Support for Hosts with Bloody Sheets

[Sarah-and-Alex0]

This is for hosts who have had guests bleed on (or ejaculate on, or whatever) their linens.  We've had this problem, and handle it in a straightforward way.  More on that below, including sample text (NB: You need to have a security deposit in place, and handle it the day of incident or checkout).   However, since we seem to feel differently about this than other hosts do, we wanted to share our thoughts and possibly encourage new hosts with the same problem.  

Someone else's period (or nosebleed, or shart, or ejaculation) is NOT your problem.  Practically speaking, a guest may refuse to be responsible for her or himself, and may rob you of your time or money (kind've making it your problem).  However, you do not need to feel like you're being unreasonable because you don't want to scrub someone else's fluids out of your linens.  If you're a female host, you can reject your bloody guest's request for solidarity and still be a feminist - she's stealing from you, and telling you to be OK with it because of your gender; that's not gender progress.  If you're a male host, you probably haven't heard this one - and you don't need to excuse this type of damage where you wouldn't excuse skid marks.  Period blood isn't morally dirty and taboo, it's just a bodily fluid that stains, so you don't need to feel awkward asking your guest to reimburse you.  A gendered argument for the host just accepting these costs, where other types of damage are more readily reimbursed, is totally retrogressive. 

So basically, just because a very small minority of guests who cause stains (a small number already) steal your time or money by refusing to be responsible for themselves, doesn't mean you're crazy for not wanting to scrub out their stains.  If you're willing to do it, by all means, but the first time this happened, we called Airbnb Superhost Support to ask for advice, and they seemed **horrified** by the idea that we would do anything but burn blood-stained sheets.  

TLDR:  Don't treat women and men differently - have a security deposit, demonstrate clear boundaries, and ask guests to honor them. 

HOW TO REVIEW THE BLEEDER:  With great civility and honesty.  

If the damage is reimbursed graciously, "We had a small issue with a stain, but Lady Guest was completely gracious about reimbursing us for the cost.  Since we understand that these things happen, and given how politely she handled the whole thing, we'd certainly recommend her to other hosts."  

If the guest refuses, "While Grotesque Bleeding Guest seemed like a cool person, I cannot recommend that other Hosts welcome her into their homes.  She refused to reimburse us for the sheets that she ruined, after agreeing at the time of booking to approve documented charges for damage to our security deposit.  This is a great breach of the trust we have in the Airbnb community, so we hope other Hosts will be able to avoid the same problems that we had with Grotesque Guest."

NOTE:  Airbnb's algorithms seem to give us more InstantBookings when we give fewer guests the dreaded Thumbs Down, so we started reserving the thumbs down for the most truly egregious guests and save most feedback for the comments. 

STEPS FOR MAKING THIS EASIER IN THE FUTURE (again, you need to have a security deposit on your listing before the guest books)

1.  We always include a note in our welcome message that if linens are stained, they'll be charged against the security deposit.  

2.  We send the guest a message telling her/him:

"Hi, thanks again for staying with us!  It looks like there are some stains on the sheets, and for everyone's health and safety, stained sheets need to be disposed of.  Luckily, Airbnb's security deposit system makes it easy to add the replacement cost to your booking after we provide documentation.  We've had this happen a few times, and guests are always gracious in handling it.  If you'll approve the security deposit charges when we submit them, we'll be all set.  Thanks again, and all the best!"

3.  Photograph stains (including tag if possible/relevant - our sheets are Ralph Lauren, so that tag makes a difference)  🙂

4.  Submit a security deposit claim ("Request Damages" or "Resolve an Issue" button I think) including photos, a polite note, and a link to the replacement cost online or a photo of the receipt.

Airbnb does not make it very clear, but guests do not appear to be compelled to approve the charges.  We once had a guest refuse to pay for the sheets, and we ended up making a claim to Airbnb, which paid us 80% of the cost, and then we experienced a serious drop in bookings for that listing (only for the one of 2 identical listings for which we submitted the claim to Airbnb).  We do NOT recommend submitting this type of claim, just in case Airbnb is penalizing hosts who pursue claims for damages that the guests refuse to pay.  

[Sarah977]

@Tueykay0   A friend of mine who is a nurse taught me that if you pour straight hydrogen peroxide onto a blood stain, especially if it's fresh, it comes out easily. Hydrogen peroxide also sterilizes, so there is nothing "not sanitary" or a health hazard, about sheets or towels when treating blood stains like this, and then putting them through a regular wash.

[Szilvia9]

Hi @Sarah-and-Alex0,

thanks for sharing your experience and opinion about this embarrassing topic.

I totally agree with you. I never charge guests after some small, "normal" stains in the bed (like saliva or sweat stains).

I've also had a female guest with period BLEEDING and she's got a surprise in the bed for the morning. After I said her I need reduce the duvet cover price from the damage deposit, she just got so upset.

