Preparing Your Home For Holiday Guests
Kachi Realty
Preparing Your Home For Holiday Guests
Preparing Your Home For Holiday Guests
It’s wonderful having friends and family at your home to share the holidays, but it can also be a lot of work. Hosting for the holidays comes with some challenges that are best met with preparation and an extra dose of patience. Here are a few quick tips to get your home ready for your holiday visitors.
Overnight Company
Whether you are expecting guests to spend the night or a surprise visit leaves you scrambling to find bedding for everyone, the simplest way to deal with it is to keep an air bed on hand. Today’s air beds are a lot more comfortable than they were in the past, and you can buy a quality raised air bed for less than a hundred dollars. A raised air bed will keep guests off the floor and will feel more like a real bed.
A deflated air bed can be stored easily and blown up in a matter of minutes, so you can save space and still have a comfortable guest bed when you need it. Having an extra in the house comes in handy for all sorts of holiday guests.
Anticipate Their Needs
Be prepared with things holiday guests may use up or simply forget to bring. Stock up on things like toilet tissue. Pick up a few extra toothbrushes and toothpaste. Add a few extra towels as well, to avoid having to do constant laundry.
Buying in bulk can save a lot of money on the household items you go through quickly when extra people are in the house—make a trip to your local warehouse store before your guests arrive.
Clear The Clutter
Nothing makes clutter more obvious, or more of a problem, than having extra people in the house. When you are expecting guests, grab a few storage bins and put away some of the things that tend to clutter up counter tops. Make a sweep through the house and grab anything that won’t be needed for a while. The less general clutter you have, the more room you’ll have for guests and their luggage.
Getting through the holidays smoothly and with as few frustrations as possible can be done—even with holiday guests in your home. Just be ready for their arrival and anticipate what will be needed ahead of time, so you aren’t running around in search of an extra towel.
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WAYS TO GO GREEN IN THE KITCHEN Start a garden. Whether you opt for a full-out vegetable garden or a small window of fresh herbs, the taste of freshness will be unmistakable! Shop locally! Visit local farmers markets or choose locally produced produce whenever possible. Bring your own bags when you visit the grocery store. Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs. Save time and energy by cooking a double portion and setting half aside in the freezer for a quick meal at a later date. Get energized and leave the appliances alone. Whenever possible, mix and beat ingredients by hand, cook multiple items at the same time, and avoid washing dishes unnecessarily. Use energy-efficient appliances such as the slow cooker or toaster oven, which can use up to 30% less energy. Be aware of energy wasters such as excessive pre-heating or simmering. Ditch the wraps (such as saran wrap or foil) and make the switch to reusable containers for lunches and leftovers. Put a lid on it! Did you know that cooking with lids could save up to three times the energy? Keep all that steam inside the pot for a more energy-efficient (and faster!) meal. Go fresh—say goodbye to excessively packaged foods, which are often produced using processes that are harmful to the environment. Cooking meals from scratch using fresh ingredients is not only healthier, it’s often less expensive and better for the environment. Decide what you are looking for before you open the fridge, and never keep the door open longer than absolutely necessary.
Water Features For Your Yard A water feature can make a major change in your yard, and there are plenty of different ways to go about adding one. From a simple and small fountain to a koi pond or waterfall, you can use water to create a peaceful sense of a real escape from life in your yard. Small Water Features For small yards or for those looking to add something simple, a basic fountain is easy to add. They come in a variety of types, shapes, and sizes and can fit into any landscaping. Your fountain can be a centerpiece for the yard or can be placed near the patio. You can even get a small tabletop fountain for the patio table. Most fountains are easy enough to install by yourself. They use a pump system that circulates the water and keeps the fountain running. Follow all of the instructions for set-up, use, and care that come with the fountain and you can enjoy the sound of trickling water for many years to come. Adding A Pond A pond is a really eye-catching and special addition to any yard. You will need some space for it, but even smaller yards can manage one. Koi ponds are a very popular choice, as the fish are lovely and create an ambience in the yard. They fit in well with any sort of Japanese or other Asian landscape design, but really extend into other styles as well. Make sure your pond has a system for keeping the water circulating and clean; standing water can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, and it can get quite dirty over time. It’s best to have a professional install the water system for your pond. Waterfalls You may not be able to have Niagara Falls in your yard to enjoy, but you can get a waterfall added as a feature of your yard. These can be falls that descend over a rock wall, a small stream that runs over consecutive drops in a sloped yard, or something in a corner where water falls down into a small pond. A waterfall adds the sound of moving water to the air all the time. Be sure you have proper drainage for the water system. Water features are a beautiful addition to any yard, and your imagination is really the only limit. Many professionals can help you to design the water feature that is right for your yard and your needs.