Holiday Must-Haves for a Welcoming Home

Image via Thinkstock

You know they’re coming. It’s only a matter of days before grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, and countless nieces and nephews arrive on your doorstep, filled with the hope and excitement of being guests in your home for the holidays. As Aunt Marjorie hands you her famous liver pie to put in the fridge, you ask yourself, What did I forget?

With the help of HeltonTool this holiday season, your answer to that silent question will undoubtedly be, Nothing at all. By furnishing your home with the following holiday must-haves ahead of time, you will be able to relax and enjoy precious time with your visitors.

• A Full Pantry – When you extend the invitation to your guests to, “Make yourselves at home,” you can count on people peering into your pantry and fridge in search of sustenance. Make sure your guests feel welcome (and full) after visiting your kitchen. HeltonTool offers a vast variety of kitchenware to make holiday meal prep, cooking, and leftover storage a breeze. Our Pyrex and Snapware storage containers close tightly and are easy to open, so Aunt Marge can get into those liver pie leftovers without our lids slowing her down.
• Clean Appliances – Nobody likes opening the oven to find it coated in charred food from meals past, least of all a guest. A microwave covered in food splatters is no better. From pressure washers to Clorox spray, HeltonTool has everything you need to ensure your home and appliances are in pristine condition for your company.
• Extra Pillows, Blankets, and Socks – Your company will feel the warmth of your welcome when they find extra pillows, blankets, and fuzzy socks stashed in every room of your home. Since the holidays are an ideal time for snuggling up in front of a fire or gathering the family for games, it is an excellent idea to keep something soft at hand for optimal relaxation. When blankets aren’t enough, you can rely on World’s Softest socks from HeltonTool to keep your guests’ tootsies warm for the duration of their stay. These awesome socks also make a great gift, so your guests can dance home on happy feet after their visit.
• A Fully-Stocked Bathroom – With more people than usual taking turns in the commode, don’t add to their discomfort of having to wait in line. Make sure when your guests get to the throne, they have access to everything they need for a comfortable visit. Toilet paper, feminine products, air fresheners, soap, hand towels, and reading materials are just a few of the bathroom items that could get overlooked when preparing your home for the holidays.
• Soft, Silky Water – One aspect of hosting visitors that you may not anticipate is their expectations for your water. If you’re used to hard water in your home, you may not realize how unappealing it can feel to someone who isn’t. Hard water is the culprit to blame for buildup on many appliances: dishwashers, washing machines, faucets, showerheads, sinks, toilets, and coffee makers to name a few. Hard water also makes soaps less effective, increasing the opportunity for bacteria to grow in and around your home. Check out ScaleBlaster from HeltonTool for an affordable, one-time investment that will keep your water silky soft for 20-25 years. *All our ScaleBlaster products are on sale for 20% off this holiday season!*
• Lots of Storage Space – While we’ve already addressed storing leftovers, it’s important to remember guests bring baggage, and it is always nice for them to have a safe, dry place to keep it. Consider having a few large plastic totes on hand, as these work wonderfully for transporting all the goodies your guests collect during the holidays.
• Safety Devices – Nothing gives guests (and their hosts) peace of mind at the holidays quite like functioning fire alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, and extra light bulbs. No matter what familial fiasco may unfold, you can be sure your home is equipped to deal with it.

By thoroughly preparing your home for company well before they arrive, you ensure a safe and happy visit for everyone. Being prepared ahead of time allows you, the host or hostess, to relax when friends and family arrive. Visit HeltonTool.com now to see all the ways we can help you prepare, then pour yourself a warm drink—we recommend a mug of herbal tea—and put your feet up until the doorbell rings.

Image via fireplaces-niko.com

Winterize Your Yard in 7 Easy Steps

It’s officially fall! The temperature is dropping, the leaves are falling, the days are getting shorter, and before long, snow will arrive. Any self-respecting homeowner knows to winterize his or her home this time of year to prepare it for the long, cold months ahead.

Unfortunately, going through the winterization process can be quite time-consuming. Gutters need to be cleaned, exterior water supplies need to be shut off, and roofs need to be inspected. The October checklist is long because many things need to be done to help keep energy costs down during the snowy season.

As such, yard care is often overlooked as part of the winterization process. This is a shame because, perhaps more than any other area around the home, yards need proper prep to survive during the winter and grow strong, healthy, and green come spring.

If you want to make sure your yard makes it through to springtime in one piece, now is the time to get it ready. With just a bit of time and energy, your yard will be protected for next year. Best of all, it will make your lawn 100 times more manageable in the spring and summer.

Just follow our step-by-step guide, and your yard will be covered in no time.