Friend coming to my place for movie night. How to prepare?

April 16, 2022 10:58 AM

Besides cleaning my bathroom and living room, what else might I do to prepare for a friend coming over to watch TV together? All answers welcome, no matter how ”obvious”.

I haven’t been in this situation for a while!

posted by d288478 to Home & Garden (23 answers total)

Have some snacks/popcorn ready!

Have a few blankets handy if needed

Have you already decided what to watch? If not, maybe come up with a few suggestions ahead of time
posted by mekily at 11:01 AM on April 16, 2022 [5 favorites]

I'd have some popcorn handy, and maybe some ice cream and strawberries. I'd also test-run the gear: the film/disc or the streaming feed or whatever...
posted by swlabr at 11:01 AM on April 16, 2022 [2 favorites]

Place to put their coat.
Toilet paper in bathroom.
Snacks available.
Dirty dishes in dishwasher or washed/put away.
Vacuum between couch/chair cushions.
Empty litter box (if applicable).
Have fun!
posted by bookmammal at 11:05 AM on April 16, 2022 [15 favorites]

Just a little one. I don't use ice in my drinks, so I often forget to have ice in the freezer... but other people like ice. If this sounds like you, remember to make some ice!
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:08 AM on April 16, 2022 [21 favorites]

Have snacks and beverages available. A couple kinds of chips and sodas, at minimum.

Maybe tidy up your kitchen a bit as well, if they may go in there to get a glass of water, ice, etc.

Will pets need to be put up while the guest is there? Set up their room with food, water, litterbox, etc. ahead of time.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 11:08 AM on April 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

All devices: OFF. Be prepared to give your friend and your time together your full attention. Live like it's 1992, not 2022.
posted by Stuka at 11:11 AM on April 16, 2022 [7 favorites]

I offer tea to everyone the moment they enter the house. If that's not your thing, no reason to start now, but it's an easy, non-weighty thing to offer people as a gesture of friendship.

If there's a chance of romance, a clean, made bed isn't a bad idea just in case. If not, nevermind.
posted by eotvos at 11:14 AM on April 16, 2022 [4 favorites]

Make sure you have an (empty) trash can in the kitchen and bathroom. And it’s been said but a full roll of tp!

Be sure to let them know how to get water (where the clean glasses are, where the pitcher is if you don’t drink tap.) And let them know they can help themselves to drinks from the fridge if that’s the case.

Others have covered snacks and drinks. Everyone loves a seltzer; my guests always love having carte blanche to my La Croix and Topo Chico.

Napkins or paper towels—have them out somewhere obvious/accessible. Is it getting close to mealtime? Offer to order some pizza.

A place to put their stuff like coats and bags, etc. Offer to hang or stash these.
posted by kapers at 11:17 AM on April 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

Also if you have a coffeemaker, have it ready and offer to brew some, especially if they will be driving at night.
posted by kapers at 11:20 AM on April 16, 2022 [2 favorites]

And because you said nothing is too basic, salty and sweet options for movie snacks are ideal. Think of what they sell in theaters and you can’t go wrong.
posted by kapers at 11:23 AM on April 16, 2022 [3 favorites]

Garbage can in bathroom along with menstrual products, spare toothbrush, tissues, floss, hand lotion, etc if you have time to prepare.
posted by shockpoppet at 11:50 AM on April 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

Clean towels and obvious hand soap near any sinks for washing and drying hands. Avoid heavy scents from candles or cleaning products, you may be used to them but they may not. It's a good idea to air out your place in general ahead of time.

If there's a chance you may end up having to attend to anything while they are there, some photos or books or other things that are safe for them to peruse while you're occupied.

If you have a shoe-free home, a place for them to stash their shoes and house slippers for them to wear in case you have cold floors (or they have holey socks).

Wifi info handy. Check ahead of time if they have any dietary restrictions.
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 11:52 AM on April 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

My guest prep:

Allergens / Air quality:
Open all the windows and air the house out for a few hours
Vaccuum the day before the visit, rather than the day of (the extra day gives airborne dust time to settle)
Run an air filter if you have one
Lint roll the sofa if you have pets
Have antihistamines if you have pets (note, Benadryl will make them sleepy & possibly unsafe to drive. Loratadine apparently doesn’t always work the first day you take it, but the placebo effect is powerful)

Kitchen:
Get some drinks (pop, juice, alcohol)
Get some snacks (salty chips, sweet candy, healthy carrots, dip, etc)
Prep appropriate dishware (ie, wash dusty wine glasses)
Make ice
Check all ingredients for mixed drinks (lime, etc)
Have napkins, hand soap, clean dish towel

Bathroom:
Wipe all surfaces & clean toilet
Put out a clean hand towel
Ensure there’s hand soap, hand lotion, toilet paper, garbage can with a bag, period products
Toilet plunger!!!

