As soon as someone tells you they’re coming to visit, you panic.
You start cleaning, tidying and preparing food.
You stress about the potential comments your guests might have.
But while you’re fretting about the pile of dirty laundry next to the washing machine or the peeling paint in the hallway when someone drops by unannounced, what are they really looking at?
Of course, it depends on the person’s personality, because there are also people who don’t analyze everything in detail.
But of course, there are also those who notice every detail, like a scanner.
Keep this in mind before your guests arrive!
1. The smell of your home
As soon as you open the door to your home, your guests will smell your house.
People often become insensitive to the smell of their own home, but it’s the first thing your guests will notice because they’re used to the smell of their house, not yours.
Make sure your home smells fresh and clean before they arrive by opening the windows and allowing fresh air to circulate, emptying the garbage cans, lighting a few candles, running an air purifier or adding lemon zest.
Unpleasant odors can surprise guests at the door.
You’re probably trying to keep your home clean and fragrant.
But if you’ve cooked something that smells strong, your guests will be able to smell it.
Open the windows before they come to make it comfortable for them.
2. Your art collection
Many people will first notice what’s on your walls, so make sure you’re proud of what you’re displaying.
Because many people love decorating and also know about art.
There are also people who like to read and want to know if you have any good books.
They may also ask you to lend them some.
The headings on your books allow your guests to immediately recognize your preferences and tastes.
Of course, you’ll decorate your home according to your tastes and choose works of art that appeal to you.
Any artwork you hang on the wall will attract people’s attention, so it’s important that it makes a good impression.
Also, choose a work of art whose colors complement your furniture and the whole room.
Many people say that the first thing they notice in someone else’s apartment are the walls and shelves.
Maybe because they’re the biggest pieces of furniture in the apartment.
They point out that taste in art says a lot about a person’s personality, so it shouldn’t be too general.
Guests will also be pleased to see a well-stocked shelf with titles that say something about the owner.
So, if you love books, you can display them on a shelf in your living room and they can therefore serve as decorations.
3. The bathroom
The bathroom shows how tidy you are.
Because the bathroom is the most sensitive room in the house.
I always notice when a host fills the bathroom with items like towels, a lit candle and personal items if guests are using the main bathroom.
It gives the impression that the owner is happy when she has guests.
Because she has decorated the bathroom in a way that makes the guest feel at home.
It’s equally important that items such as extra toilet paper are available and easily accessible when needed.
The owner must ensure that the guest has everything he or she could possibly need in the bathroom.
Small details like these give the space a more luxurious feel!
4. Unfinished preparatory work
For example, if you’re hosting a party at home, you need to make sure everything is organized and tidy.
On the other hand, guests are also aware of situations where it’s obvious that a host has poorly planned their party preparations.
So if you’ve decided to host a number of people, you need to put everything in its place.
When I enter a house for a party, I feel uncomfortable to find myself in a world of chaos where nothing seems finished.
Personally, I’d much rather organize nothing than leave everything messy and chaotic.
When a guest arrives, the host doesn’t have to rush to set the table, cook the food and organize the decorations – it all has to be done in advance!
On the one hand, so that you can enjoy the party and relax, and on the other, so that guests don’t have to wait for food and everything else.
If you’re hosting, set aside a few hours to clean the house, cook, make drinks or do other things that can be done in advance.
The moments before the party starts should be reserved for the finishing touches, such as lighting candles, placing flowers in a vase or taking appetizers out of the refrigerator and placing them on the counter.
5. Order and clutter
Even if you don’t need to clean excessively, guests are more likely to notice daily clutter than you think.
Because a single item can draw someone’s attention, especially when everything else is in its place and one particular item is not.
It could be stacks of mail or documents on the kitchen table, piles of shoes or backpacks by the front door, tons of products on the bathroom table or miscellaneous objects on the coffee table.
What comes to mind most is what’s on the table because guests sit on the sofa and immediately look at the table.
Clutter isn’t necessarily something that can affect guests, especially if they’re close friends.
But unless they’re people with whom you have a close relationship, you run the risk of making a bad impression if your home is a mess.
However, I would advise keeping the entrance, bathroom and bedroom uncluttered.
These are the rooms your guests will enter most often.
This is easily accomplished by simply putting everything back in its place, folding laundry, hanging coats and storing other random items in the entryway.
You should also make room in the checkroom for the jackets of house guests.
6. Coffee mugs
You’re bound to offer your guests something to drink.
And more often than not, it will be coffee or tea.
Your guests will be looking closely at their mugs, so they’ll notice things like coffee stains, fibers from a fluffy tea towel or even lipstick stains that the dishwasher didn’t quite manage to wash out.
Before offering coffee to your guests, you should check the cups to make sure they’re clean.
The same goes for cutlery and crockery if you’re hosting a dinner party, because you may not have noticed any stains before.
And guests will be very uncomfortable while eating if they notice that something is dirty.
Well, hello there!
My name is Jennifer. Besides being an orthodontist, I am a mother to 3 playful boys. In this motherhood journey, I can say I will never know everything. That’s why I always strive to read a lot, and that’s why I started writing about all the smithereens I came across so that you can have everything in one place! Enjoy and stay positive; you’ve got this!