Should guests clean up before leaving? What are your thoughts on this?

[Bea2137]

While I don't expect my guests to clean up before leaving, I truly appreciate it when they take the time to do so. This gesture is more than mere politeness; it's aligned with basic human decency.

A recent article exploring this subject has been published in our local newspaper. Sharing the link here: https://philstarlife.com/living/698834-should-hotel-airbnb-resort-guests-clean-before-leaving?page=4...

[Ricardo85]

@Bea2137 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2894

Ricardo

[Robin4]

@Bea2137 

Bea, if all guests had your philosophy that would work great.

Unfortunately they are all different, some will go to great lengths to help, some will walk out leaving the place like a pigsty.....and with both of those groups I know exactly where I stand.

It's the ones in that middle ground that are the problem.! They want to be seen to do the right thing, they clean up their mess, strip the bed and put the linens in the washing machine with make-up stains or blood on them which I might miss! Give the plates and glasses a quick rinse over and put them back in the cupboard all set for the next guest to mark me down for cleanliness because there were traces of food on the plates, or even worse, a lipstick smudge on the glasses. 

Bea I don't want to have to second guess what guests might have used or done, or not done properly.

I have my cleaning regime and as I move from one aspect of the clean to the next I mark it off on a laminated sheet which when complete I photocopy and slide the copy into the house rules folder with that particular guests name, and clean the laminated sheet off ready for the next cottage turn around. 

I instruct guests in the house rules to leave the cottage clean-up and turn around to us, All I want them to do is put their garbage/rubbish in the supplied outdoor bin so I can check it for recyclables and any breakages, and make sure they take all their belongings with them when they leave.

Cheers.........Rob. 

[Leatha0]

I've seen this sheet on the left before, where can I get it? Does it work?

**Interesting enough after 6 years the only 4star was in a catagory was from a 23 year old host (who should have been allowed to instant book because of my age restriction)  gave it based on location lol.

I live in a beautiful neighborhood in a beach town  in between the beach and historic downtown, riverwalk.

Airbnb almost pinpoints your location within 1 house now and google earth will show you all you want to know. smh 

[Robin4]

@Leatha0 

Both of these sheets I have compiled and I do find them very valuable to my hosting. I will post both of them here, if you are using a computer right click the picture and save the pic as a PNG file (portable network graphics file). You can then open in 'Paint' or another photo-shopping program, cut out the bits that are not relevant to you and paste in your own details.

 And this one for the servicing sheet.......

I hope these can be of some help!

Cheers........Rob

[Leatha0]

Thank you!  I used snipping tool and pasted to a Word doc.

[Nur785]

@Bea2137  thanks for the article. This was interesting to read. I didn't realize hotels would charge for linens that were stained by henna tattoos, also, I love henna tattoos but I assume one would have common sense of covering it appropriately if going to bed before it's completely dry! I can't believe that's even a common problem! 

[Debra300]

We inform guests that there isn't any housekeeping, and they are required to clean up after themselves during their stay.  At checkout, the space should be reasonably tidy with trash put in the provided bins, spills are wiped up, cleaned or rinsed dishes left in the dish rack or dishwasher (don't run it, we'll do that when we clean up), linen is left on the bed, and used towels are left in the bathroom hamper.  We don't worry about how well they've cleaned things because we're going to do a thorough cleaning for the turnover, which includes washing all of the dishes, cookware, kitchen utensils/gadgets, and towels even if they look unused.  

[Karen114]

I dont expect guests to “clean” after their stay which would include vacuuming, dusting, mopping floors, scrubbing toilets and tubs, washing and drying linens and remaking beds. 

There is quite a disconnect upon hosts and guests that feel like asking a guest to load the dishwasher and take out their trash is cleaning. That’s not cleaning, that’s picking up after yourself.  I do require these things as well. Most do it some don’t. 

[Deb216]

@Karen114,  Thank YOU!  In my opinion, you win the best comment of the year!

I fully agree!

"There is quite a disonect upon hosts and guests that feel asking a guest to load the dishwasher and take out their trash is cleaning.

That’s not cleaning, that’s picking up after yourself."

[Karen114]

@Deb216  If people were raised right this wouldn't even be a topic of discussion. I pick up my hotel room before I leave lol. 

I also owned a cleaning service for 17 years so I may have a different perspective about cleaning and what a tough job it is for the cleaners.  

Washing dishes and taking out garbage  was not part of our service nor was changing linens.  We would charge extra for that because it didn't fall under "cleaning".

All of these hosts spouting off about my guests do nothing but shut the lights off lol.  Well good for them, maybe they do their own cleaning.  However if you have a cleaning service that does your turnovers for you, it's only a matter of time before they drop you because the place always  looks like a bomb went off and it's just too stressful and time consuming to put it all back together again. 

Most cleaners have more work than they know what to do with so it's only natural they would drop homes that are always a pig sty..  I know we did the same when I had the service. Also trying to find a good cleaning person/service for your place is hard.  You always want to stay in their good graces when you have a good team. 

[Bea2137]

I do the same even when i stay in hotels. I prefer tidying up before I leave as it also gives me the chance to make sure i am not leaving any of my belongings behind.

[Leatha0]

I have been hosting 6 years and yes I do my cleaning but I do not tell the guest that. After reading all of the comments I am thinking mybe because it is my home and I am there to greet each guest maybe they would feel bad knowing I know them? Ive been blessed I guess.

[Sheila646 · Accepted solution]

We ask our guests to tidy up after themselves:

1. Put the dishes in the sink or dishwasher.
2. Gather their litter in the trash cans. 
3. Gather the towels in the laundry room.
4. Leave their linens on the beds, so we can sort them by size and pretreat any stains.

That's it. Some people are tidier than others. No one ever picks up all of their litter, especially if they have kids. We still get people who strip the sheets from the beds sometimes, especially in large groups, where one person has the checkout instructions and everyone else is just winging it. 

In general it's more useful to me to be able to tell readily what people have gotten into. I go through every cupboard, drawer, and closet anyway. Even after a very tidy guest leaves, the house looks like a tornado hit within 30 minutes of my arrival, because I've pulled out everything i need to clean again.

[Debra300]

Exactly!