Cleaning as a guest in a shared accommodation - long stay

[Carmanah0]

Hello,

I am currently staying in an airbnb in a private room in an apartment for 7 weeks. Is there certain etiquette when it comes to cleaning shared spaces? I had to pay a cleaning fee but I'm guessing that's only for the first clean? As it was an airbnb, I didn't think I had to clean but after a conversation this morning I'm thinking I thought wrong! I'm happy to share cleaning duties, I'm just not sure if there are guidelines that everyone follows?

Any insight would be much appreciated!

Thank you in advance 🙂

[Annie1372]

Hi @Carmanah0 ,

if I would rent a room in an appartement, I would clean my owned room but would not be expected to clean the rest, unless requested in the house rules… but then, I would not have rent that room 😂

for sure after the meal I would clean after myself & my wipe the entire counter even if I used only a small portion. I would leave the bathroom clean, but I would not clean some else house.

was there anything about that in the house rules ?

whst is your host requested you to do or his expectation??

[Sarah977]

@Carmanah0  There is no standard etiquette for how much cleaning a guest is expected to do. Various hosts have different expectations.

Those expectations, to be fair to the guest, should really be made clear at the outset, but some hosts may think it's enough to just mention it when you arrive, if it simply consists of basic respect in cleaning up after yourself in shared spaces, or running the vacuum around on a "take turns" cleaning basis. Also a host may not expect much in the way of cleaning for a guest who only stays for 2 nights, but a guest who stays for 7 weeks is more like a roommate and it seems reasonable for them to share some responsibility in cleaning.

Cleaning fees are one-time only fees. You can think of it as either making sure everything is clean for your arrival, or doing a major clean of your private space after you leave. 

It seems reasonable to me for a long stay guest to do a fair share of keeping the place clean- sweeping, vacuuming, wiping down surfaces, taking out the garbage, making sure the stovetop isn't swimming in food and grease, etc.  

However, major deep cleaning chores like washing the windows, cleaning the oven if you yourself haven't used it, scrubbing out garbage cans, moving furniture or appliances around to clean under and behind, that sort of thing, don't seem to me to be a reasonable expectation for guests.

[Mark116]

@Carmanah0  You don't give too much detail, but I would assume that you are responsible for cleaning up after yourself in shared space like the kitchen and the bathroom, e.g. washing up the dishes immediately after cooking a meal, making sure to leave the bathroom neat, towels hung up, no hair in the drain, etc. after using the bathroom.  Unless it is disclosed in the listing, I would not expect you should be involved in any heavy cleaning, polishing, vacuuming, and presumably you can leave the room as you want it as long as you return it orderly and clean, but the host may want the bedroom to be vacuumed, dusted, etc. more frequently than at the end of your stay.

Hopefully the discussion you had with the host today has made everything clear and things will run smoothly for the rest of the stay

[Carmanah0]

Thanks for your insight @Mark116. I should have been more clear in my original post. I keep my room very clean (I like things clean!), and I clean up after myself in the same way in the shared spaces. I was more interested in the deeper cleaning of the kitchen, toilets, shower, sinks etc. The theme I'm getting from this thread is that the expectations should have been shared up front, as everyone has slightly different approaches. Thanks again 🙂

[Carmanah0]

@Annie1372 @Sarah977 thank you both for your insights! Very helpful.

I'm expected to take out the garbage, clean the kitchen, vacuum, clean the bathroom etc. which I am more than happy to do. I think it just should have been communicated in advance, so that everyone is on the same page. 

This begs another question, if I am being treated like a roommate (in the cleaning sense), is it unreasonable to use the space as a roommate would? (i.e. having a friend over for a coffee in the afternoon? being respectful of the shared space of course) I would ask the host first, but I'm wondering what you guys think.

Thanks in advance!

[Annie1372]

@Carmanah0 

I would have been so unhappy tif being asked to take out the garbage, clean the kitchen, vacuum, clean the bathroom … as I hate these housework tasks. But I love organizing Tupperware and storage space, each there own 😉

so I’m glad to take it the good way.

And you are bringing a very good question here: if you are doing the chores of a roommate, you should be able to live as a roommate in the apartment which involves having friends over, etc.

but as per the AirBNB rules, you are not alums to bring more people in the house than what you booked for.

i would negotiate that with your host: cleaning task in exchange or more freedom in the appartement AND once agreed, I would document that in the AirBNB chat with the host to protect yourself against any host complain or extra charge request after your departure

[Sarah977]

@Carmanah0  Cleaning expectations when sharing a home have nothing to do with being allowed to have a friend over for coffee. 

A host may allow that sort of thing or not. So yes, you would need permission, and a host feeling comfortable with having an unknown person in their home is totally different from being asked to take a turn taking the garbage out.

I definitely agree with you that hosts should make cleaning expectations clear to guests when they request to book. That way, if a guest feels that too much is being asked of them, they can choose not to book there.

But as you describe what the host has requested, it doesn't sound particularly onerous to me.

Now if you yourself are a clean  and tidy person who naturally wipes up around the bathroom sink after you use it, but find yourself cleaning up after others in the household who leave the sink area covered in toothpaste, hair, and goop, that would be unreasonable and something to discuss with the host.