Housekeeper wants to burn sage before next clean

[Martin970]

My housekeeper who is really amazing and I've been using for about a year without issues just asked if she could burn some sage after the current guests check out and before the next guests check-in on the same day. She said that after the last clean, she saw something that really freaked her out and is now asking if she could burn sage in my place. I want her to be comfortable, of course, but I have concerns. I have never burned sage so I do not know what it smells like or how long the smell lingers. Thus, I am worried because I don't know how it will affect the next guest. Will they like the smell of burnt sage or will they hate it? Will it smell like something is burning? Will these issues cause them to leave a bad review because of the smell? Will they be as superstitious as my housekeeper and wonder "hmmm, is there something I should be worried about with this place because the host clearly burned sage in here" and leave a bad review due to "spirits in the home" or something like that. I also don't want to offend my housekeeper and I do want her to be comfortable (she really is outstanding otherwise). I also have a no smoking and no burning of candles house rule for guests so I wouldn't be OK with a guest doing this, but the housekeeper is a different situation. One thing that might affect my decision is the fact that I do have a fireplace in my unit so while I don't allow smoking or candles, I do let guests use duraflame fire log during their stay (which doesn't leave a lingering smell for too long so it's usually totally fine before the next guest arrives, but sage lingers much longer and that is a worry).  It is possible the new guests might simply think "Oh, the previous guest must have used the fireplace and that's OK" since I advertise the fireplace heavily on my listing. I may be overthinking this whole thing, I just (a) don't want my new guests to have a bad experience and complain and leave a bad review but also (b) I want my housekeeper to be comfortable and I don't want her to quit because she is superstitious and scared of my place. I don't believe in any of that stuff, but it's not my comfort I am concerned with here so that's irrelevant. My concern is the comfort of my guests and my housekeeper. Any advice?

[Lorna170]

@Martin970   Uhhh, NO.   IF your housekeeper is truly insistent on burning sage, ask if she wants to do it prior to cleaning and having her air the house out completely before the next guest.  BUT I would just say NO.  

[Susan5049]

Hmmmm - She is prescribing a sage bath for the place because,  "She said that after the last clean, she saw something that really freaked her out..." My question is 1) what actually freaked her out and 2) why does she believe sage will un-freak her out? 

Using sage smoke to bathe an area or person (aka "smudging") is typically believed to help remove negative/bad energy. 

Do you have some dried sage in your herb collection?  Light a little and see what it smells like - and if you think it might linger.  From my experience - the smoke smells a quite a bit like weed and it does linger - but not forever.  Perhaps you both might be comfortable with smudging using a Palo Santo stick instead (it promotes positive energy).  IMO - it has a bit more of an incense smell than sage, and doesn't seem to cling to fabric like sage does.    

[Martin970]

She said she heard an evil spirit telling her to open the balcony door (in my high rise) and jump. Presumably she believes sage will ward off the evil spirit. These beliefs aren't my cup of tea but I know a lot of people believe in that stuff. I guess the sage smell isn't my main concern, it's the content of her fear that worries me. I'm happy to try the sage stuff, but I don't know how to handle what she believes she heard. 

[Nur785 · Accepted solution]

@Martin970

In my opinion, you can get over a bad review or appease a guest with a small gift card or something like that, but you cannot find a really good housekeeper. In fact, I think a housekeeper who treats your house like her own is a treasure and if it were me, I would let her burn a little sage, what's the harm. 

I had a tenant who believed in burning sage and as far as I understand it, it is burned to clean bad energy left by a malicious person. My tenant believed that bad intentions of the person lingers behind them and brings bad luck or something like that. When the tenants above her unit left, she wanted to sage the whole building and I told her to go for it 🙂 

It actually does not smell bad, it dissipates in a couple of hours. Let her clean, burn sage and run an ozone machine for 45 minutes before the guests check in you'll be fine. If no ozone machine, then leave some windows open run the fan. This reminds me an old credit card commercial. A gift card: $25, an incense $5, a good housekeeper/cleaning person: priceless 

Just my 2 cents. 

[Martin970]

This is all very good advice and rings true. I should have also mentioned by other concern, the content of what she said caused her to freak out. She said she heard an evil spirit telling her to open the balcony door (in my high rise) and jump. I guess the sage smell isn't my main concern, it's the content of her fear that worries me. I'm happy to try the sage stuff, but I don't know how to handle what she believes she heard. I can't know if it's just superstition or something more. 

[Nur785]

Right, I see that might be a cause for concern. She might have some underlying mental health issues. You'll have to judge that based on other interactions with your housekeeper. 

If this is the only indication, I would call it superstition. Growing up we had a babysitter who was very superstitious and believed she could sense evil spirits, but that was her only quirk, weird behavior, other wise, she didn't have any mental health issues. 

I think in terms of the sage though, all the more reason to let her get rid of the evil spirits. 

[Helen3]

Personally in your situation I would consider letting her go @Martin970 

It's a major worry that she feels like that and may need help for a doctor.

I would not employ someone who expressed concerns that an evil spirit was encouraging her to jump from your balcony as this is a safety risk for you.

[Laura3000]

definitely spray holy water

[Laura3000]

just tell her to spray holy water, it will be best

[Helen3]

Only helpful if you're a practising Catholic -most people in the world aren't @Laura3000 

[Maxine33]

I agree with @Nur785 , a good housekeeper is hard find and if she would like to smudge the place, then I would let her.  It has actually become a very common practice and you can buy sage bundles in mainstream shops.  In addition to the questionable, mystical properties of burning sage, it also cleanses the air and supposedly helps with allergens.  https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-burning-sage has a quick read on it.

With all of that being said, if she is hearing voices telling her to jump of a high balcony, I would be worried about her mental health.  Have you had any other alarming interactions with her?

[Joseph1937]

After reading all these comments it gets me pissed off that people could be so closed minded. In saying she needs to see a doctor. The paranormal is more common that what most think. Her having mental issues could be rare, like having schizophrenia. Unless she's a heavy drug addict. I doubt she's mental.

Maybe the room is hunted. Could be a evil spirit followed a guest there or your housekeeper, or originally resided in that building. 

I would let your housekeeper smudge every room with sage and prayer. Then leave the windows open. 

I would also now be vigilant in any updates or suspicions about more activity continuing in your rental. Maybe even spending the night there yourself, to see for yourself. If it persists I would hire a psychic, shaman or a priest to cleanse the house. Hopefully it's not that bad, best luck.