Another guest was (it's a really fresh experience) sick with vomiting all day before the last night she stayed with her fiancé. I just gave her my attention, tried to help her with some vitamins, more bottle of water and recommended to go to the hospital as it was Sunday and none of the general practice was open (I have a homestay). She was really thankful, but when they left they said no problem and thanks to everything. I've checked their room and unfortunately her pillow, duvet cover and the bed sheet on her side are stained not a little. About some of the stains I can 100% say are because of the VOMITING. Before I messaged her I talked to ABB on twitter about can I charge her if we see she was sick, and of course they said I need to send the money request for her, so I did. Her answer is totally surprising to me. She just thinks these stains are completely normal after 3 nights of a couple. Well, probably none of us would understand her. I will answer her really short once again and then leave it for ABB resolution if she doesn't want to pay. I need to charge the damaged beddings and the deep cleaning in the room and also cared about other places in the flat what she used (I just followed the steps of cleaning after an infectious patient said by NHS).

So however I totally agree with you, these situations are still so embarrassing and cause bad review too 😞 But if we want to stay at our money and not close a stay with a minus, then we should do this steps.

[Katie563]

I had something similar happen over the weekend with what looks like skincare related bleach stains. Has anyone else encountered this issue? Permanent damage to an expensive coverlet and all my bath linens (upwards of $400!!). I called Airbnb and they suggested I file a claim through the resolution center, but I really appreciate your advice on having a security deposit in place, and being explicit in the house rules. Do you think having a security deposit has been a hurdle for guests? 

[Howard91]

I agree with charging for sheet and towel stains. Especially more expensive duvet / mattress cover stains. If I make a stain, I apply cold water and any available soap or detergent. I’ve neber been charged but nor do I fully remove a stain with such a simple hand wash 

a guest just destroyed 2 towels ($10 Costco), floor mat ($10), hand towe ($3)l, 4 pillow cases, sheets ($40), duvet ($40). All 100% cotton. All new or <6 months old. So for such egregious damages, why should host pay replacement cost or do extra laundry steps for $50 booking? Hilton btw charges $150-300+ / night so that’s like comparing apples to oranges. If you throw up in an Uber , there’s a standard charge. I see this as being no different. Airbnb is not a motel even though it’s similarly priced. Airbnb is not a business for most hosts but only an extra income to cover housing cost or return on investment. The damages were clearly not a small monthly accident. A small quarter size stain is one thing that’s understandable but a donut or plate size stain of permanent kind is disgusting. And the nightly rate doesn’t cover the replacement cost. And which guests wants to sleep in a stain? Charge the guest every time as standard policy. Great advice. Great post. 

[Juliana317]

I am in the misdt of a similar issue. Our guests had some erratic higiene behavior (leaving dishes behind, toilet full of bloodied paper, and to top it all they also clogged our toilet and dumped the dirty bathroom mat into my boyfriends clothes!) I was willing to let that go, and had arranged that they only reimbursed us for the boyfriends clothes who had to be washed. Then  last night after they left we went in to check the room and discovered a huge blood stain on the brand new sheets and the situation was even worse in the mattress protector. It looks like they tried wiping just superficially and never bothered checking the mattress. I submitted a refund claim based on the comment you left, and hope they will reimburse us. I can’t believe how people can leave such a mess behind and not even take notice! 

[Kristie83]

Thank you so much for the post. I just started hosting and have been using instant booking. It’s such a rush to get a booking that my most recent booking I didn’t bother to check on the profile. Turns out “Emily” was a dude with a female guest. And a cat.  There was blood all over the duvet cover and sheets. And a needle in the sink. We got the payout and Emily left. Whew. Lesson learned. I have added a security deposit and won’t make a claim this time around.  I will add the clause to our booking about stained sheets. 

And yes I will charge someone if they grossly stain my sheets (grossly as in not a teeny stain but a big stains)

[Sarah977]

@Kristie83  You need to be aware that the Airbnb security deposit is smoke and mirrors. Airbnb doesn't collect this from guests when they book, nor put a hold on their credit card. If a guest causes damage, the host has to first notify the guest and ask them to pay up, and if they refuse (which many or most will, because a responsible person would let you know right away and offer to reimburse you, not wait for the damage to be discovered and be asked to pay), you then have to ask Airbnb to deal with it, which can be a long and frustrating process, with no guarantee of success.

There are also strict time lines and protocols to follow if you hope to get paid for damages, so make sure you read up about the process.

And breaking house rules, like bringing a pet to a no pets listing, or sneaking in extra guests is not covered by the security deposit, nor is pet damage, so if a cat scratches up the table leg, just call it damage, without mentioning that it was done by an animal.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that prevention is what you are aiming for. Read a guest's reviews, ask them questions, make sure they've read your listing thoroughly, including the house rules, and that they have entered the correct number of guests on the booking. If you feel there are red flags, listen to your intuition.

[Kristie83]

Thanks.  I am wondering if it is really worth it to add a security deposit. I have learned the hard way to look more carefully at people profiles first before approving!! 

It's taken me a few days to finally stop thinking about those sheets.  Ick.