There's nothing worse than being at a party and not being able to find an extra roll of toilet paper when it's needed. Check out our list of 10 things to do before company comes that will help make their stay memorable for all the right reasons!
Over the years there's little things we've noticed while attending parties and hosting our own that make guests feel more comfortable while they're in your space. There's also a few things that will help you be prepared while you have extra folks in your home, check out the list below to see what we mean!
1. Place Extra Toilet Paper Where It Can Be Reached: Even if you have a small space, placing an extra roll on the floor next to the toilet is perfectly acceptable. No one wants to do the pants around the ankles dance around the bathroom to try to find it? Too much information, nah, you totally know what we mean!
2. Acquire Ice: If you have an ice machine this might entail dumping it into a separate container to make more or it could mean buying some, even if you need to use a cooler. A halfway warm drink is never fun, especially in a hot room full of people!
3. Adjust The Temperature: If you're planning on packing the house full and you've had your oven on all day, then open a window or turn down the heat. No one wants to sit in their own stew or likewise freeze because it's too cold. Have blankets on hand if you're place is always chilly or make sure the bar is fully stocked!
4. Dig In Your Sofa: Unless you're one of those folks who cleans between their sofa cushions everyday (we'd tell you we were... but that would just be a lie), there's bound to be something in there. Who knows how it got there... husband... kids... dog... it doesn't matter, but you don't want your guests to find that scrap of pizza or stray fork that didn't make it back to the kitchen before you do!
5. De-Personalize Your Bathroom: Although friends won't fault you for having shampoo in your shower, if you only have one bathroom in your space, making it a little less personal can be a good thing. It's easy to fill it with blow dryers and makeup, personal hygiene products and other items. Tuck away what you can, clean what sits out and if your toothbrush looks like it's been used on a Saber tooth tiger, don't hesitate to buy a new one!
6. Make Your Refrigerator Accessible: You might have guests that are digging for beer or trying to help you get the leftovers put away, but people don't want to organize their own refrigerators let alone someone else's or have to worry about random items falling on them. Pack it in, stack it up and make some room and accessibility.
7. Rotate Your Laundry: For anyone that has in home appliances, it's easy to keep laundry running while you're taking care of other things around the home. Once company arrives however, all recognition of this task goes out the window (for obvious reasons). Make sure your wash load is rotated through so it doesn't get musty, your dryer load has been put away and you're ready to take on table linens after your meal!
8. Assess Your Drugs: This isn't to say that every party will give you a headache, but being prepared just in case without having to take a bus to the closest CVS or Walgreens is a good thing. It doesn't hurt to have a pack of Bendryl on hand just in case anyone has an allergy at the party (to food or in general).
9. Log Out Of Your Computer: Some might have their computer password protected, but you don't want a friend picking up your iPad and posting to your Facebook wall for fun. It can get out of control fast, especially if there's alcohol involved!
10. Be Prepared For A Sleepover: Depending on how late your party goes, be prepared to have a friend crash on your sofa or in your guest room. Knowing that you have clean linens to throw over the cushions or that your extra pillow has a pillow case is a serious plus!
Do you have something else to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below!
Image: Flickr member Stuart Conner & The Gifted Photographer licensed for use by Creative Commons
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I would add, invite the neighbors. Then they can't complain if there's too much noise.
I also make room for jackets and coats for my company in my front room closet.
If you're a "no-shoes" household, and you want your guests to be that way, I leave a pair or two of shoes by the door on purpose. Helps deliver the message.
This really only works if just a few people are coming over. Totally understand that if you have 20 people over, it's kind of hard to ask everyone to remove their shoes. Or in a BBQ situation where people keep going in and out.
All very true, and some of it you normally wouldn't think of!
I had a small party recently, and I was pretty embarrassed at the end of it when my best friend had to re-arrange a shelf of my refrigerator to find room for leftovers.
Another friend needed contact lens solution, of all things. Luckily I've been good the last few months about keeping a first aid kit going :)
Don't forget to have (or borrow) enough chairs for everyone to be seated at the table, lest you have to awkwardly exile someone to the couch.
That clean out the refrigerator thing is no joke.
I was a caterer for 8 years, so trust me:
You will need to replenish something sometime during the party.
You will need to be able to find what you need without taking everything else out.
Your friends will try not to bother you by looking for what they need in your refrigerator.
They do not want to know about your "take-out" science projects.
(Your caterer, if you have one, doesn't want to know about them either)
You will have leftovers.
You will need to put them away.
My best advice, if you don't have time for a complete purge, would be to move not-particularly-perishable items (ketchup, mustard, butter.....) to a cooler which can also store all of that extra ice.
If you don't have a cooler, one of your friends surely does. You could also go the Styrofoam route, but be discreet, and for sure don't tell me.
