce outside storm, you’ll want to develop a plan to make sure the water is removed from the area.

Look for Mold

Mold thrives on water. When you have lots of water in any space, you run the immediate risk of having mold growth. You want to examine all surfaces in the home in order to check for mold growth. You’ll need to have a careful look at each part of the space. A flashlight can help you see where there’s a problem. Mold can give all sorts of odors that can put your health at risk. It can also create even further damage to the structure once you’ve gotten rid of the water. That is why it needs to be addressed if you see it.

Get Rid of Damaged Materials

Standing water can rapidly damage many types of materials. That includes walls, flooring, and other items. These items need to be removed as soon as possible. It may be possible to salvage some logged items like your floorboards. However, many items have obvious water stains. Fabrics and other items that have too much water are best thrown out once you see the extent of the problem. It’s a good idea to document the damage as much as you can. It may be eligible for full or partial reimbursement under your homeowner’s insurance.

Use The Right Materials

Using the right materials is important when it comes to working with water damage problems. You want to make sure the damage is cleared out fully. That’s why you’ll want to make sure you have items that can help you get rid of the items that have been damaged by water very quickly. You should have tools that can break up larger items. It should also include a place to store items that have been damaged before throwing them out. Take pictures of the damage and store them digitally. Use a ruler to illustrate exactly how much water was in your basement.

 

Gutters are one of the most complicated things to clean. You might find that you think you know the best ways to clean them, but there are ingenious tips that can make this process much more manageable. Remember, gutter cleaning doesn’t have to be overly complicated.

Wear The Proper Clothes

Wearing the proper outfit is vital when you are cleaning gutters because you never know what is in the drain or what can hurt you. You will also be on a ladder and don’t want to fall off due to the wrong footwear. Jeans and a long sleeve shirt should be your go-to outfit, along with rubber gloves. Another helpful tip? Always have someone holding your ladder, so you are safer.

Invest In A Tarpaulin

A tarpaulin is a tool that will prevent any of the moisture from the gutter from getting on the yard. Because you never know just what is lurking inside the drain, this is an excellent option for keeping your yard safe from unwanted debris or critters.

Using A Hose Is Safer

When cleaning out the gutters and flushing out the debris, a simple garden hose can work wonders for you. Be sure to use a bucket or plastic container where the water is going to be flushing because you will have debris coming out. Give it a safe place to land, and your cleanup just became a thousand times easier.

Scooping Isn’t An Issue

When you begin cleaning out your gutters, you will need to scoop up the unwanted mess. Getting a plastic scoop will work wonders on your channels and make the process far more quickly than if you didn’t employ the use of one.

Be Careful Going High

Let’s face it. Gutters are high up. Having the proper ladder will help ensure that you are safe and you can reach where you need to. In particular, an extendable ladder is the best idea for reaching all of those hard-to-reach spaces as well as the nooks and crannies.

Signs You Should Clean Out Gutters Immediately

To ensure that you are experiencing the easiest possible time cleaning your gutters, you should also know some signs that it’s time to get on the ladder. A great example is birds. They will drop sticks and make nests in your gutters which get stuck in your system. If you hear or see birds, it is time for a gutter cleaning. However, if you see a nest with live birds, you might want to wait until they can fly away.

Another sign that you should clean out your gutters is if you have an excess of bugs. Because gutters are dark and damp, it’s the perfect breeding ground for bugs.  You don’t want to have to deal with is those little critters, so you should thoroughly clean the area immediately.

Easy Cleanup With No Hassle

Cleaning your gutters can be a large pain, but it doesn’t have to be with these tips. Now that you know of some great insider tips to ensure that your gutter is clean, you can get started and have them cleaned like a pro in no time at all!

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