We’ve all been there…you’re staying at someone’s house, and it’s just not right. Don’t get me wrong, you’re thankful that someone, a relative, a friend, has let you stay in their home, and that’s a great thing. But it’s not your home, and it doesn’t feel very welcoming. There are a few things that never fail to make me feel more welcomed that you can do to brighten your home.

Extra toiletries.

The thing that always stands out is when people just happen to have extra new toothbrushes in their house. If there are travel shampoos or body wash so that I don’t feel weird using your shampoo.

Have a guest room that looks like you actually go in there.

I totally get that the guest bedroom is often an afterthought, because it’s not necessary. Sometimes it’s an office most of the time with a bed jammed in the corner, other times it’s really bare or there’s boxes stacked up. Making your place a little more home-y means having a room that seems like it’s not an afterthought. Put some art on the walls, and make the place look lived in, not like no one has ever entered the room. I’ve stayed places where there aren’t any curtains on the windows. Again, I’m grateful for the place to sleep, but the no curtains is kind of an issue.

Make sure your house doesn’t have a funk smell.

You know that feeling of walking into grandma’s place and it smells like home? Make your house smell like that. Burn a candle. Discover what Febreze is. Take out the trash, and better yet, wash the trash can every once in a while. We use candles on the reg, and I bake tasty things to make the house have that fresh-cookies smell, especially at this time of year.

Think about outlets and lighting.

Along with the idea that your guest bedroom is kind of an afterthought, a lot of the time the bed is set up far from outlets and there is limited lighting. Think about how you would want to set up your bedroom, and make it feel like that in the other room too.

If you’re willing to welcome your home to someone else, then you’re already doing great, but if you want to take it up a notch, these are just a few things to consider! What do you do to make your guest rooms welcoming?