Your in-laws have planned to visit for a few days and you want to be the best possible hosts. No need to stress! You’ve got this covered!
We’d like to help you get your house ready for your in-laws in 3 major ways:
- Hosting suggestions
- Home repair ideas
- Safety considerations
So, you want to be a great host for the inlaws?
Being a good host is simply a matter of making your home as bright, comfortable, clean, and welcoming as possible.
10 Hosting Tips for Your In-laws’ Visit
- Put away all the clutter.
- Do a thorough house-cleaning.
- Put out your nicest bedding, pillows, and towels in the guest room and guest bathroom.
- Add some fresh flowers or decor that makes the guest room feel welcoming.
- Prepare a lovely welcome basket.
- Talk with your spouse about expectations to minimize potential tension.
- Prepare your plan for meals in advance, taking any dietary issues or allergies into consideration.
- Prepare the kids, if you have any, for what to expect and how to behave properly.
- Talk with your in-laws in advance about interesting things to do together in your town that they may enjoy.
- Wash dusty curtains.
But maybe your house looks neglected and needs more TLC than just a good cleaning and organizing day. It could be the perfect time to go through your honey-do list and take care of all the little needed repairs around the house.
Home Repair Ideas
Your in-laws may be super chill, and perhaps they won’t be bothered by rotten boards on the deck, broken bathroom ventilation fans, or the hole in the drywall where the doorknob went through. Or maybe they would.
Either way—you would feel a whole lot less embarrassed if those things were fixed before the big visit. If you don’t feel embarrassed, you’ll be able to relax a lot more and enjoy the whole experience as much as possible.
And maybe, if the little repair jobs were all done before they get there, there will be a lot less room for criticism if your in-laws are not the “super chill” types. A well-maintained home could mean a whole lot more peace of mind for you! And less marital tension!
That’s time and money well-spent!
Our Top 13 Suggestions to Prepare Your Home for Your In-Laws
- Repair damaged drywall.
- Touch up cracked or damaged paint inside or outside the home.
- Fix leaking or broken windows or skylights and repair water damage.
- Repair broken doors or install doors or hardware.
- Replace caulking in the tubs and showers and around windows and doors, if needed.
- Install new shower doors, if needed.
- Fix leaking faucets.
- Paint over an ugly accent wall with a more neutral, welcoming color.
- Clean the gutters.
- Pressure wash the house.
- Replace broken or ugly light fixtures.
- Add some shelves or a medicine cabinet for extra storage in the bathroom.
- Replace ugly cabinet hardware in the kitchen or bathrooms.
Aesthetics are important when extended family comes to your home. But safety is even more critical.
Safety Considerations
You may not think of your in-laws as elderly, but if they are over 65 years old, they are. Safety for the elderly is a very important part of preparing for your in-laws’ visit (or your parents). No one wants a loved one to fall in their home and get injured.
Sadly, falls are the number one cause of death now for people over 65. But thankfully, most falls are preventable. There are simple things you can do in your home and that you may be able to do in your in-laws’ home to help keep them safe and in good health for years to come.
10 Safety Tips to Make Home Safer for Parents and In-laws
- Put adhesive grip strips on the stairs inside and outside if they are slippery.
- Paint a contrasting color on the edges of the steps.
- Tack down any loose carpeting that could be a tripping hazard.
- Install LED motion-detector lights along the baseboards of the hallways and stairs.
- Install non-slip strips in the shower or tub.
- Repair damaged or uneven steps inside and outside the home.
- Repair low spots in the driveway or patio that could be hazardous.
- Install a liquid soap dispenser in the shower to help avoid people falling as they try to pick up a bar of soap on the floor.
- Replace wobbly railings and add sturdy railings along every stairway. Ideally, try to have railings on each side of the stairs the whole way up.
- Install grab bars in the tub or shower of your guest bathroom, and consider installing a grab bar near the toilet, as well.
What do you do if you don’t have the time, the desire, or the ability to do all the little jobs around the house that need to be done? Maybe you aren’t the best handyman in the world and you need some help.
Thankfully, you can find a handyman company to tackle these little jobs around the house. Then your home will be gorgeous and ready to wow your in-laws. And even more importantly, you can make your home safer for your in-laws and everyone in the family. That kind of peace of mind is priceless!
SAFETY RESOURCES FOR SENIOR ADULTS
