Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Is your house always guest ready?

145 replies

Itwasntme1 · 21/02/2020 19:48

I have been off work sick. Feeling miserable so watching a lot of tv.

I have noticed that in loads of shows, overnight guests turn up unexpected and there is always a guest room with clean bed linens. The house is also always tidy.

If someone arrived at my door now they would find a messy living room and a spare bedroom with no sheets on the bed and a half emptied suitcase on the floor. The bathroom would also need a scrub.

Am I a slob? Is everyone else house guest ready?

OP posts:
Cati1234 · 22/02/2020 00:50

Buzzing everyone whi wants to stay first @MusicTeacherSussex then just remeber to Byob 🤣🤣

I say my spare room is sorta guest ready... but it's only my SIL that stays once in while usually while dh is away... and she just treats the house as her own, if I'm running behind she will grab the linen chips in with the dog walking if I need to be at work.. will not just sit and want to be waited on she cleans up after he self will help cook and do the dishes she is the best house guest

MillennialPink · 22/02/2020 00:52

Don't expect your house to live up to TV drama standards. I'm always impressed on TV when the detectives knock on the door to interview somebody out of the blue and the lady of the house opens the door in full make up, hair done, perfectly dressed, probably with pearls and house immaculate obviously.

FagAsh · 22/02/2020 01:16

Downstairs is nearly always guest ready

Upstairs,.,,is always an embarrassment

CanIHaveATiaraPlease · 22/02/2020 07:03

Tbh - mine are older now so it’s a bit easier but a quick tidy up at the end of the night & regularly during the day when they were younger definitely helps keep on top of it.

JustaScratch · 22/02/2020 07:38

Yes, but not in the way you mean. We have a spare room and an annex. A friend of DH's comes to stay in the annex quite often (he lives far away but often has to work in our area) - he makes his own bed and sorts himself out. My house is not immaculate and there is clutter and piles of clean clothes, etc, but we have a cleaner so the bathrooms never get too gross. I'm not embarrassed by any of it and have guests over quite a lot. There is always somewhere for them to sit and have a cuppa.

Bloodhoundgang · 22/02/2020 08:01

Yes it is. Spare room ready to go, always have biscuits hidden for visitors. Come on over.

DinosApple · 22/02/2020 08:06

Hahahaha. No.

24 hrs minimum for daytime visitors. 1 week minimum for overnight. We don't have a spare room and are messy buggers.

CalamityJune · 22/02/2020 08:30

I wouldn't be embarrassed to have a guest round at a moment's notice so in that sense, yes I suppose it is.

I'd prefer half an hour's notice to straighten up the sofa etc and have a quick wipe round in the bathroom.

wehaveafloater · 22/02/2020 08:36

We have the family areas that are clean but !lived in' ie sofas with masses of crumpled cushions that look lovely when they are plumped ( but not seen it plumped for months) and we have a lounge and dining room that are guest proof and twin guest room that's good to go and a double one that's currently being used as a sewing room -so not guest ready . So mixed I guess .

deste · 22/02/2020 19:55

Always, I never go to bed until I have tidied up and I always have too much food. I hate clutter and I hate mess.

TakemedowntoPotatoCity · 22/02/2020 20:08

Do you all have guests? I never do (and would feel uncomfortable staying in someone else's house unless I knew them incredibly well)
I would find it quite a faff and couldn't really relax.

Original poster
Itwasntme1 · 22/02/2020 20:11

I only very occasionally have overnight visitors, and I get a few weeks notice. Just think, haven’t had overnight guests in a couple of years.

House is not always visitor ready, kitchen a bit cluttered and bathroom not always tidy.

I would definitely need a couple of hours to prepare for visitors, and longer for overnight.

OP posts:
Fedupwithmyhouse · 22/02/2020 20:13

If someone turned up at my door unexpectedly I’d be truly fucked. The house is a state and the bathroom is a no go zone!

UrbanMage · 22/02/2020 20:20

Not one bit at the moment. In the middle of redecorating the hallway and kitchen so we can put it on the market. Plus I have a DD, who is a whirlwind of terror and mess. Plus no spare room

But normally, the place is tidy enough for guests to come for dinner.

AnneOfTeenFables · 22/02/2020 20:22

Do you all have guests?
Like a PP, DH has a colleague who stays in a different country but often has to come here for work. When he does, he regularly stays with us. We also have relatives who come to stay occasionally.

Yestermost · 22/02/2020 20:28

We don't have a spare room. Not sure if I know any one that does!

Stuckupsnob · 22/02/2020 23:02

We don’t have a spare room, it’s a one bed flat, but it would take me 5 mins to be guest ready, so long as they’re not expecting to stay the night.

There’s a camp bed !

Theroigne · 22/02/2020 23:18

Yes. Spare room bedding is changed when used. House is kept tidy - everything has a place - and the laundry is kept on top of. House is cleaned one a week with spot cleans and hoovering in between. I also do very regular clear outs and encourage the dds to do the same.

I know that makes me tediously boring (and frightfully non-u 🙄) but I don’t care. I grew up in a cluttered house and my tendencies are probably a knee-jerk reaction to that. Whenever mum and dad went on holiday my sister and I would practically Kon-Marie the house as soon as they left!

Cloudyyy · 22/02/2020 23:20

We live centrally in our little town and often have unexpected visits from friends popping in - we like it! The house is always clean and I’m very tidy (but we do have young DC so toys are a mess at times). We keep on top of it though and would welcome guests any time.

Be1atrix · 22/02/2020 23:28

Yeah! We don't have a spare room but keep our house clean and tidy :)

ineedaholidaynow · 22/02/2020 23:40

I like the homely look, so no we are not guest ready!

We are in the middle of decluttering so house looks worse than normal. Also sorting out late relative's stuff, which doesn't help, which is also hard emotionally. We had a room of doom but do feel that we have a house of doom at the moment.

StrumpersPlunkett · 22/02/2020 23:45

To prove a cuppa to good friends the door can be opened at any time.
Those good friends know that in a previous life I had domestic staff and I am not gifted in the area of house keeping.
To have less close friends round we can be ready in a couple of hours.
For my mother it is at least 24 hours of tidying hell.
She isn’t invited often

Rose789 · 23/02/2020 00:22

The guest room is always ready here as it’s on the third floor so no one tends to go up there. In our old house the spare room was very much a spare room and filled with crap.
We get quite a few overnight visitors which are normally planned in advance. On Tuesday night dh’s friend was mugged on their way home and her bag was taken with her keys and phone. She realised we lived nearby and came and knocked. We had no problem welcoming her in and providing a meal and hot drinks and suggesting she stay over.

Ilovesausages · 23/02/2020 00:37

Definitely not guest ready!!!

I do my beat but it always amazes me
How messy the house
Can get so quickly!!!

Right now it actually isn’t too bad at all but it can be really bad!!!

ineedaholidaynow · 23/02/2020 00:37

DDIJ who says you are not allowed visitors. I have seen you on quite a few threads where you say you are not allowed to do various things in your house, who is making these rules?