Checklist for Preparing Your Home for the Holidays
Organize and identify home improvement tasks before the arrival of holiday visitors.

Keep Your Sanity this Season and Plan Ahead to Relieve Holiday Stress

Now that fall is almost over, it is time to start preparing your home for the hustle and bustle of holiday visitors. In order to ensure you provide your visitors with a pleasant experience, assess your home for visible damage, dated appliances and home furnishings.

Since contractors are bombarded with last minute holiday repairs and renovations, many homeowners attempt to avoid the holiday rush and tackle home improvement projects several weeks before the arrival of holiday guests.

Prepare for the holidays and ensure your most popular rooms are ready for visitors by using the following checklist.

Enticing Entryway:
Establish a place to collect guests' sweaters, jackets and purses. Be sure to clean out the closet or room that will be storing guests' belongings so their items are not lost amongst the clutter.

Remember, the entryway will be the first room your guests will view when entering your home. Cast a critical eye and determine whether or not you need to replace your flooring, rugs, furniture, or if you need to touch up the paint on the entryway walls.

Don't forget to show your holiday spirit by decorating the entryway with ornaments, sprigs of evergreen and candles.

Living Area:
Is the carpet in your living room stained or worn? If so, arrange to have your carpets cleaned, or if they are beyond repair, have new carpet installed. For more flooring repair or replacement ideas, visit www.westcoastflooring.com

Be sure to clean fingerprints and dust off windows and door jams before guests visit.

Convenient and Cozy Kitchen:
Get rid of any countertop clutter. Remove appliances and tools from countertops and store them out of your guests' view in order to provide more room for entertaining and food preparation. If your countertop space is lacking, consider installing a kitchen island.

Make sure your countertops, cabinets and appliances are in good condition and in working order, if not, schedule for their repair or replace them. For more kitchen renovation ideas, visit www.westcoastflooring.com

Bright Bathrooms:
Take a close look at the condition of your bathrooms. Does the tile look dingy? If the countertops in your bathrooms are dated, replace cracked or chipped tiles and re-grout. These simple improvements can give your bathrooms an instant facelift. For more information about countertops and bathroom updates, visit www.westcoastflooring.com.

Take a good look at your bathroom ceiling. Is it peeling from humidity? Perform those minor ceiling and wall repairs to avoid the embarrassment of the bathroom caving in on guests.

Be sure to set out several hand towels when entertaining so guests do not have to repeatedly use the same wet towel. Show some holiday spirit and consider purchasing holiday theme hand towels.

Making these updates and repairs in your home now will allow you and others to sit back and enjoy your home this holiday season.

This article was provided by West Coast Flooring Center, one of the largest flooring stores offering Southern California flooring services with a wide variety of quality flooring options and other home improvement services. For more home improvement tips and services, visit the West Coast Flooring Center online at www.westcoastflooring.com.