Holiday Hosting Tips For Your Kansas City Home

The holiday season is among us! This is a festive and joyful time of year! After all, who doesn’t love gathering with those they love most? That’s not to say the holiday season doesn’t have its challenges. From buying gifts to cooking feasts, and jumping from one Christmas party to the next, it’s definitely a busy time of year! The holidays can be especially overwhelming if you’re the host! Not only do you have to clean the house spotless, but you also have to prepare the meal and keep guests entertained. In this blog post, we’re sharing a few tips for keeping the holiday season as fun and stress-free as possible. More specifically, we’re sharing a guide for keeping your beautiful home in great condition throughout the holiday festivities! We hope you enjoy reading this blog post all about holiday hosting tips for your Kansas City home. 

For those of you who are new to our blog, welcome to Hearthside Homes! We are a home builder based in Liberty, Missouri. We currently build in the Kansas City, Parkville, Liberty, and Kearney areas. Click here to check out our current listings! Without further ado, let’s jump into eleven tips for keeping your home in tip-top shape during the holiday season!  

1). Don’t Leave Stains On The Countertops!

If you’re hosting, pay attention to the food and beverages that may linger on your countertops. Red wine and cranberry sauce can easily stain the surfaces of your kitchen! How horrified would you be to discover a stain embedded in your countertops? As big of a pain as it is, clean the kitchen promptly after the meal is over and wipe down the surfaces with a multi-surface spray. You’ll be happy to wake up to a clean kitchen anyway! 

2). Ask Your Guests To Remove Their Shoes

If your home is new, you likely want to protect the integrity of the flooring! Encourage guests to remove their shoes upon entering the home. If you’re uncomfortable asking them to remove their shoes, delegate another guest to do so. You can even get one of those mats that say “shoes off please” on Amazon or Etsy! 

3). Have Carpet Cleaner On Hand 

Carpets can be hard to maintain. Have some carpet cleaner on hand and ready to tackle any stains that may come up! From pet accidents to split beverages, and knocked over chili, it’s a good idea to have some carpet cleaning products at the ready! 

4). Protect Your Railing From Scratches 

Arguably one of the best parts about the holiday season is the festive decorations! From wreaths to the Christmas tree, tabletop decorations, and more, there are so many fun ways you can get your home in the holiday spirit! Many folks also like to wrap garland around their fireplaces and staircase railings. Although this looks nice, the rough texture of garland can definitely do some damage to wood surfaces! To avoid this damage, line your wood surfaces with a felt protective cover before dressing the garland. 

5). Be Careful With What You Put Down The Disposal! 

Your plumbing matters, too! Not everything should go down the disposal. If you want to avoid damage to your disposal avoid putting coffee grounds, bones, eggshells, nuts, oil, or other sticky substances down it. 

While we’re on the topic of disposal, don’t forget to offer a trash bin and recycling container for your guest! This will definitely save you from a massive clean up job the next morning. 

6). Have A Friendly Reminder In The Bathroom 

Common sense isn’t so common, is it? If you’re hosting, it’s totally fine to remind your guests about a few ground rules. As mentioned previously, your plumbing is not something to take for granted! Don’t be afraid to put up signs near each toilet that remind guests what’s flushable and what’s not. After all, the last thing you want to do is have to find a plumber on Christmas morning! 

7). If You Have A Real Tree, Watch Out! 

There’s definitely something charming about a real Christmas tree! With that said, they do come with a lot more work than artificial trees. Not only do pine needles fall, but you also have to regularly water the tree. Be sure that your floors don’t get damaged in the process! Just in case, line the floor with a plastic liner underneath the tree skirt. This will protect the floor from water damage and no one will notice! 

8). Don’t Forget The Outdoors

You need to consider the exterior of your home, too! Make sure the gutters are cleaned before the first snowfall. Additionally, you’re going to want to make sure all hoses are turned off and stored properly. Don’t forget to winterize your sprinkler system. 

9). Check The House Before You Go To Bed

Each night before you go to bed, do a glance throughout the house. Make sure that the stove, fireplace, and Christmas lights are turned off. Don’t forget to blow out all those delicious smelling holiday candles! The last thing you want to worry about is a fire. 

10). Be Prepared To Clean Up! 

After the holiday season, be prepared to do a deep cleanup! Make your spouse and children work with you to get the home back in shape. After all the glitter, pine needles, food, and foot traffic, you’re likely to have a big undertaking on your hands! Have the cleaning supplies ready, get Alexa going, and make it a team effort. If your carpet is in poor condition, consider renting a carpet cleaning machine from your local hardware store. They work wonderfully! 

11). If You’re Going On Vacation…

Maybe you’re not staying home for the holidays, but you’re traveling instead! If this is the case, make sure all doors and windows are secure. Keep a few house lights on to deter intruders. You can even notify a neighbor or a local police station so that they can keep an eye on the place while you’re gone! 

Still Looking For Home Sweet Home? 

We hope you enjoyed these holiday hosting tips for your Kansas City home! Are you still on the hunt for home sweet home? Hearthside Homes would love to create a space for you and your family! Since 1987, we’ve been building beautiful and long-lasting homes for families in the Kansas City areas. We currently build in the Kansas City, Liberty, Kearney, and Parkville areas. Click here to learn more about our communities and to view our current listings. 

Did you know that Hearthside Homes makes the home building experience easy, fun, and fast? From the time we break ground on your project, your home will be ready in about six months! Seriously! Our clients start by picking one of our awesome, expertly designed, floor plans. Once you sign on with our team, you’ll make your material selections at our Design Center. Our Design Center allows our customers to pick out all the finishings for their new home in one place! Click here to take a virtual tour of our Design Center. 

We are located at 1915 Industrial Dr #300, Liberty, MO 64068. To learn more about our services, fill out this form on our website, or give us a call at (816) 781-0234. Don’t forget to follow all the fun on FacebookInstagram, and Pinterest! 

Thank you for stopping by and reading this blog post all about holiday hosting tips for your Kansas City home!