What Guests Secretly Notice About Your Home (but Will Never Tell You)

Your guest bed isn’t comfy

In our dreams, we all want to offer our guests a place to sleep that rivals a luxe hotel. But in reality? Our guest accommodations may be air mattresses, an old futon in the basement, or the sofa bed. And most guests will tell you that they slept “fine,” even if they definitely didn’t. (My own parents had to work up the courage to tell us that the mattresses on the pull-out daybed in our guest room were no longer up to snuff.)

Your Solution: The best way to ensure that your houseguests are having a decent sleep experience? Take your guest setup for a test drive yourself. You may discover that your sofa bed drives a hard bar into your back, or your sheets are rough—then you can adjust to make the space more hospitable.

Your house has a distinct smell

This can be a good—or bad—situation. Maybe your house has a soft, subtle smell of clean linen and lemon after a good deep clean that’s irresistible to your guests—or maybe, you have a little eau de pet or eau de garbage can that’s lingering in the air.

But even “good” scents—like a nice scented candle—can be overwhelming. And if you’re using scents to mask an unpleasant odor, you may have a very funky fragrance that your guests can’t help but notice.

Your Solution: You may be nose blind to what’s happening in your own home, so head outside for a while, then come back in and sniff around to see what you notice. (Pay special attention to traditionally smelly spots like garbage cans, litter boxes, pet beds, and bathrooms—and if you want to be completely sure that they aren’t giving off scents, give them a good deep clean.) If your sense of smell isn’t the best, enlist an honest friend to take the sniff test for you and give you her verdict.

If you do want to use scent in your house, choose a subtle candle or, better yet, something natural like a floral arrangement using fragrant flowers like roses, freesia, or lavender.

To erase smells altogether, try a few well-placed air purifiers. Place one in the space you’re using, and another stationed near a potential source of stink to help keep bad odors in check.

Your house is too hot—or too cold

The battle of the thermostat is raged in many a household anyway—but if you like it especially hot (or cool), you may be making your guests hot and bothered or chilled (not in a good way). One Redditor even claimed that’s why he prefers a hotel in lieu of staying with someone else. “I can blast the AC at whatever temperature I want, I can use all the hot water I want in the shower, I can be a slob,” says Flow Rider Bob.

Your Solution: Even if you prefer it unnaturally cold or hot, stick with some pro-recommended temperature settings when guests are around—generally, around 68 to 70 degrees is ideal, while you may need to set it a bit higher (think in the 75-degree range) during a heat wave.

You might want to ask if your guests if they’re comfortable at that setting—and adjust accordingly, or offer a fan, blanket, or sweater to make them nice and comfy.

Your house is dirty or cluttered

A little clutter isn’t a problem, but guests will take notice if your house is dirty (think messy bathroom with a damp hand towel, and a kitchen with crumbs all over the counters and floors), or if you have a ton of clutter around. “I’m gonna notice a dirty kitchen and/or bathroom,” says Redditor Puzzled Remote. “I’m not bothered if they are untidy, but something obvious like a sink full of dirty dishes or a dirty toilet would be off-putting.”

Your solution: Focus on giving your bathroom and kitchen a deep clean before your guests arrive. Beyond that, take a good look at the clutter you have around. “Always be decluttering your space, and always look at how you can refresh and enhance the space,” Hord says.

It’s a little too neat

On the opposite end of the spectrum? Some guests may find that a house with nothing out of place lacks a bit of personality—and may feel really unwelcoming to your guests, who may worry that they’ll spill or stain something.

Your Solution: If your guests seem afraid to mess something up, try to tweak your home so there’s a little wabi-sabi imperfection. A little clutter—a small pile of papers, a pan or two in the sink, and a couple of toys out—will ensure you don’t look a little “too” perfect.