Oh, and a votive candle in the bathroom goes a long way toward eliminating odor. It can even make those visible toilet paper rolls look romantic.
Light candles, have something yummy cooking and (nobody laugh) but I actually create a soundtrack for my parties. I have "low-key music," "romantic music," "Spanish music," etc.
good list!
About #1: Even better - put a brand new roll of bath tissue on the holder, even if yours is only half-empty. Just stick the partial roll in the cabinet, or wherever you keep spare toilet paper. Then you can pretty much guarantee nobody will ever have that moment of panic before they see the spare you left out, and nobody else has to figure out how your toilet paper holder works.
put out that ugly vase that they got for your wedding in a predominant place. shuffle a framed photo of them towards the front of a photo display.
This is gross, but if you have a crummy old lo-flow toilet, make sure to leave a plunger somewhere in the bathroom to keep embarrassment at bay.
Great post and excellent comments. I agree with everything here, and emphatically so.
I would add that you should empty your kitchen sink, dish rack, and dishwasher (if you have one). It will make clean-up easier for you, and your guests won't be deterred from clearing up their own plates and glasses.
Empty your trash and recycling cans so that if people want to help clean up and they go to throw things into the trash, there is actually room to do so.
-Make sure there is enough parking. If you know you don't have enough parking encourage people to carpool, or make it your responsibility to make parking arrangements, possibly with your neighbors.
-clean up the parts of the yard people will be walking past or through. If there's a dog, clean the poop. Trim the hedges, sweep the driveway, put out a high traffic doormat that catches extra dirt (lifesaver if you have wood floors/tile!)
-put out/keep on some entryway or driveway lights.
-if people will spending time outside it might be a good idea to do a mosquito fogging a few hours earlier. You can buy fogger in a can at the hardware store, and you spray it in the bushes and grass. Also, light citronella candles. Nothing kills the mood like mosquito bites.
-if it's cool outdoors leave some clean throws out.
Bathroom
-put away toothbrushes
-keep feminine products available, but out of sight
-clean your bathtub; merely pulling the curtains closed is not enough. People are nosy, especially if they haven't been in your home before
-I'm a fan of keeping only a bright candle and/or nightlight on in the bathroom. It really does create a soothing atmosphere and most people prefer that to a bright light. Also hides imperfections and less than perfect orderliness
Bedroom
-if you are having a large gathering and don't know everyone in attendance well, close your bedroom door or put your valuables out of sight.
- put out extra trash receptacles.
- clean as you go but don't be annoying or host-y about it (like grabbing empty glasses out of your guests' hands).
- create different atmospheres for different parts of your homes. ex. a seating area, near the t.v., with a few games subtly placed in the corner. In a separate area, have more mood lighting, with some music and party lights. Try to give different options to mix things up.
- put out some interactive and talking point items. Musical intruments, photo albums, coffee table books (corny, but I love looking at those things heehee)
- lock dogs and kids up (I'm jus keeeding)
Be careful about what you leave in the medicine cabinet. I personally think this is like looking in someone's purse but there are those who do not.
Have you done a how to be a good guest list?
I'd like to add, have feminine hygiene products available in the bathroom guests will use. I don't use pads/tampons but I keep them in the guest bathroom in a basket with various other things (like tums, tylenol, band-aids etc) that guests might need while at my house.
And ditto on the plunger. have it in the guest bathroom AND have it visible!
@Haruki - AMEN! lol
But still... having a plunger in the bathroom is more important then having spare toilet paper. WAY less embarrassing to ask your host to fetch another roll then it is to ask for a plunger. (And if YOU are the are the guest who uses the last of a roll, don't be rude. Find the replacement and put it out or ask for one.)
Remember to clean your bathroom faucet, as well as the hand soap bottle, if you have one. They inevitably get splattered with water and toothpaste and they can get kind of gross.
Also, people may roam through your medicine cabinet looking for something specific, so leave basic items like band-aids, floss, safety pins, and nail clippers in a prominent place.
Men in particular should always have a small box of tampons in their bathrooms!
If it's raining outside, figure out some kind of receptacle near the front door for guests' umbrellas.
Try to have something specific planned for the beginning of the night when the first few people show up. No one likes to stand around with a drink and stare at two other people while you finish up in the kitchen. Put out playing cards, dominoes, or have them put together a playlist from your ipod or record collection (you can always put something else on when more people arrive).
BATHROOM:
- Clean the bathroom; sink plus tile area around it, mirror and toilet if nothing else.
- Put a fresh toilet paper roll out and another one close by; when people have beer and such, they pee more often and at least women like to use toilet paper. Some also cover the seat with it, which means a lot more than usual is used.
