What is too picky about how a guest leaves your place.?

[Wende2]

Hi all....just wondering what is the limit for you to leave a review about how they left the place.  For instance, crumbles, maybe they missed the wastebasket and left stuff on the floor, kitchen sink splatter with coffee, something dripped in the floor here and there and not wiped up, that kind of thing.  It really pisses me off but is it something to mention in their review, would you mention stuff like that.  I was thinking I'd just say something about they could have been a bit more tidy.?  They were here one night a couple days ago.  I don't bake anymore for a nice little Welcome since Covid.  I started putting snack bags of a few different popcorn instead, these people had bits of popcorn everywhere, coffee drips, they emptied the ice cube trays and left them in the freezer, along with an empty ice cube bin and a few other things what some may consider nitpicky, maybe, that's the question.  What's your limit.?

[Wende2]

@Michelle1851Hi...SO sorry to read about your cookware, you sound like me wanting to have really nice things in there.  I learned my lesson, I ended up buying some semi-cheap things at Marshalls, good brand names but very reasonable.  What I really have a hard time with is the nice sheets getting orange stains, I really need to look them over before washing, I'll gotten some great tips here on how to clean those, even tho some just don't come clean.  This was the first time I had them leave the ice cube trays in the freezer, usually they're in the sink, as well as refilled.  I guess I have so many really nice people that slobs in between make me wonder...WHY.?!  I do hope you can get your pans cleaned well enough to use them yourself.

[Colleen253]

@Wende2 Ugh yes, the ruined sheets. I recently bought a very good quality sheet set which has been ruined after the second use by a thoughtless guest. Whatever they slathered on before going to bed left oil stains that WILL NOT come out. I've tried everything and washed three times now. None of my usual go to's have worked. I really want to message the guest and ask them how they get these mysterious stains out of their own sheets. I just don't understand how people can be so thoughtless and clueless.

[Wende2]

@Colleen253   Ya know that's actually a Great idea, ask them.  I'd be curious to know what they have to say.  I've been told it's sunscreen.  Maybe you're right and it's some lotion they use after taking a bath/shower, could be it's not soaked into the skin when they go to bed.  I've also noticed it's usually just on one side of the bed too.

[Sarah977]

@Wende2 @Colleen253  Apparently acne medication skin creams leave unremovable stains, so I've read.

[Wende2]

@Sarah977   Good to know, I really never thought those.

[Colleen253]

@Wende2 these stains were all on the one side as well I noticed, and all the way down to the foot of the bed. Wouldn’t have been sunscreen. And if you think about it, something that’s rubbed in after a shower shouldn’t really leave spots. So I don’t know. I’m not sure I’ll bother asking so will remain a mystery. But mystery stains are so frequent, it’s weird. My own sheets are NEVER marked up. I just don’t get it. 

[Wende2]

@Colleen253   Yep same here, I've also had orange on the pillow on that side too.?  Next time it happens I am going to ask, I've just say I'm curious because it's not the first time.

[Michelle1851]

@Wende2 @I was able to salvage the All Clad and Griswald, not Le Creuset, I think I’ll just take home and use,  I think they may have burned popcorn in it, lots of black dots not coming out, I think it’s usable but not worth a bad review for stained pans.  I did what Sarah recommended and bought a $39 replacement at Tuesday Morning,  I like to have nice pans when I cook, but I now understand the reasoning behind less expensive items:(  Today when  I came to clean, I found more blood on sheets, I’m thinking this may be an altitude problem not a woman problem as almost every guest seems to have blood at the top of the sheets.  Again my ice cube trays were not filled.  Our HOA doesn’t allow ice makers :(. 

[Colleen253]

@Michelle1851 Is the unsalvageable pan enamel coated? If elbow grease and barkeeps friend didn’t work, try ammonia. Put the pan in a sealable bag and the ammonia in a spray bottle. Spray the pan well and close the bag. Leave overnight. Then scrub again. Worth a shot even if too far gone.

[Wende2]

@Michelle1851   Oh my blood, that's kinda gross, nope that is gross.  I'm sorry you have that to deal with as well, would seem there's more to it since it's at the top.  Are you thinking nose bleed.?  Glad you can salvage your pan for yourself.  I bought a nice Ann Burrell from Food Network at Marshall's for $7, actually bought several kitchen items in there.  Truth is, just about everything up there is from my own place, kitchen and decor, sheets and towels were of course new at the time.

[Anonymous]

@Wende2 If you communicated rules and expectations about how guests should leave the place at checkout, and they failed to live up to them, that is something that is definitely relevant to future hosts. We want to trust that someone will follow instructions without drama, and treat our homes with respect.

But you have to be realistic - you've got a random stranger from the internet renting a place for a frivolous holiday, you have to expect that the cleaning process will involve dealing with the normal consequences of frivolity. Any host who feels exceptionally picky about that should make sure that their fees adequately compensate for the work it entails. When it comes to the review, I would recommend just focusing on whether the guest did what they were asked to do - not punishing them for failing to fulfill expectations they weren't made aware of.

[Wende2]

@AnonymousHi......I've come to the conclusion I have far more nice guests, so the slobs in between make me ask...WHY?!  These people were here one night, came early evening then left late morning, looked like they stayed several days.  I've had people clean the place before leaving, right down to doing the laundry, left it in the washer upon leaving.  Then there's the ones who are into everything, even tho the desk secretary clearly states it's broken and Please don't try to open, they do, even had someone try to open it with the key from the lamp switch..WHY?  I really appreciate you're leaving a comment.  Where in Germany are you located, I've been thinking I'd like to visit and maybe look into finding some relatives, my ancestors are from Germany, I believe possibly from the north.

[Anonymous]

@Wende2  Actually that's one reason I don't do 1 or 2-night bookings. Even if they're tidy, it's still a lot of effort for relatively small revenue. And people seem to feel much more free to make a big mess when they know they won't be there long enough to have to live with it. 

I'm not German myself but I live in Berlin, in what was once the outer edge of the West and is now in the middle of the reunited city. Once the Corona nightmare is over, it's a really fun city with a little something for everyone - especially those with a bit of a freaky side. Finding distant relatives here is a big project, but one thing this country is extremely thorough with is record-keeping, so it can definitely be done! Here's a crash course: https://www.howtogermany.com/pages/genealogy.html

[Wende2]

@Anonymous  You're right about people staying one night and not living with the mess.  I was thinking I'm glad they weren't here for very long, but, may have been a different story had they stayed a few days.

Thanks for the link.  I watch a couple on YouTube that are Germans living in England.  They had a video making German potato salad which my mom made hit German often, the lady in the video said our way was how the people in the north make it, so going on that, I guess that's where I should start.  Thanks again.

[Sarah977]

@Wende2  As to why some people leave a mess behind them, apart from some guests just assuming they don't need to clean up, that's the host's job, many people live in that sort of mess at home, too. They don't even see it and it somehow doesn't register that it didn't look like that when they arrived.