With lockdown lifting and the chance to open your home to loved ones on the horizon, what better time to spruce up the spare bedroom?

A whole year on from the first lockdown, who'd have dreamt that we'd be in the midst of a pioneering vaccine programme and have navigated the choppy waters of home-schooling, furlough, masks and tests?

If, like us, you've enjoyed a more relaxed approach to cleaning during lockdown, perhaps this Spring sunshine is spotlighting all the wear and tear? 

If you're now thinking ahead to visitors arriving, we've got you covered. Read on for our top tips to get your spare bedroom visitor-ready.

Top five tips to get your spare bedroom ready for guests.

1. Use your duvet cover to bounce Spring light around your bedroom.

Throw back the curtains, open the windows wide and pass a critical eye over your spare bedroom. Dust - you can deal with, paint chips can be resolved, but how else can you make the bedroom feel light and bright? 

Your Spring spruce up for the spare bedroom needn't cost the earth. With the bed often the dominant, central feature, refreshing your bedding is an easy and cost effective way to brighten up the bedroom. 

• Consider switching out dark duvet covers for white or lighter colours.
• If the pillowcases look tired and need to be changed, replace with a new tone to accentuate your wall décor.
• A mix and match approach to bedding, can give your spare bedroom a face-lift, especially when light from your windows is able to bounce off a light, central duvet cover.
• Consider using a range of mirrors on your walls to maximise on the new injection of light. 

Our 100% GOTS certified organic cotton duvet covers, pillowcases and sheets are designed to mix and match, making it a practical, eco-friendly and affordable way to brighten up any bedroom. 

Choose our luxurious white duvet cover set (1 duvet cover & 2 pillow cases), and pair it with a contrasting sandy beige, pink or grey fitted sheet set (1 fitted sheet & 2 pillow cases) to blend with your existing colour scheme. The contrasting look of the white duvet cover set, to that of the coloured fitted sheet set will look bespoke, stylish and modern. The bedroom will instantly spark to life, and you'll be amazed by the impact reflected light can have on the feeling of space. 

2. Think 5* hotel luxury - sumptuous duvets and silky soft sheets

Chances are your visitors will be giddy at the thought of a night away from their own four walls, so why not treat them to the ultimate night's sleep?

With foreign holidays on hold and even local ones sold out, after a restful night's sleep they'll wake up revived and ready for their day with you.

Did you know that night time temperature significantly influences the quality of your sleep? Synthetic fabrics traps air and reduce circulation, so as your body temperature rises, you sleep hotter and experience discomfort. Your sleep quality is also affected because the time you spend in deep sleep reduces. 

The bed linen you choose has an important bearing on comfort. There are few things more comforting than sliding under a decadent duvet cover and laying your head on a sumptuously soft pillowcase.

Choosing high quality, 100% organic cotton bedding not only helps your guests maintain a comfortable temperature, but you can sleep guilt-free too, knowing that your eco-friendly, ethical purchase has had a positive impact on our planet. 

As we approach an increase in temperature, offering your guests a flat sheet alongside their duvet cover not only looks stylish, it also offers them a choice of bedding to prevent overheating.

Check out our example below showing the light grey flat sheet (untucked for a relaxed layered look), overlaid with a white duvet cover.

3. A scent-sational space to sleep

A good night's sleep can be affected by so many variables and freshly, laundered bedlinen can have a positive and pleasant effect on our wellbeing.

Studies show that the aroma therapeutic effects of lavender include a significant increase in blood melatonin levels in both men and women. Melatonin levels have a direct impact on the quality of sleep we experience. 

Try spritzing your pillowcases with a light spray of lavender or light a lavender essential oil candle to add a warm, relaxing glow to your spare bedroom. 

Click here to browse our range of 100% organic cotton pillowcases.

4. Let nature take a hold of your spare bedroom

According to a survey carried out by Spare Room in October 2019, there has been an increase in the number of houseplants gracing Instagram feeds, with over 2.4 million posts tagged with the hashtag, #houseplant. 

The Royal Horticultural Society also found that nearly three quarters (72%) of adults had a houseplant in their home with this figure rising to 80% of 16-24 year olds. 

This growing trend for green guests is borne out of a greater awareness of the impact of plants on health and well-being. Although few studies have looked at the impact of houseplants on sleep since a convincing 1989 Nasa study, injecting oxygen-rich greenery into your spare bedroom is a fresh, welcoming touch.

Whether its a Macramé hanging Spider plant, a Peace Palm or a sprawling, jungle Pothos plant, letting nature in to your spare bedroom shows guests that their bedroom has been nurtured and cared for. 

5. Make your spare bedroom a home from home

What are your spare bedroom essentials?

• A luxury 100% organic cotton duvet cover set?
• The latest Booker Prize nominee?
• Or a cafetière of freshly brewed coffee and warm croissants on a Sunday morning?

Whatever you can't do without, treat your guests to the same 5 star hotel treatment. If leaving a chocolate on their pillowcase, is a step too far, consider offering a small kettle and range of teas. Or maybe a small selection of your favourite books, a fluffy dressing gown and bedroom slippers.

Little touches, but what better way to welcome a return to normality, than by treating your loved ones to a wonderful stay and a decadent night's sleep in your spare bedroom.