- Hang up a fresh hand towel and make it very obvious for guests that it's actually for them to use. More than once I've been left drying my hands on my pants, as the only towels available have been big ones that clearly belong to the host and hostess. If you use small ones, place several near the sink; it's nasty to use wet ones.
KITCHEN:
- Wipe off counters and stove; bread crumbs, burnt food, etc. isn't appealing.
- Food belongs in the cupboards and other storage spaces.
- Switch kitchen towels to fresh ones and have a couple more clean ones handy.
GENERAL STUFF, both before and during:
- Vacuum the flat and dust at least the most visible places.
- Serve your guests before serving yourself and fill up glasses in a timely manner; I just went to a place where the hostess served herself first and nobody else, very weird.
- If there are guests who don't know anyone else, make sure to introduce them to a few as soon as you can.
Remember to have fun; even though the small details are important, your guests have turned up due to the company. There's a saying where I come from: "The crazy don't notice and the wise ones don't bring it up"; be a gracious guest as well.
Make sure you clean the phone receiver. It gets kind of gross and it's not somewhere you think of polishing up when you're talking around with the Windex or Formula 401.
Remove all prescription drugs from the bathroom and bedroom, people don't need to know your business and teens might take one out of a bottle (even adults, the idiots).
Someone above suggested that men should have a small box of tampons in their bathrooms for the convenience of female guests. I disagree, they're not "universal" enough, have pads, and somehow make it seem like your sister left them there in a makeup bag or something or you'll look like a playah.
Since y'all are willing to "go there" as far as mentioning feminine hygene products, can I just put in a big vote for a discreet place to dispose of such items. I've been told many,many times not to flush a tampon, especially in a house with old plumbing or a septic system, yet not everyone has a garbage pail in the bathroom ( I prefer one with a lid). It's pretty bewildering to have a used tampon on your hands and no discreet way to deal with it.
I say a definite "no" on the candle in the bathroom. I was at a gathering where the room was bright enough that the candle was inconspicuous and a guy set the sleeve of his sports coat on fire. Also, it can get knocked over and if no one is in the room, who knows.
Okay, did you all just say that men need to have tampons in their houses? How irresponsible are you ladies? How long have you been living w/ periods that you don't know when they're gonna show up & therefore aren't smart enough to plan ahead for them? I mean, seriously here!
My grandparents have always amazed me with their bathroom during the holidays. They have towels for every holiday - pine cones are universal, but they have turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas trees and ornaments for Christmas - and keep a drawer empty year-round so they have a spot for toothbrushes and personal bathroom items.
I once stayed at their house during the summer, and I was shocked at how different the bathroom looked simply by being a regular bathroom, and not all dolled up for a holiday!
@misskitty, I agree. No adult woman should ever be without a tampon, for your sisters as much as for yourself. There's an unofficial menstrual buddy system, people. Don't drop the ball.
This doesn't have to do with cleaning, but I'd like to add that drinks AND glasses should already be out when the first guest arrives, even for a small party. Nothing is worse than having someone say, "help yourself," and by that they mean rifling through their cabinets, and the first one you open is never the glasses cabinet. I have several types of glasses already lined up on the bar, as well as all the drinks (alcoholic and non), which have been corked and chilled or otherwise readied. When I walk in to unprepared scenes I think: did you not know you were expecting anyone?
this has to be one of the most useful and cutest articles on AT...and the comments only make it better!
my two cents -
if there's alcohol involved, it's better to go with disposable glasses
and if there's alcohol involved, prepare for the worst and this includes keeping coffee and fresh towels handy and the emergency contacts of your guests.. =)
Clean the bathroom and make sure it is well stocked with toilet paper, soap and a couple of hand towels.
Have a bag or bin designated for empties, easy clean up!
Buy a corkscrew, even you don't drink wine. Most people don't think to bring their own and using the oven mitt/ steak knife method can result in disaster.
Odd question: No matter what season it is, removing shoes is an automatic thing. Is this a Canadian thing? I thought everyone did that?
@ misskitty and litnerd, at least in my case getting caught out without a tampon usually happens because I know my body well, but it still likes to play tricks on me at times, and I assume this has happened to more than one woman out there. Also, not all of us go out with humongous purses, or even itsy bitsy little ones, I for one carry a boy's wallet and wear fairly tight clothes, so it can be hard to carry a tampon, pad, or extraterrestrial menstrual device
I'm sorry, but the "invite the neighbors so they CAN'T complain" tactic is just juvenile. If the neighbors don't want to come or can't because they have an early morning, the fact that they were invited MEANS NOTHING. A much better alternative is to bring the party inside when it gets late, and if it's still too noisy, quiet it down. And learn at least a TINY bit about being considerate and showing some common decency. Tschah.