10+ Housekeeping Hacks to Impress Your Guests

They say that just like your clothes, your house reflects your personality, taste, and lifestyle. When throwing a party we all try our best to impress our guests with the food we serve and the way our house looks. If you are trying to come up with that finishing touch that will make your house look perfect, try out these simple housekeeping tips.

Here at Bright Side we want to tell you about some tricks to make your house cozy, beautiful, and clean. And don’t miss our bonus hack on how to make a functional decoration for the coming holidays!

Housekeeping and decorating:

1. Fill your bathroom with fresh scents.

 

Put a few drops of your favorite essential oil onto the tube of a toilet paper roll. The cardboard of the tube will absorb the oil and your bathroom will be filled with a wonderful aroma until the roll is over.

2. Make gel air fresheners from natural ingredients.

 

DIY gel air fresheners contain natural ingredients and last a long time. To make one you will need granulated or powdered gelatin, water, salt, your favorite essential oils, and food coloring, if you want to add some nice color to your air freshener. Those who tried this recipe say that the scent of the gel air freshener lasts for about 4 weeks.

3. Add some lovely aroma to your house with the help of common foods.

 

Why not use the foods with a pleasant smell for air freshening? Fill a bowl with orange or tangerine peel, coffee, or any product with a smell you like and enjoy the result! If you add some rock salt in with the orange peel, this air freshener will absorb extra moisture from the air and reduce damp smells. Take into account that some foods will fill your house with a mild scent, while the others will offer a far more intense aroma.

4. Use orange peel to make a creative candle.

 

Another way to use an orange peel in a creative way is to make a candle holder. Peel an orange as shown in this video and put a wax or a LED candle inside. These candles will create a lovely atmosphere in your house and will surely surprise your guests.

5. Make an eggshell kitchen garden.

  

A tiny eggshell garden can be creative and functional at the same time. It will provide your kitchen with fresh herbs all year round and will make your guests say “Wow!” when they see it. Remember, however, that the space in an eggshell is very tiny, so make sure you pick the right seeds. The best choice for a tiny kitchen garden is basil, watercress, dill, and other herbs which don’t need much space to grow.

6. Use glass bottles as improvised flower vases.

 

If you’re thinking of an unusual way to decorate your house, a few empty glass bottles may come in handy. Even plain glass bottles placed in a row may look great if you put a flower into each of them. If you have some time for further decorating, use simple household items like rope and glue, and turn a bottle into a fancy vase, as shown in this video.

7. Give a second chance to paper rolls.

 

We all know that unorganized cords and wires can be really irritating. Use plain or decorated paper rolls as DIY holders and get rid of annoying entangled wires.

Cooking:

8. Use bouquet garni to get rid of herbs and spices in your dish.

  

Bouquet garni, or an aromatic bunch of herbs, is just what you need if you want to add flavor to your soup or stew, but don’t want to fish out the pieces of herbs and spices. Pick a few stems of your favorite herbs and tie them with a piece of rope — this will help you take the bunch out of the stock later on. It’s also a good idea to wrap the bunch into a leek before tying it up, as shown in the picture above.

9. Serve simple dishes in a creative way.

 

If you want to make your dinner special, there’s no need to look for complicated recipes. Chefs and housewives from different countries share their ideas on how to be creative in the kitchen without spending hours cooking. Carol Falkowski, for example, shares dozens of ways to serve meatloaf in most extraordinary and surprising ways, like turning it into a lovely turkey in the picture above. Visit her website to find more inspiring ideas.

10. Try puzzle cookies to entertain your little guests.

 

It probably takes a bit more time to cook puzzle cookies, than ordinary ones, but it’s definitely worth it. Kids love it when food is turned into a kind of entertainment, and if you are throwing a kids’ party, puzzle cookies may be a good option. All you need to make these lovely treats is some shortbread cookie dough, cookie cutters, a pastry wheel or a knife, and some icing.

11. Use orange peel as cupcake liner.

 

If you got tired of using paper cupcake liners, try to use some orange peel instead. Add orange juice into chocolate cupcake dough, and bake the cupcakes in orange peels. You can also serve Jell-O, pudding, and other desserts in this unusual way.

Cleaning:

12. Use natural ingredients to clean the carpet.

 

What could be worse than noticing a stain on the carpet just before your guests arrive? Don’t panic. Use simple products like baking soda and white vinegar to quickly clean different types of stains, as shown in this video.

13. Clean window blinds with salad tongs and tissues.

 

Next time you need to dust the blinds, grab salad tongs, wrap them in tissues or towels, and secure with an elastic band. This improvised cleaning tool will help you clean both sides of the blinds at one time.

BONUS: Make an aromatic Christmas wreath.

 

Many of us decorate our houses with Christmas wreaths. Why not to combine beauty with functionality? Add a few cinnamon sticks, pine cones, and tangerines onto your wreath and your house will be filled with a nice Christmas aroma. You can place these aromatic wreaths on the dining table and put some candles inside them.

Would you like to try any of these hacks? Do you have your own housekeeping tricks to share? Tell us in the comments!

SOURCE: BRIGHTSIDE