Getting Your Home Ready for Entertaining

Home entertaining can be lots of fun if you plan ahead, know that everything does not have to be perfect, relax and enjoy your guests' company. So many people stress out about entertaining, but easy entertaining is possible and getting your home ready for entertaining does not have to be a chore.

Here you will find 10 entertaining ideas on how you can prepare your home to have a wonderful night of fun.

Provide an Additional Buffet Table

One of the biggest problems I have noticed when home entertaining is I do not have enough space for all the food. If you do not have a buffet table or need additional buffet tables, one of the most economical and easiest ways I have found to get more table space for food is using two saw horses and lay a board across the saw horses. The saw horses and board are not a pretty sight but that problem can easily be remedied by putting a tablecloth or multiple tablecloths over the board so that the tablecloth touches the floor and the saw horses cannot be viewed.

Place Large Pillows on the Floor

Another big problem I have run into when entertaining at home is I never have enough seats, an easy entertaining fix to this problem is to place large pillows on the floor especially around coffee tables just in case you need extra space for people to eat at the last minute. If you do not have large pillows on hand, they can be purchased for a relatively low cost at large discount stores.

Set Up Multiple Garbage Cans

When entertaining at home, there is usually quite a bit of garbage that accumulates throughout the party. In order to make sure there is enough places for people to place their garbage and so that you are not continuously having to empty the garbage cans, make sure to have multiple garbage cans set up in strategic locations in your home such as near the food and drinks stations.

Make Sure Your Home Smells Good

No one wants to have a home that smells bad so an easy home entertaining trick that will delight the sense of smell is to place a pot of water on your stove top and simmer cloves, cinnamon and All Spice. The wonderful smell will carry throughout your house and should last the whole time your guests are at your home. This easy method is great for odor control and there is nothing more pleasant than delicious scents coming from the kitchen.

Place Dishes, Silverware, Glasses and Napkins Out

You want to make sure your dishes, silverware, glasses and napkins are laid out in an easy, accessible spot such as the buffet table. If there is no room on the buffet table, you can always use baskets and place the dishes, silverware, glasses and napkins in the baskets and move baskets around as space is needed.

Protect Tables with Tablecloths

When entertaining at home, there is always the issue of something possibly getting damaged or broken. One of the easiest entertaining fixes for this problem is to have all tables covered with tablecloths incase someone spills something or drops something on the table. Tablecloths are great because depending on the colors or patterns used, they can really help to add to the festive nature of your home entertaining.

Bathroom Should Be Fully Stocked

Guests need to use the bathroom and many times, they visit it on multiple occasions throughout the party. It is important to have a stack of hand towels on the sink for hand drying and make sure to have extra rolls of toilet paper visible, possibly displayed on the floor in a basket. Nothing is more embarrassing for a guest than to have to come out of a bathroom and ask the host or hostess where the TP is.

Remove Furniture if Rooms are Crowded

Most people stand at parties and talk to one another so if you have small rooms with large pieces of furniture, try to de-clutter the room somewhat and it give it a more open feel by taking out oversized furniture and temporarily storing it in the garage or basement. Plus removing oversized furniture will allow you to place more large pillows on the floor and gives you additional seating.

Send Fido to the Kennel for an All-Inclusive Night Stay

If you can afford it and feel comfortable, it is not a bad idea to take your dog to the kennel during the day or night of your party. Many times animals get stressed when a lot of people they do not know are in their home. Many people are also allergic to dogs and a guest's night could be ruined because your Fido's dander was too much for them. Plus taking Fido out of the picture for the night is one less thing for you to worry about and home entertaining is just that much easier when there are no worries about the beloved pet.

Check for Food Allergies when Planning the Food

It sounds silly I know but it is incredible to me how many people have food allergies and some are severe. The last thing you want to do is to have bowls of peanuts sitting around your house and a guest that comes to your home has severe peanut allergies. Make sure to find out if any guest invited does have food allergies and adapt your menu depending on their level of food allergy severity and what they are most comfortable with.

Entertaining at home can be great fun and getting your home ready for entertaining does not have to be a project. Walk around your home, visualizing what guests typically do and how a party typically goes and then think about what you can do to prepare ahead of time to make the home entertaining easier for you and your guests.

Sources:

Self-experiences

www.hgtv.com

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