What naice things do you make sure are visible to visitors

[Wiggles84]

Most of the time I have detol hand soap in my bathrooms but if I know someone is visiting my home I get out the posh L'Occitane matching soap and moisturiser stuff I recieved for Christmas a few years back. Surely people notice it's always the same amount of fullness each time they visit? Plus who has enough time to moisturise their hands every time they wash them with a toddler in the house. Jesus if Im more than 15 seconds having a wee he'll be banging the door down wanting to come in or he will have jammed quavers in the xbox. There's no time for the luxury of hand moistorusing. Plus it's a bugger keeping a grip on his squirmy hands St the best of times let alone adding lubrication into the mix.

When my guests leave, back it goes under the sink so as not to waste it.

I also like the fruit bowl to be bursting with beautiful fruit. We always have bananas and satsumas but for some reason a pineapple just makes my mundane life feel that little bit more exotic. "Ooh look at wiggles84 she must peel her pineapple fresh each morning for her delightful childs breakfast". No a quick bit of toast and a banana and we're off to start our days. No one's got time for that surely?

None of us even like pineapple

I know, I know I shouldn't care what people think but what little things do you project to the world so as to not to appear the frazzled dog tired slutten you are?

I pose the lovley wooden toys and kick the tat under the table as well

Life is too short to save things you really like "for show" i buy nice handsoap (often not even mega bucks - i love Baylis & Harding) and have bright coloured matching towels because they make me smile. Ditto candles - if i like the scent i want to burn them - not leave them to sit for years!

I actually like properly cleaning and getting ready for guests, even if its only my mum!
But then I also have a wine cellarcupboard in the living room with a wine tack in it

I will say that I had loads of "just for best" wine glasses candles towels etc. But now just use then. No point having lovely things if they're not going to be loved and enjoyed (I love my size of a balloon red wine glasses - half bottlers those are...)

Life is too short to save things you really like "for show" i buy nice handsoap (often not even mega bucks - i love Baylis & Harding) and have bright coloured matching towels because they make me smile. Ditto candles - if i like the scent i want to burn them - not leave them to sit for years!

Yes, exactly! If you like something, do it for yourself, rather than needing the excuse of visitors! I grew up with a mother who wanted nothing more in life to have a 'good room' that she could keep locked, to be unlocked only for important visitors, and who believed strenuously in the 'keeping your new clothes for best' philosophy. (Hardly surprising, as her own mother virtually starved her children, in order to afford Sunday clothes for them, which tells you everything you need to know about my grandmother.)

The only guest I ever seem to have is MIL, and the last time she was here I accidentally put gone off milk in her tea.

I'm completely sure she would have been far too impressed with my clean sponge to notice though, so it's okay.

Anyone who comes to visit for the first time is normally too baffled by the fact the kitchen sink isn't even in the kitchen, to notice how pristine my sink area is. Sigh.

We need a photo ginandonit!
Where is your sink?

Anyone who comes to visit for the first time is normally too baffled by the fact the kitchen sink isn't even in the kitchen, to notice how pristine my sink area is. Sigh.

Where is your sink? In the hall? An upstairs bedroom? A decorative feature beside the front door?

I've just asked a friend what brand her reed diffuser is as it smells amazing and 'wooed' me as I stepped in to her gorgeous parlour

Hah great thread. We don't have visitors often, but when we do I have to do a crazy clean up, make sure there are no pants on the bathroom floor. I do admit that I have this crazy tidy then I put a few things out of place so I look like I was doing something other than tidying like crazy before they arrive. So I'll scatter a few of the children's toys, or maybe have a few dishes left to dry on the draining board.

When my mum and dad started to do a bit better for themselves and actually had a bit of money to invest, my mum left a folded over letter from the bank on the kitchen unit when my jealous aunt came over because it said 'ISA Statement' on it.

I'm to busy shoving shit away to get other shit out!

I've just remembered one. Dh bought a house once where he admired the lovely cooker & top,can't remember the brand but it was a fancy pants one. Apparently the lady blushed & said she had her show hob top on & her knackered bits were out of sight to visitors.

It's not that bizarre, honest. Through the kitchen is a sort of utility area, and the sink is through there. I think people normally have a sink in the kitchen and the utility don't they? It's not a big house though, so doesn't really warrant a second sink. But most people walk into the kitchen, mutter 'yes, yes, very nice' then pause, look around and say 'but....there's no sink?! '

Except MIL. Her words were 'oh how lovely, you can stack up all the dirty dishes round the corner after dinner and not stare at them for the rest of the meal!' - I knew right then that she was my kind of lady

The utility 'area' is rather hideous though apart from the wonderful washing up area so I shall only post a picture if you promise to be kind

Love the stunt pineapple and the fake washing up area!

I get the fancy tea set (bought dead cheap in a charity shop - proper vintage English china), fancy dinner plates and the fancy glass candle holders (another charity shop bargain) but that's about it. I get the tea set out for my weekly cribbage and cuppa session too just because I like to use it.

Oh and I make DD put some clothes on!

DSis ( bit of a domestic goddess ) uses Harvey Nicks washing up liquid. Lovely smell, i thought as i did the washing up after a delicious meal. Only after I had finished did she hiss ’that's just for show, the stuff for using is under the sink'. Pah.

Please, please please gin!

Gin we promise!
Show us your sink!!!

Finally i would like to meet this wonderful sounding sister of yours

Fuck all. The only people that visit my house are my friends. And if they gave a stuff about which hand soap I used they wouldn't be my friends

Not read the whole thread, maybe someone has said this- I'm more paranoid that someone would notice I don't use handwash.

Ohhhh I want Harvey nicks washing up liquid! Damn you mumsnet!

I remember reading some historical fiction novel where the heroine eats some of the fruit on the table at a party and gets into terrible trouble because it was rented!

The only thing I do is hide all my trashy romance novels behind my set of Cambridge Press philosophy books! My DH calls them my shelves of shame!

My MIL had a bottle of hand soap that only came out for best, but it was only that crappy Bayliss & Harding stuff you can get in any supermarket.

Surely people notice it's always the same amount of fullness each time they visit?

Yeah, I noticed

Just use up the L'Occitane stuff OP! Before long it'll go off and it'll be wasted.