It pays to always have a certain amount of guest-friendly items on hand.

There are two types of overnight guests: planned and unplanned. The planned guests tend to be family and friends on vacation or in town for the holidays. The unplanned tend to be drunk friends and/or hookups. (Friend can be hookups of course, but not all hookups are friends.) In either instance, it pays to have a certain amount of guest-friendly items on hand, to make their stay a little more pleasant for both of you. (One thing you won’t find in this roundup? The oft-suggested reading material. That’s what Twitter is for.)

One does not need a fully dedicated guest room to have overnight guests. A comfy couch will do in many cases. (If your couch is not comfy, get an air mattress, and spend a night on it yourself to make sure it’s serviceable.) You do, however, need pillows, sheets, pillow cases, and blankets. Not throw pillows, not throw blankets—get an extra set of real, full-sized pillows and bedding. If you’re working with a couch, fold a top sheet around the cushions in lieu of a fitted sheet. (I don’t think they make fitted sheets in “sofa” size.)

It is not enough to have extra toilet paper, one must make it obvious, so as to avoid the dreaded, “Where be thy extra TP?” conversation or, worse, having to lob a roll through a cracked bathroom door. Make sure there are two visible rolls at any given moment, and let your guest know where the bigger stash is kept.

This is a bit of a ho hack that everyone can make good use of: Buy a 20-pack of toothbrushes and stash them under your sink, then give them out to unexpected (or forgetful) guests as needed. Family members who forgot their toothbrush at home, friends who drunkenly passed out on your couch, one night stands who missed their last train and live too far to take a cab—every single one of these people will applaud your hospitality. (Bonus: Make sure to provide floss picks and mouthwash.)

Sorry fellas, but a single damp towel that hangs from a hook and doubles as a hand towel is not going to cut it. Not only should you have multiple towels for guests to use, but hand towels for them to dry their hands, and—I am begging you—washcloths. I’ve heard tell that my fellow white people don’t use them, much less provide them, and it’s unacceptable. Get a pack of them at Walmart, give your guest a few, and wash them regularly. (Pro-tip: If you have a lot of makeup-wearing guests, get some black wash clothes to hide mascara stains.)

I would guess that, regardless of your gender, you are friends with people who menstruate. Even if you don’t use tampons or pads yourself, keeping a few in your bathroom makes all the difference to people who do. (Even with period tracking apps, those things can sneak up on you.)