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 keep hold of old copies of the Telegraph to go in the log basket for firelighting don't want visitors thinking we read tabloids

I love this! I usually hide all the kids crap when people are coming over - mil came over once when the kids had been in bed and commented that the living room looked different and looked really puzzled. I'd just shoved everything out of sight as she usually comes over whilst they're still up and crap is everywhere My daily little trick however when I remember is to light Yankee candles in the hallway and the living room at least half an hour before dh comes home. He always seems to think the house is tidier/cleaner when it actually just smells nice. I am actually quite excited about popping into Waitrose to buy the fanciest washing up liquid I can find tomorrow and will obviously refill it with the massive bottles of aldi stuff

I use my nice things.

I LOVE the staged washing up area, bravo Gin .. Love the idea of clear washing up liquid, what's in the other bottle?

I have a coffee station (blame pintetest). I has giving great serious thought to getting silicon molds and making sugar cubes but I had a word with myself.

I saved my hotel stash of Avena mini toiletries and making up a clear acrylic box with loads of lovely things in for overnight guests.

Donkey I am with you on the sugar cubes, I bought some brown heart ones and a mouldy to make shortbread that hangs on the cup

*mould

Gasp! I had no idea that I'm not the only one who does things like this! I don't do it intentionally I just think 'Oh, I'll leave that there so I look cultured'. Another thing I sometimes do is if I've just done a bit of quick washing up, I'll get rid of the bubbles and any evidence that shows I've just washed up so they don't think I've done it because someone's coming round when I definitely did.
Ha Dillie I do that with toys and games! I have all the educational stuff on the bookshelf (again unintentional as DS needs assistance with it hence being downstairs but also I like how it all looks)

I love threads like this, so gentle & cosy I am soooo stealing the 'fake washing up area' I have the matching towels/candles/fresh flowers thing going on & get lovely hand wash, from tkmax for the bathrooms.
I had a jo malone diffuser & candle as a gift & am currently using them as it's silly really, just keeping for best.
Yy to charity shops for pretty china tea sets & cake stands.
🍍🍍

Reetpetite17 I do the no bubbles in the sink too. I thought I was a bit of a weirdo thinking that. Glad I'm not the only one!

Ffs myredrose, now I need I shortbread mold too for biscuits that hang of a teacup too. I was going for button or jewel shapes.

GinandOnIt 💐 You're a good sport to post photos. I think you're completely barking, but I like my friends a little on the unusual side 😊 It looks like a lovely little cottage...(is it?).

I don't tend to invite many people around for coffee as it's easier to meet out (I don't live near work or school), friends just drop in & 'take us as we find us', I hate cooking so don't really invite people for dinner, I'd sooner meet at a restaurant.

People staying - I just like to make their room nice (bright, airy & flowers in the summer, cosy throws, cushions & layered bedding in the winter) plus plenty of towels etc and then they're shown where stuff is & told they're welcome to use anything they want to - toiletries etc. They use the family bathroom though, if the guest room had an ensuite I'd put pretty guest stuff in it. In the winter I tell them to adjust the heating in their room to whatever they're comfortable with. I like guests to feel 'at home' I'm too lazy to make them feel spoilt! 😬

gin 😂😂 staged washing up area . I love it , your kitchen is lovely btw

I don't really have things for show but I always have a frantic tidy , Hoover up and spray of air freshener !! People always comment how tidy my house always is . Suckers

Aww thanks AnnieOnnieMouse I'm a bit overwhelmed by the response from this thread to be honest. I feel like I've got my own little bit of internet fame - I must make sure it doesn't go to my head and remember my humble beginnings of subterfuge with soap (Hang on Gin maybe there's a NC in there somewhere?) Especially when any visitors in the future to my home will think I've gone all la de da with my sugar cubes and Method cleaning products.

Can't really take credit for the addition of stunt to pineapple though. I may well purchase said pineapple but I believe the christening of the terminology was courtesy of APlaceOnTheCouch so thank you kindly for my new name.

I'm a regular reader of MN and comment here and there but havent ever started a thread before and I echo a PP in that it's given me a warm feeling sharing our little quirks without any judgement (not sure I've seen too many threads recently without a bunfight somewhere along the line). Each to there own and what ever makes you happy is what I say. I am however going to enjoy my treats myself a bit more from now on because as previous posters have said life is too short.

Now if only the Daily Fail or MN FB picked up the story. I truly would have reached internet superstardom.

Too much for the festive guests?

How about this one?

I don't believe in saving nice things for best. If best never comes they are wasted. Nicer to have a little bit of a boost every time you see or use the nice thing,even if it won't last all year.

Like pp I tidy up a bit more than usual for visitors, but am pretty tidy by nature anyway.

My mum has glass shelf in her downstairs loo with posh ginger & whatnot hand wash & matching hand cream. On the sink is the bar of soap they actually use

I keep a plastic tub under the stairs and sweep crap from the kitchen counter & table into it when guests/are coming over - then sort it out at a later date

Other than general tidying I also wipe the skirting boards and polish the chrome base of the breakfast bar stools round my island. Makes a big difference for some reason

MyRed - will have a lay down now am lusting after hanging biscuity things which, I didn't even know existed until this thread.

I know, it's a game changer isn't it? Don't be palming guests off with your 2 for 1 hobnobs going forward.

Wow to those biccies.

Almost forgot, I'm so ordering the housekeepers box

If it was a very special (infrequent) guest, I might not only put clean towels in the loos, but make sure they weren't the bleach-stained ones!

Have just found myself searching for fancy washing up liquids when I stumbled across this article... 😂

m.bristolpost.co.uk/bristol-schoolboy-forced-harvey-nichols-bottle-shelves/story-11276987-detail/story.html

The mum's quote is brilliant, "That bottle cost £6, and I only got it to put on show. You can get two bottles of Fairy Liquid in Morrisons for £1, and there are no grammatical errors or spelling mistakes on those bottles. Why does it need to have instructions anyway? It's not rocket science."

Donkey The other bottle is just soap! I've ordered this bottle to replace it though

Need I most definitely am barking and yes to cottage, DP is a farmer so comes with the territory!

This has been a great thread, OP. It really had me chuckling to myself yesterday. This kind of thing is the reason I love MN - you can an insight into people's funny habits that you would never normally chat about in RL!

I love the word tchotchkes (a small object that is decorative rather than strictly functional; a trinket).
Good to know that pineapple tchotchkes are really a thing. I buy melon and pineapple most weeks and have a sliced arrangement in the fridge for us to eat. I feel like a rock star.

Gin I love your style, Muji is where I got my clear lidded box for guest toiletries from.

Red want want want. I wish I could make biscuits.

Pissing self at 'washing up tableau'. Having visions of an oil-painting version.

Does anyone else have "naice" tea towels, just for hanging over the oven bar? Never for drying up, wiping hands or taking hot things out of the oven with, I just realised I did last night when I got in and forgot to photo my cook book stand