Opening the doors of your home to visiting friends and family members is a truly generous act. However, there are some expectations when hosting a visitor—not the least of which is a clean bathroom. Here are some tips for how to prepare your bathroom for houseguests.

Declutter the Room

For many people, the urge to snoop around in the medicine cabinet as a guest in someone’s home is too great to ignore. Help take away the temptation by removing medications and other nonessential items from the bathroom. Removing bathroom clutter will be especially appreciated if the guest uses a children’s bathroom, where bath toys, step stools, and training toilets can create tripping hazards.

Deep Cleaning Everything

After removing as much of the clutter as possible, perform a deep clean of the bathroom. Scrub the toilet, including around the rim, behind the lid, and the toilet bowl’s base. The shower and sink should receive equal attention before turning your attention to sweeping and mopping the floor, as well as the bathroom counter and mirror.

Let the Light Shine In

An essential ingredient in creating a welcoming guest bathroom is providing enough light. A bright, warm guest bathroom is more inviting than a damp and dark one. Light makes many of our daily grooming tasks more manageable. A simple test is to perform your morning routine in the guest bathroom one morning and see how you find the light.

Lay Out Fresh Linins

You wouldn’t expect your guest to sleep in unclean bedsheets. Similarly, nobody wants to step out of the shower and use a dirty towel to dry themselves. Leave out clean hand towels, washcloths, and bath towels for each guest. If your bathroom floor lacks rugs, lay down floor towels to avoid water pooling on the floor.

Provide a Toiletry Basket

While not strictly necessary, a toiletry basket provides another way to welcome a guest into your home. These baskets are just what the doctor ordered for guests who have forgotten their bathroom essentials. Stocked a basket with everyday necessities such as shaving cream, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and feminine hygiene products prevents guests from going shopping immediately upon arrival.

Make Supplies Easy To Find

While it’s a fact that everybody goes to the bathroom, it’s not discussed in polite company. One way to help your guests avoid this social faux pas is to provide bathroom supplies such as toilet paper and tissues in a predictable location. That way, your guests won’t be forced to shout from behind the door that they’re out of toilet paper and for someone to bring them some more. Making supplies easy to find is one way to prepare your bathroom for houseguests they everybody will appreciate.