The art of hosting goes a long way back in tradition. Bringing your friends and family together for dinner and drinks is a great pastime; naturally, as the host, you want them to have the best time when they visit. This means that before they arrive, you want everything tidy and in its place and have gotten all you need to make things fun, including great food, nice wine, and comfortable seating. To keep things tidy, here are some items home experts say it’s best to put away when guests come over.

Kicking off your shoes when you walk through your front door is easy, but that usually leaves a mess as the shoes lie around. “Storing your shoes away not only makes your home look neater and more organized, but it can also help create a safer environment by reducing tripping hazards,” says Virginia Frischkorn, founder of the party planning platform Partytrick. So remember to stash those shoes in a closet before your guests come over. You can also put out a shoe rack where guests can put their own shoes.

Everyone knows you brush your teeth, wash your face, and moisturize, but that doesn’t mean those items should be kept outside the bathroom. “If you find you’re suddenly about to host, make sure you give your bathroom a quick sweep, returning toiletries back to their homes so the surfaces are once again clutter-free,” suggests Laura Price, founder of The Home Organization.

Thanks to our smartphones, tablets, and computers, there is an abundance of cords everywhere. Some people keep a centralized charging station in their homes with various chargers all organized in one place to make life easy, but it takes up precious space when guests are over.

“It’s absolutely easy to have charging stations accessible for everyday living, but when entertaining, quickly unplug and move to a drawer or room guests will not see to free up some space,” says Chantelle Hartman Malarkey, an interior designer, home chef, and hosting aesthetic expert.

Everyone does laundry, but there’s no reason for it (clean or dirty) to be out when guests arrive.
Katie Barton, the head of cleaning at Homedit.com, says: “We often become blind to our regular household messes, including towels or dirty clothes on the bathroom floor.” She suggests throwing anything in a hamper or keeping it in a designated laundry room to make your guests feel welcome.

Just like laundry, dishes should always be cleaned and put away before the guests arrive. “A gunky stove or kitchen covered in dirty dishes is hard to overlook,” says Barton.

“Wash and dry all your dishes so your sink is looking clutter-free and clean—it’ll also give you a chance to wipe off any watermarks and get your sink looking extra shiny,” Price points out. If you’re in a rush, toss the dirty dishes into your dishwasher; ensure it’s tightly closed so no odors escape.

There’s a new mail nearly every day, and we don’t always have time to sort through all those bills and advertisements. “It’s so easy to grab the mail and throw it on the kitchen counter,” Hartman Malarkey points out. However, when guests arrive, the pile reduces the available space. “Consider a mail bin… that can be located in a home office, side table, or even a drawer,” says Hartman Malarkey.

The same way many don’t want their mail out and about for everyone to see is the same way they don’t want their sensitive documents exposed either. If you’re working on bills or taxes or have ot

Pillows and blankets make sense for a cozy night in, but Barton says they can limit seating options when you have guests over. “A few decorative pillows and throw blankets are acceptable, but if your couch is littered with your comforter, heating blanket, or an excess of pillows, you need to put it away before guests arrive,” she advises.

Kids’ toys can be a major tripping hazard. “As a parent of a small child, I like to make sure that toys are tucked away and put into their allotted spaces,” says Riederman. “I am not trying to erase the fact that a small person who owns many toys lives here. I want to ensure my guests are free to move around the space without tripping over small objects.”

Ensure all your grocery items, especially any perishables, aren’t just sitting around on the counter when guests arrive. If you have to rush out to get groceries, make sure you put them in their proper places before it is time to host guests. “This does take up space in the kitchen and visually makes it look more chaotic. Take a minute to put these items away and save that countertop space,” says Hartman Malarkey.