5 Reasons to Update Utilities Before Your Guests Arrive
Every home should be three things: simple, functional and user friendly. Your home should be appealing and comfortable all year round, for you and your family. This is particularly important if you are hosting guests. You want your time together pleasant and memorable for all the right reasons. Guest beds and guest bunks are just the start!
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Its easy to spend hundreds of dollars on getting your guest room home decor perfect and yet leave heating, air conditioning or other utilities in place for years without a second thought.
Here are a few tips to make hosting guests simpler, light on the budget and definitely a pleasure for guests who come to visit.
1. Endless Hot Water
Having a house full of guests means putting pressure on your hot water supply. You want the last person having a shower to enjoy it as much as the first person who had one. Is your hot water system up to the added demand?
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How often do you check your water heater? How old is it? Do you service it annually? Will it survive or strain if guests come for a few days. A tankless water heater is one solution to maintain hot water temperature when you are expecting guests. Another solution is limit showers to 8 minutes. The last is having a cold shower.
2. Constant Air Flow
Keeping cool in summer and warm in winter is key to having a home that not only keeps you happy and healthy but keeps you and your guests feeling comfortable. Sounds great, how does it happen? Lots of open windows for fresh air is a start to remove any musty smells.
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Air conditioning is next on the list. If your home doesn’t have a well functioning air conditioning system for heating and cooling, this could be the time to install a system that you and your guests will enjoy. Whether you use a system that splits your home into zones, and helps to reduce costs or you place your air conditioning on timer, your guests will thank you, and possibly stay longer. New isn’t always necessary.
Like your water heater, servicing your air conditioning yearly, or every two years, will reduce your energy costs, make it more efficient to operate and increase the life of your appliances.
Utilities like gas and electricity cost money. If your appliances are fine, maybe its time to look at reducing your running costs.
Have you thought about using solar to reduce costs? If you entertain guests often, have a large family or like the idea of ‘free energy’, solar panels, tiles or shingles could be a good investment and should pay for themselves quickly.
3. Baby-Proofing Your Home
If guests have babies or small children, making your rooms baby proof is a must. That means removing anything toxic from medicine cabinets, lower pantry shelves, offices, bedrooms and the laundry. It also means making sure that its impossible for children to misuse the toaster, microwave or hairdryer near water. Remove all temptation away from curious fingers.
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Don’t forget things like electrical cords that children can pull with disastrous results. A toddler can easily pull an electrical cord and have a lamp, computer, iron or even a phone fall, hurting the toddler and damaging the item on the way down. Cover electrical sockets if possible.
Anything that is previous, fragile or delicate items like glass, porcelain or china should be removed from lower cabinets and shelves to higher ground.
Remove anything sharp including sharp knives, glass tables with sharp edges or step ladders.
Keep bathroom doors closed at all times and if you can block access to the stairs, do it.
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Do the same for the backyard, patio or porch, especially if you have a fire pit or swimming pool by blocking access and locking fences.
4. Prepare a Guest Room
Whether you are hosting friends or family, offering a comfortable short-term is a wonderful way to maintain, develop or sustain your relationship with them. In an ideal world, guests will have secluded separate rooms for a little privacy and quiet time. This isn’t always possible but here are some essentials to make any stay a pleasure.
The essentials for keeping in a guest room include:
- spare set of house keys,
- fresh seasonal bedding,
- new toothbrush and toothpaste,
- disposable razors, moisturizer and shampoo,
- fresh towels,
- somewhere to hang towels,
- closet and cupboard space for clothes,
- a place for dirty laundry,
- something to read,
- somewhere to charge devices,
- their internet password,
- and internet access.
Having their own television or separate bathroom is not high on the list but nice if you can provide it.
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As a guest, its not always easy knowing where things are, so its a nice touch to keep the essentials nearby. Throw in a few fresh fruits too!
5. Access to the Internet
Of all the modern day utilities, the one people care about more and more is access to their telephone and an internet provider. With their own phone, pad or computer, all guests really need is a wireless connection to the internet.
If access through out your home is a little patchy, having a reading nook, office or device hub can give them access at any time. To make the internet available to all simply write the internet password on a piece of paper and pin it somewhere where everyone can see.
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It’s always better to give guests what they need instead of them having to ask you. Whether they want to check an important email or post a picture on social media during their stay.
6. Comfort Food and Beverages
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Inviting old friends and family members is the most fun activity! Create your favorite dishes and plan a comfortable dining instead of dining out. If you love to bake, prepare some frozen snacks that you can heat at moment’s notice.
For a relaxed night in, pizza, soup and sandwiches can work just fine instead of a hot baked dinner for every meal. But first, make sure no one is gluten, dairy or nut intolerant and if they drink alcohol have a small selection at hand. If all your utilities are working as they should, you and your guests will have a very memorable time together.