Guest left ink stains on my sofa.

[Shavorne0]

A guest stayed with me for 4 weeks she had no reviews, I was away from home until today ( 2 days later from her departure) and have noticed 5 ink marks from a 2 different coloured biros.  Specialist ink remover has not worked, rubbing alcohol has made the area lighter. Its a grey material chesterfield sofa and was in good condition.  There is a table and chairs, so no idea why she would use stationary on the sofa. 

She has already left me a good review, and I left her one too as I didn't realise until today. 

Questions? (I do not have a booking for a while)

Should I just accept that she has ruined my sofa and place a through over it? Or if not, what to do?  it is an expensive sofa that used to be my mums.

What would be an acceptable solution in your opinion.  It would cost in excess of £1K to replace, not sure about reupholstry and it is past being professionally cleaned. In  9 years I have only made a claim twice, one for bleach on carpet, one for blood on bed through. 

Many Thanks for your advice.  whats the best way forward. 

[Robert-Melvin0]

I'm sorry to hear this. We got a leather sofa for just this reason.

My stain book says it matters what kind of ink.

For ball point ink, try solutions in this order: alcohol, remover, dry cleaning, detergent, ammonia, vinegar.

For fountain pen ink it says: dry cleaning, detergent, professional.

For marking pen : alcohol, detergent, water, professional and say call 1-800-CRAYOLA for additional information.

I can't swear any of these will work but good luck!

[Alex]

Hi @Shavorne0, 

I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to your sofa. Did you contact Customer Support to see if they could cover the damage? Also, @Robert-Melvin0 shared some great advice for different types of ink. Were you able to check out his answer? Let us know how things are going at the moment.

Best,

Alex

[ManiKu0]

Sad to see that your expensive sofa got ruined. I face a similar issue quite often — bedsheets get burned in multiple spots, or guests eat on the bed and leave curry stains that can’t be cleaned. I’ve stopped complaining now because it only disturbs my peace, and nothing really changes.

I once thought about using cheap bedsheets, but then I remembered why I started hosting — to share the kind of things I personally love. I want my guests to enjoy good colors and quality bedsheets, something pleasant to look at and comfortable to sleep on.

My suggestion would be not to keep expensive items in the apartment. If you must, always use covers or protective layers. Families often come with children, and accidents can happen. It’s better to keep durable, easy-to-clean furniture. I had installed beautiful yellow sofas once, but after just a few days I started noticing “adventure marks” on them — so I immediately covered them with a rough, washable fabric.

Please note that we are hosting real humans, we can't control them, they wouldn't treat our loved items like us. They think they have paid so, they can enjoy all without any rules & restrictions.

[Mary1523]

All good comments by the hosts below.

I veer towards not having anything in my property that is valuable enough for me to worry about. If it's in there, and it breaks and its precious to you, then that's on you. 

I do have some special artwork on the walls inherited and from my travels, but I want to enjoy them when I stay at my property so I do take that low risk.

Sure, you have the option of putting in a claim but I think the window may have closed for you. There's also your own insurance but it might not be worth it for the amount.

You could also put covers on the sofa - the range of couch covers that can be bought off the shelf these days is quite extensive to cover the stain.

I honestly don't know how holiday homes with anything white furniture survive or they are constantly replacing things!

I have families through my property and anything goes - I had ink on carpet once in bedroom which the guests denied. Nothing I could do except that I have told myself, one day, I will replace all the carpet (as much I love carpeted bedrooms) with hard floors and put rugs instead that can be replaced or cleaned.

Good luck! Regs MK