Damages - how to proceed

[Nicole2223]

Hello,

New to hosting and had our first issue today - in short, blood stained mattress and sheets.  I've read a lot of posts with similar issues - my question is about whether to attempt engaging the guest in conversation before submitting a request to the resolution center.  I'm quite sure it wasn't the guest that booked, but rather one of his friends.  So he may be entirely unaware of the problem - I have no way to know because they did not inform me (contrary to our very clear request that all damages be reported before departure).  

Checkout was today and I want to act quickly.  My security deposit will not cover the cost of a new mattress.

Thank you

[Emiel1]

@Nicole2223 

The HELP says you need to inform the guest:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/361/how-do-i-request-reimbursement-under-the-host-guarantee

[Nicole2223]

Thank you @Emiel1 

I reviewed the article and have notified the guest.  No response yet.  

Thankfully our next Few guests won’t need the bedroom with the soiled mattress and hopefully we can get it cleaned or replaced during this time.  

[Helen3]

sorry to hear this. @Nicole2223 

Third party booking are against Airbnb’s T&C and your situation is one of the reasons why.

If you are quite sure the person who turned up wasn’t the one who booked you didn’t need to let them check in.

anyway you need to file a claim with the person who booked - they need to take responsibility for damages caused.

going forward you need mattress and pillow protectors  this will prevent  blood soaking in and if you treat bedding properly it’s normally fairly easy to get it out of sheets. 

[Nicole2223]

@Helen3  - I did not explain clearly.   All three guests in the home were expected, but I only had the name of the gentleman that made the booking.  

thanks for the tip on mattress pads - I had purchased these originally but didn’t use them because I was under the impression they couldn’t be properly sanitized for corona virus.  I  will be reconsidering this!!

[Sarah977]

  Washing the mattress pad just as you wash sheets and towels, with soap and hot water, will render the virus non-viable. There is a lot of misinformation about sanitizing. If washing your hands with soap and water for 20 minutes deactivates the virus on your skin, why wouldn't it do so on anything else?  

Also the virus has been shown to be non-viable on porous items like cloth, cardboard and paper after 24 hours.

FYI blood stains come out by soaking sheets in cold water and the treating any stains which remain with hydrogen peroxide. Never put anything with blood marks in hot water- that just sets the stain in so it will never come out.

@Nicole2223

[Nicole2223]

Thanks @Sarah977  - agree that this is the appropriate way to handle the sheets and mattress pad.  The piece I was concerned about is a protective mattress covering that has a rubberized backing.  We are sanitizing all bedding (pillows, shams, blankets, etc) in a high heat dryer, which would melt the protective mattress pad.  

If we're going to use these sorts of pads, I think we'll need to spray it with germicide as the alternative is to remove the pad (which zippers around the entire mattress, difficult for one person to do) and then wash it and air dry.  There is not enough time for this to happen between rentals.  The washing machine and dryer are occupied for nearly the entire 4 hours my cleaner is in the house.  

If anyone knows of a brand of protective mattress pad that just goes over the top and is not plastic, please share!

Many thanks.

[Emilia42]

@Nicole2223 You need something like Utopia Bedding Zippered Mattress Encasement - Waterproof Mattress Protector (find it on Amazon.) You don't wash this between guests but you do put a mattress pad on top of it which you will wash. Leaving this protector on would be no different than leaving the mattress "washed"

[Sarah977]

You don't need to sterilize the plastic protective mattress protector. Or you could just spray it or wipe it down with Lysol and let it air dry. Just use a regular mattress pad over top, that you launder. The kind of pad that has a layer of soft batting and a cloth cover and goes around the mattress like a fitted sheet. I've bought mine at Costco.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Nicole2223 

Agree with other hosts that have posted about waterproof covers.

Covid or not, we have ALWAYS had a waterproof mattress cover to *protect* the mattress first, then a typical cotton mattress cover over that. Same with pillows and duvets - we double bag them with waterproof protectors (mostly to protect them from drool).

Fyi, in Korea we typically place the mattress pad on top of the cover and sleep on it - so when we change covers/bedding mid-stay, we only replace the mattress pad and most outer duvet & pillow covers. We tend to have longer-staying guests so we wash the waterproof covers (in cold water then line-dry) either between guests or once every 3~4 months.