You can host several overnight guests in your small apartment, without your home looking like a shantytown. However, this is no small feat in a place that you barely fit in yourself. You have to prepare amply and possibly, like a magician, create extra space in places you never imagined you could.
Here are 10 tips on how to host overnight guest in a small apartment:
1. Consider special sleeping needs first
When you have guests coming to spend the night over at your small place, you should meet their sleeping needs amply.
However, most of us make a mistake since we only ask our guests about special dietary needs. Rarely do we ask whether anyone has special sleeping needs. For example, the soft sofa bed might not be good for a senior with a bad back. Such a person would need a firmer mattress.
If there is a guest with a bad back, take care of their needs first. You can even offer your bed to them. Most will decline but hey, you tried.
Granted, you may not be able to buy a mattress for back pain at short notice. However, you can buy a special mattress topper for back pain. Ask beforehand whether any guest has special sleeping needs so that you know where to place them.
2. Restock on your bathroom supplies – get mini toiletries
Check the bathroom. Get more supplies if you need to.
You will need extra towels, bathroom slippers, bathrobe and toiletries. However, you can order the small, mini toiletries similar to the ones provided to guests in hotels. That way, your guest (s) can use all of them.
Most people do not like to share toiletries. Therefore, buy some that will be enough for just the short time that your guest will be staying at your place. This means you also need to know beforehand the number of days/nights that your guests will be staying in your apartment.
3. Make your guests your biggest priority
This applies to people who live with their pets in their studio or small town apartments. For the few days that your guest will be staying at your place, you can ask a neighbor to take in your cat or your dog. Pets require attention, cleaning up after them and anyway, your guests may not love pets.
Pets can be quite unpredictable especially when they are around strangers. They can become irritable and uncomfortable. The last thing you want your guest to do is to have to leap onto the sofa when your dog chases your cat all over the living room.
By having your pets stay over at a friend’s, you can dedicate all of your time to making your guest feel comfortable.
4. Give up some of your pleasures for your gift
Having a guest staying in your apartment overnight requires some sacrifice. We already mentioned about offering them your bed. Do not stop there! Go an extra mile. After all, they will reciprocate the same when they host you at their house.
Here are a few things to do:
- Give them the TV remote, or have one TV in their room so that they can watch what they like.
- Respect their sleeping time – if they sleep early, switch off the TV, allow them to sleep in peace.
- If they are early risers, rise up before them. It is very disconcerting for a guest to rise earlier than the host since they wouldn’t know what to do.
5. Find temporary beds
The most ample choice is an air mattress. In the morning when everyone rises up, you can deflate the air mattress, stash it in its bag and take it to storage.
Apart from using an air mattress, there are other options for temporary beds. If the guest does not mind, they can flop down on the couch and go to sleep. If you have a sofa bed, that is an even better option since it can be used as a bed at night and as a sofa in the day.
The air mattress is the most convenient option for limited space. Besides, if you love camping, you can use the same mattress for your outdoor rendezvous.
6. Create sleeping space in the kitchen
Sometimes, your living room may be too cluttered to clear things out in good time. But who says your overnight guest can only sleep in the living room if you do not have a spare bedroom?
You can make room for them in the kitchen. If the couch is too small, just use an air mattress in the kitchen. In the morning, keep the beddings on your own bed and bring them out again at night.
7. Create some privacy for your guests
In a small space, creating privacy will be hard, but not impossible. If they are sleeping in the living room, your guest might feel uncomfortable. There will always be eyes on him or her.
You can hang a curtain around the space where the guests will be sleeping. This offers him/her enough privacy to change, make phone calls and enjoy a certain sense of home away from home.
8. Create extra storage space for your guest’s things
Space is the hard nut to crack when trying to organize a small apartment. However, you can think outside the box. Buy extra hooks and install them on the bathroom door to hang wet towels. A toiletries bag keeps their mini toiletries well organized.
For a temporary rack for their bags, luggage and so on, bring in a strong chair. That should hold a few pieces of luggage.
9. Clean up and declutter your apartment
A small apartment looks chaotic if it’s dirty. All those sandals, books, clothes and toys lying around can be an eyesore.
You want to create the right impression on the mind of your guests. Therefore, cleaning up is always top on the list of things to do before your guests arrive. However, as it turns out, cleaning has other benefits.
One of them is that it gives you the opportunity to declutter the apartment and create more space. When cleaning up, you will start noticing things that you haven’t used in months or even years, yet they still take space in your home.
If you cannot remember when you last sat on that old rocking chair, get it out; keep it on the balcony or somewhere else. Whatever can fit under the couch should go there. Some of the boxes with stuff that you won’t need for some time can go under your bed.
When cleaning up, check the guest linens, towels, bathrobes and other stuff. If they have not been used for some time, they could have collected dust and grease. Check them out. You want your guest to spend their night on a clean bed.
10. Show your guest around your small apartment
Soon after your guest arrives, the first thing should be to show him or her around your small apartment. Show them the kitchen, the bathroom, the place where they will sleep and so on. That is the best way to make them feel comfortable, at ease and at home.
Show them where the most vital essentials are. That way, even if you have stepped out for a bit and they need toilet paper, they know where to find it. In addition, point out where they can get towels, bed linens, snacks, drinks and so on.
Bonus tip: Spend a night in the guest room
Spend one night on the guest bed, in the space that you have designated for your visitors. See how you like it. If there is need for some improvement, go ahead and make them before the arrival of your guest.
Conclusion
You have seen 11 helpful tips on how to host overnight guest in small apartment. The most important thing is the sleeping arrangements for your guests. Therefore, clean the linens. Remember also to stock up on food, drinks, snacks and other items. Even though it is a small house, it is possible to create a home away from home for your guests.
You may love to read our analysis and recommendations about temporary beds for guests.