Never Tidy A Guest Room On Arrival Again: How To Keep It Organized All The Time

Have you ever tried to tidy an entire guest room when your visitors are just 5 minutes away? That "Just landed, see you in 5!" text can send your heart rate sky-high, and you're suddenly in a race to beat your guests. You're searching for clean sheets, cursing the clutter you swore you'd sort through yesterday but are now tossing wildly into the closet, and wondering if they'll notice the floors aren't vacuumed. Let's face it, it's not the most fun situation. But creating a tranquil visitor-ready guest room is easier than you think with just a few thoughtful steps: design, dedicate, and maintain.

The system starts with designing the space because you can't keep something organized if it wasn't organized to begin with. To keep it that way, we're going to leave it alone as a dedicated guest-only space. Finally, maintain what you've created by including the room in your regular cleaning routine. Approaching your guest room in this way not only breaks a big project down into more doable steps but also allows you to easily keep the room ready no matter when guests arrive. You can rest easy knowing their room is already set up and you can focus on them instead of cleaning. Below we'll walk you through some tips and tricks to make the process even easier and offer a few ideas for those whose guest rooms pull double duty.

To design an organized space, consider the essentials you need for your guest bedroom. Make the bed with clean sheets, blankets, and pillows. Clear any clutter out of the dresser. One trick to making a guest closet feel more welcoming is to have ample space for them to use that's easy to get to. Guests shouldn't have to move your clothes around or ask for extra hangers. If your guest room doubles as a home office or extra storage, making it impossible to free up the entire room, designate specific areas that are guest-only, like the top drawer of the dresser and the front half of the closet. Consider opting for a daybed that will take up less space than a traditional bed in your dual-use guest room.

Once the room is ready, we're going to employ the set-it-and-forget-it methodology. That means hands off. Don't borrow the bed sheets or use the closet to store your winter clothes. If you have to be in the room for other reasons, try not to disturb the dedicated guest areas. Make a point to clean up after you've used the room by taking 10 minutes at the end of the day or after your work shift to quickly put things away. Use storage boxes or bins to discreetly keep work items out of sight while visitors are staying in the room. When cleaning other bedrooms in the home, include a check-in of the guest room — a light dusting and quick vacuuming will do. This will also help you manage any clutter that might otherwise get out of hand.