Guests at home: what to prepare for those staying over
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
From September, people will be staying over more often. A practical checklist for hosts and hostesses: the sleeping arrangements, the bathroom, one charging spot, breakfast for more people, and everything else in one box.
"We're coming over on Saturday — and staying the night, is that okay?" At that moment, you know two things: it's going to be fun, and you have no idea if there's any toothpaste in the house. From September onwards, more overnight guests will be staying: family visiting after the summer, friends who don't want to drive home in the dark, children bringing friends home. What makes an overnight stay pleasant rarely comes from expensive items. It comes from a handful of things being ready, so no one has to ask.
The Sleeping Spot: A Good Floor is Better Than a Bad Sofa
A two-seater sofa is not a bed. Someone who lies down at half past midnight with their knees pulled up will wake up grumpy at seven. A mattress on the floor almost always wins, provided you place it somewhere where no one will trip over it on their way to the toilet at night.
An Inflatable Air Mattress 168 x 69 cm (€10.00) is 69 cm wide, so count on one person per mattress and measure beforehand if it fits between the sofa and the wardrobe. Inflate it in the afternoon, not at eleven in the evening — then you'll still hear if air is escaping and have time to come up with an alternative. Place a small light source near the sleeping area instead of turning on the ceiling light: a Nightlight (€7.95) for visiting children, or a Grundig Infinite Mirror with 34 LEDs, 18 x 18 x 2 cm (€9.95) as ambient lighting in the living room.
The Bathroom: Small Touches, But They Notice
This is where the difference lies between "we slept over" and "we were guests." You don't need to recreate a hotel room; three things are enough.
Soap that works. A half-empty bottle of hand soap that you have to squeeze is precisely the kind of detail guests won't comment on but will definitely notice. A Refillable Soap Dispenser 500 ml (€9.99) can be refilled from a large bottle, so you buy it once. A Soap Rose (€5.00) on the edge of the sink does the same job without a pump.
Small bottles instead of your entire supply. Someone staying for one night doesn't need a liter of shower gel. Fill a Refillable Bottle 120 ml (€2.99) or a Foam Pump Bottle 50 ml (€2.99) from your own large packaging. They look neat, they don't fall over in the shower drain, and your guest will dare to use them — which is often not the case with your expensive bottles. If you're looking for something with a bit more style for the sink: Amber Glass Spray Bottle 50 ml (€7.95). If you want to put something extra out for someone staying for a weekend, an Oriental Body Scrub Hammam Pot, 500 grams (€5.95) is a nice touch that will be used up.
Charging: The Silent Source of Irritation
Two guests, three phones, one power outlet behind the sofa. This is the problem that gets discussed longest in the evening. Solve it with one place where everything charges, instead of four separate adapters scattered around the house.
A Power Bank 3000 mAh (€14.95) can be given to the guest who has to catch an early morning train.
Cable Protectors, set of 4 (€1.95) prevent the cable everyone borrows from kinking at the connector within a month.
Breakfast for More People Than You Have Plates
With four extra people, you'll run out of coffee cups, not food. A pack of Coffee Cups 150 ml, 100 pieces (€14.95) in the cupboard sounds excessive, but it's not: you also use them for birthdays, house projects, and camping. Put milk in a Milk Jug with Lid, 750 ml (€9.95) on the table instead of passing around the carton, and transfer muesli or rusks into a Storage Jar with Lid (€9.95) — that way, no one has to search your cabinets.
What You Don't Need to Buy
A second complete bedding set, luxury towels per guest, and a ready-made "welcome kit" are money left on the table. For those who have guests once or twice a year, a mattress, a drawer with spare items, and one charging spot will suffice. The rest can be solved with what you already have.
Afterwards: Everything in One Box
The biggest time saver for next time is made on the day they leave. Let the mattress unfold for an hour to dry, then fold it up and put it, along with the spare items, charging station, and small bottles, into one box. A Moving Box 480 x 430 x 330 mm, 50 liters (€3.50) is large enough for the complete guest kit; write "Guests" on two sides so you can recognize it from the side in the closet. If there's nowhere to hang a coat in the guest area, Self-Adhesive Hooks 6 x 6 cm, 10 pieces (€5.95) offer a drill-free solution — handy in a rental home.
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