Little extras for overnight guests:
Get 2 night lights for the hallway and the bathroom
Put over-hooks up near entryway and in their room for their coat and clothing
Slippers, cozy throw with no pet hair
Water and tissues by the bed
Clean sheets, towels, soap, have a spare toothbrush
Wifi info on a card near the bed
Any other weird house stuff on a card near the bed (ie, how to use a finicky tap)
Extension cord near bed for phone charger
Make sure smoke detectors have batteries
Coffee, tea, milk/cream, sugar/honey
posted by nouvelle-personne at 12:15 PM on April 16, 2022 [9 favorites]

*over-door hooks!

And scrub out any pet toilet areas (litter box). Pet owners become immune to the smell but strangers can really smell that litter box! Empty it, spray with cleaner, wash with hot water, and refill fresh.

Pack of matches in the bathroom for bad smells.
Poo-pourri works amazingly well too.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 12:20 PM on April 16, 2022

No harm asking them in advance if there's anything particular they like to drink (eg. beer, wine, G&T, only soft drinks, tea etc) - that way you don't have to buy loads of different things to know you'll have something in they'll enjoy.

Random one, not really necessary but if you're wanting to be a super-host - consider your lighting options! I used to have regular TV nights with a pal but I love bright light and she can't bear it. So I'd dim the lights for her, but then there'd be a lamp in the background that reflected in the TV screen from where she was sitting, which I'd never noticed (because I never watched TV with the main lights down, or from that seat), so then we'd put that light out but then it was really dark so I'd try moving the lamp.... and so on. I possibly just have a fussy friend :) Not really a biggie but trying ahead of time different combos of lighting between overhead/lamp/bright/dim lights if you have them, means you're not thrown into a fluster if they suddenly say "Actually, do you mind if we turn the lights down?".

Just one of those things about sharing your space with another human that you don't think about when you're the only one in there.
posted by penguin pie at 12:43 PM on April 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

I always swap the hand towels in the bathroom for clean ones when guests come over so I'm sure they're dry.

Have a couple different non-alcoholic beverages on hand. I usually have some kind of fizzy water like Pellegrino or La Croix, and various hot tea bags.

Definitely make sure bathroom has toilet paper and facial tissue. And if you're someone who menstruates and expect to have over someone who menstruate, easily-accessible menstrual products (like under the sink at the front of the cabinet).
posted by radioamy at 1:13 PM on April 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

Man, I want to come watch a movie at all of y’all’s houses!

My main note is not to worry too much. I used to overprepare and then everything would be a bit too much and I’d be kinda uptight. When I stopped worrying so much about everyone feeling comfortable, my house became a lot more of a welcoming place.
posted by missjenny at 1:38 PM on April 16, 2022 [12 favorites]

I like to have poo-pourri next to the toilet in case my guests have to do a #2 and are embarrassed.
posted by greta simone at 1:59 PM on April 16, 2022

+1 for soft lighting that doesn’t reflect on the screen from where anyone will be sitting - also to move any plants or other stuff that might obscure or distract from the screen

I have hearing problems & sometimes like to put on subtitles if the dialogue isn’t very clear - if that’s a possibility, check that you know how to do it - usually a button somewhere on the remote
posted by rd45 at 2:11 PM on April 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

This may not be relevant to your home, but when I'm expecting a guest I need to make sure the gate that leads to my front door is unlatched and that the outside lights are turned on. I also try to sweep the path to the front door because it's pretty windy here. I keep a shoe shelf just inside the door with a variety of my shoes on it, so when company is coming, I put the excess shoes away and vacuum the shelf. I wear socks or slippers in my home, so I try to keep a spare pair of disposable slippers available.
posted by kbar1 at 2:29 PM on April 16, 2022 [2 favorites]

Nice smell / burn a candle or air the place out / open all the windows.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 2:49 PM on April 16, 2022

I mean, I suggest you talk to your friend about if there's anything they'd like you to have, but remember you are already being generous in offering your home.
posted by Chrysopoeia at 3:26 PM on April 16, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks a lot everyone. Movie night was a success!
posted by d288478 at 4:09 PM on April 23, 2022 [1 favorite]