Prepare for your guests this Christmas with stress-free cleaning solutions!

With family and friends arriving to celebrate the festive season together after being apart for so long (thanks Covid!), we thought we’d bring you some easy tips and tricks to ensure your Christmas celebrations run as smoothly as possible.

1. Prepare the guest bedrooms
We all know what happens to guest bedrooms when there is no guest… they end up being that ‘spare’ room where all the junk and clutter gets stored. This is your chance to get in there and do a full room makeover, to refresh and revive the space while getting it ready for your guests. We’ve got a list of 10 smart ideas for you. If you want to go the extra mile to make sure the room is up to standard for your guests add soft, cosy linen, fluffy bath towels, ambient bedside table lighting for reading, inviting rugs, cushions, throws and maybe some mini toiletries too!
 
2. Prepare menus & prep meals before hand 
Before all your guests arrive make sure you know of any dietary requirements so you can plan for those beforehand and avoid the rushed scramble to quickly put something together on the spot! Create a meal plan or schedule that covers the duration of your guests’ stay, do the grocery shopping before your guests arrive and prep as many meals as you can in advance: you can even freeze them if possible. This will mean you don’t have to be in the kitchen prepping and cooking meals all day long. If your guests are close friends or family you could even come up with a meal roster where everyone has days allocated to take turns doing the prepping and cooking. This is a fun and easy way to get everyone involved and also makes for some great bonding!

3. Get the Christmas decorations up
Sometimes all you need to do is add a little Christmas colour and sparkle. A few berry sprigs in a vase and some pine cones dusted with glitter work a treat. Everyone loves the smell of Christmas – grab some cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, vanilla, ginger or orange scented candles. If it smells like Christmas it’ll feel like Christmas. And of course, don’t forget the tree! It always takes a bit longer than you think to get the decorations done so don’t leave it to the last minute if you can help it.

4. Kit out the kitchen
Whatever the occasion, people always tend to be drawn to the kitchen, which is often the only place in the house that is overlooked when preparing for guests! During the festive season, the kitchen is often busier with cooking for more people than usual which means counter space, equipment and oven space are in short supply. Check you have enough serving ware, cutlery and tableware for each guest, bearing in mind you don’t want to be doing dishes constantly. Lastly, make sure the essentials are easy to find; milk, tea, coffee, sugar etc as this will allow your guests to feel more comfortable and at home to help themselves.

5. Prepare the table for the big day
Styling your table doesn’t need to be detailed and in-depth, in fact it’s really not hard at all. All you need to do is choose a tablecloth or runner, which will be the base or foundation of your overall look. Next, put together an eye-catching centre piece, whether it be a flower arrangement, an ornament, candles, anything that complements the look you are trying to create. Lastly, layering your tableware creates a more refined festive table look, so make sure you use charger plates as well as your normal dinner and salad plates. As an extra, you could also include a personalised element for your guests, such as Christmas ornaments or crackers with their names on them.

6. Prepare for bad weather
Although we might hope for sunny weather, it’s a good idea to prepare for a few rainy, overcast days to avoid being stuck in the house with nothing to do! Get out all those all board games you have sitting in the back of your cupboard and pick out a few festive movies that can be enjoyed by guests of all ages so if the time comes, you’re prepared!

7. Clean your carpets, curtains and upholstery
Last but not least, an inviting home for your guests means nothing if your carpet and upholstery is in need of some cleaning. Whilst it may be the safest option to call a carpet cleaning professional if you have tough stains to shift, you might find our guide for DIY carpet cleaning and removing stains comes in handy. But if you’re running out of time in the run up to Christmas, call in the professionals and let Drytron take care of it for you.

Wishing you all the ‘merry’ best for your upcoming Christmas celebrations and we hope this helps you stay stress-free so you can enjoy the festivities as much as your guests do!