How To Prepare Your Guest Room For The Holidays

It never seems like the holidays are that far off, and it's never too early to start planning ahead, especially if you're hosting friends and loved ones this holiday season. While there is plenty of time for merriment, sugar cookies, and cozy nights on the couch watching movies to look forward to, it also makes sense if you're feeling some anxiety. In a survey conducted by Healthline, they found that around 60% of adults feel heightened stress around the holidays due to various factors, including hosting loved ones.

If one of the things giving you some stress is the panic over having people in your home overnight, you're not alone! But there are a few easy tips to help you get your guest bedroom in tip-top shape, and with a few extra touches that will make the stay feel special. Check out our guide on preparing your spare room for the ultimate holiday house guest experience, which will hopefully mean less stress for you and your guests!

Is your spare room an extension of your junk drawer? You aren't alone. Guest rooms can become a net for all of the clutter, extra furniture, and everything else that doesn't have an obvious home in the house. But it's imperative that you get your guest room cleared of clutter before your house guests arrive because nobody wants to hang out with your junk. 

If this process feels overwhelming, try doing it at least a week before your guests arrive. Don't leave it to the last minute or you won't be able to add the special touches that blow your guests away. Lisa Sharp Coaching recommends setting a kitchen timer for 15-minute increments, as this can prevent you from feeling too overwhelmed. Put a podcast or some music on, get into the zone, and ruthlessly start your piles — keep, trash, and donate. Be sure to have a garbage bag and some boxes nearby so you can organize as you sort as well. 

This may seem obvious, but be sure to have extra linens available in your guest room. This should include one extra towel and washcloth per person and one full sheet change. This may seem excessive, but different people have different shower and sleeping habits, so you want to be as accommodating as possible. Plus spills can happen, and providing an extra towel and sheet set can prevent a mortified guest from having to tell you they spilled red wine on their pillow cover. 

You do not need to buy new towels and sheets for guests, but matching sets do tend to look cleaner and neater. Did you know towels and sheets can hold onto body oils, soap, and other residues even after a good wash? To give your linens a refresh before house guests arrive, try laundry stripping. Our favorite recipe for laundry stripping comes from cleaning influencer GoCleanCo (via Instagram): 2 cups of powdered Tide detergent (must be Tide, must be powdered), a 1/4 cup of borax, and another 1/4 cup of laundry soda. If your water is especially hard or you don't have access to Tide, you will want to use a 1/4 cup of water softener as well. This will leave linens feeling unbelievably clean, soft, fresh, and smelling great. 

Save yourself and your guests the irritating business of sharing your Wi-Fi code verbally, especially if your password is a complicated mix of letters and numbers. Good Housekeeping says that a welcome card can make the stay feel more luxurious, taking a note from high-end hotels.

Make a quick print off of essential info for your guest like the Wi-Fi information, garage, door, and gate codes, and other basic information. Door codes are helpful and prevent any accidental lockouts in case of a lost or forgotten key. Especially during the holidays, your schedule might be quite packed, so you can also include extra details, like important meals or parties, or nearby hot spots your house guest might want to try out. Play around with creating your own on Canva or another free design program. It can be as elaborate or simple as you like but can be the perfect touch for your guest room during the holidays.

Your friend or family member obviously loves you, or else they wouldn't be staying at your place for the holidays. But that doesn't mean they'll want to be around you 24/7. House guests often need a little time to themselves to take a call, do a little work, read, or just scroll mindlessly through Instagram. Do you prefer to do all of that in a horizontal position in bed? Probably not. So snag a chair from the living room, or even an extra dining chair, and pull it into the guest room. This is also a kind way to let house guests know their presence isn't mandatory around the clock, and that alone time is perfectly acceptable. 

To go the extra mile, find a small end table or nightstand to put next to the chair, and add a selection of magazines in case they forgot a book, says Universal Class. This way guests can enjoy a cup of coffee while they relax in your wonderful guest bedroom. 

Remember that terrible feeling of waking up at a friend's house and not knowing what food was off-limits? You do not want your guests to have to feel this anxiety. In addition to letting them know what food and drinks are fair game (Hint: it should be almost all of it, except ingredients that will be used in a specific, special holiday meal), provide your guests with a small snack basket when they arrive. This does not have to be fancy at all and is just a way to let your guest know you put special thought into their visit. Plus, a lot of folks have a hard time asking for what they need when staying at someone's house — creating a personalized snack basket can take some of the awkwardness away. 

Having food and drinks that your house guests like can go a long way in showing off your hosting powers, says Harper's Bazaar. Try to have a few salty and sweet options — Doritos, Pringles, Cheez-Its, Hershey's bars, Sour Patch Kids, and other such options are perfect additions.