When I established SOAP Professional Cleaning, I wanted to create a cleaning service with a difference. I wanted to give our clients the same feeling they get when walking into a 5 star hotel room.
For this reason, I paid a lot of attention to the way these hotels operate and researched the processes they use to ensure consistency with what must be a relatively fluid workforce.
I’m sure you will appreciate the hours of arduous I spend in these luxury establishments, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make ;). I’m kidding – actually, as luck would have it (or otherwise) my business coach had many of these processes very well documented, but from time to time, I did find myself in nice hotels while travelling and was able to observe some of those special little details first-hand.
Anyway, this post is not about me and it’s not about SOAP. I just wanted to share a few tips for giving your guests a special welcome to your home.
Many of these, are essential ingredients of our standard SOAP cleaning routine, and I’ve also thrown in a few more ideas that will help to make your guest feel very well-loved.
De-cluttering First
Before you start preparing your rooms, it’s a good idea to take the opportunity to declutter. How many of us use the wardrobes and vanities in our spare rooms to accommodate our surplus stuff? You can bet if the last time you looked at any of this was the last time you had guests, you probably don’t need it.
You cannot orgainse clutter, so do yourself a favour and get rid of it all.
You don’t want to go to all the trouble of preparing your rooms for guests and making them look beautiful, but every cupboard is stacked to the gills so they can’t actually unpack and hang any of their clothes or find a place in the bathroom for their cosmetics.
The Bedroom
It goes without saying that you are going to change the beds, clean and vacuum. This is not meant to be in any way condescending, but it’s easy to overlook those out of the way places that are tricky to clean, or easy to miss, and paying close attention to those areas makes a huge difference. Even if it’s not evident on first inspection, once your guests settle into the room, they will start to notice these details.
Setting the bed up beautifully will make your guest feel really cared for. Take a look on Pinterest, or though some home magazines if you need inspiration. You can leave a small vase of flowers in the room, some books and magazines, a couple of pairs of slippers, and some bottles of water and glasses.
It’s also a great idea to make sure you have a couple of reading lights on the bedside tables too. And if you have a couple of phone chargers to spare, that would probably be well-received, along with international adapters for overseas guests.
Finally, if you don’t have a full-length mirror in the room, maybe you can relocate one from another room or invest in a new one. If you are going to be dressing for dinner or going out, your guests might feel uncomfortable if they can’t take a full look at themselves before socializing.
The Bathroom
First off, if you don’t use this bathroom often, check all the taps and shower fittings are working properly, the toilet flushes properly, the exhaust fan is operational, and that all your light fittings are in working order (this goes for the bedroom too, in fact). Also check that shower screens are not leaking – you don’t want your guests to feel embarrassed that they soaked your bathroom.
Again, of course you are going to clean the bathroom before guests arrive, but remember to pay particular attention to grout and areas of sealant that can build up grime. You might need to purchase some special grout cleaner or mold remover, but generally, we find bicarbonate of soda and water take care of most surfaces, with a little cleaning vinegar and water to shine your glass and mirrors.
A fragrant candle or diffuser makes your bathroom feel fresh and inviting.
Be sure to leave plenty of towels, bath matt, and robes if you have them, along with new bottles of soap, shampoo and conditioner.
You can even leave a little bathroom pack of toothbrushes and toothpaste, cotton buds, tissues and make up remover pads.
Also don’t forget to leave a good stock of toilet paper, so they don’t run out.
For both rooms, do also make sure your windows are clean inside and out, so they can enjoy some natural light.
There are probably more ideas you can think of to make your guests’ stay really special without going way over the top. If you know them well, you can make it more personal and prepare all the things you know they will love.
And if you feel like making the place look extra festive, you can always sprinkle a little Christmas loveliness around too.
Now that’s all done, you can relax and enjoy your family holidays.
Wishing you peace and joy this festive season.
Priscilla and the SOAP team xx