Advice: Guest Damages from Hair Dye

[Patricia2591]

We have a few Airbnb's and have very little damages (i.e. an accidental broken wine glass on occasion by a guest). It puzzling to think, what kind of guest would be so negligent to use permanent BLUE hair dye during an Airbnb stay? 

Just a little background, we have an 1886 property of which we have spent years restoring. This unit is a plus unit, with nice details and finishes. 

Upon check-out, the cleaners found a BLUE bathtub/shower, our vintage 100 + year old bathroom sink had blue stains, white towels that have blue stains, a garbage can containing plastic bags and paper towels with remnants of blue dye.  Our high end 100% linen duvet and shams stained, the high end decor pillows with streaks of blue, smaller stains of color on the high end sheet set. We took lots of photos and will be submitting a claim to the guest/Airbnb. 

Despite tedious and professional cleaning efforts to clean the shower/tub, the Fiberglass tub remains blue (the bright blue is now a lighter blue). Most of the towels remained stained. The linen duvet cover, shams, and decor pillows stained. The larger cost of these damages is the tub/shower. We are still in the process of gathering estimates, but the options appear to be replace the tub/shower unit or the more costly option and try and to professionally recoat the tub/shower with no guarantee of color taking and staying on the Fiberglass. Even if Airbnb covers these costs to repair/replace tub/shower, we will still loose at least a week in Airbnb bookings during the repair process. 

Per Airbnb, the total cost needs to be presented to the guest first. Upon the guest declining these charges, Airbnb Claims division will review the claim. :ooking for advice on hosts that have submitted large and/or a similar claim. 

Thanks for reading!

[Colleen253]

@Patricia2591  Ah, the stupidity of some 'people' knows no bounds. Have you read over the host guarantee in it's entirety? 

https://www.airbnb.ca/terms/host_guarantee

The best way to find success is to follow the protocols laid out in it. Make sure you have all your ducks in a row and then hope for a successful outcome. Good luck!

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Patricia2591did you try ordinary bleach? We had the same situation and solved it with bleach, but of course, not all hair colors are the same.

here you will find advices about hair dye removal from different surfaces. I hope it will help . https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?rs=ac&len=2&q=hair%20dye%20stains%20removal&eq=hair%20dye%20s...

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Patricia2591 I hope you  informed Airbnb before the next guests checked in or with 14 days (I think) if not I am afraid they will likely just reject on a technicality.

[Emilia42]

@Patricia2591 It might be a long shot but did you try Soft Scrub with Bleach to clean the bathtub?

[Laura2592]

As someone who has both lived in many vintage apartments and had hair dyed every imaginable color try some kind of bathroom cleaner with bleach. Spray liberally, let it sit for 10 mins. Rinse and try again if needed. It will work. 

Typically the bright colored hair dyes are vegetable based. They will stain but bleach usually gets them out of porcelain and other solid surfaces. Sheets and towels are a loss, I am afraid.  Good luck!

[Anonymous]

@Patricia2591    Here is a tutorial that I've used a few times, with specific instructions for fiberglass and porcelain:

https://www.hunker.com/13412039/how-to-remove-hair-dye-from-a-tub

It's obnoxious to have to do this extra work, but @Laura2592 is right that the rainbow-colored dyes are plant-based, non-caustic, and there's no reason they should permanently stain your fixtures. I did the blue hair thing as a 15-year-old myself (the 90s, sigh), and it was tolerated at home strictly under the condition that no stains were left behind in the bathroom. If my sloppy teenage self could fix that mess, I bet you can too! 

Fact is, I am very doubtful that a high-ticket claim for replacing your bathtub has any chance of success. The cost of a professional cleaner, with a dated invoice, might be the best you can get.

I would definitely open a damage claim to replace the towels and linens. But personally, I wouldn't throw them away. When old guest towels and sheets are stained or discolored, what I like to do is dye them a bold new color and keep them for personal use or as a third-string backup set.