Tanning sprays

[Leonia2]

We often have guests that are attending weddings and graduations. Recently we have had 2 instances where a guest has stained all the bedding including mattress protector, duvet itself plus the cover and towels with self tanning products. Has anyone else experienced this? And how do you handle it? 

[Frances3408]

@Leonia2 . To do that much damage they must have laid on the bed and someone else spray tanned them! How do they damage the protector?- did it seep through or they stripped the bed or used it to wipe off any excess? It definitely sounds thoughtless and I would mark down in cleanliness and say no to hosting again. 

Tempting as it may be to try and claim I suspect you wont be successful under Aircover revised terms so if this is happening regularly you need your rates to reflect high linen turnover and put something in your House Rules about tanning sprays. 

I get residual spray tan/makeup on mostly pillowcases. As my cotton sheets are white it goes straight into a hot water soaking treatment, repeated until its gone or I give up and it goes into painting sheets pile!

[Leonia2]

@Frances3408  thank you for taking the time to comment on my situation. To answer your question, it looked like the tanning product seeped through to the duvet and mattress protector. It seems unfair to have to raise my rates or give a bad rating to the person who made the reservation, since  the guest that stained the bedding is not the guest who made the reservation, but a colleague. Also I was wondering what about air cover new rules makes it doubtful to recover an additional cleaning fee? 

[Frances3408]

@Leonia2 . You can always make that clear in your review.

Quite a few posts here about soiled linen over the years. I cant remember where exactly but there was a recent post about damaged linen exclusion, not additional cleaning charge in general. Maybe try search engine on CC. Sorry, its a really busy day here for me.

[Leonia2]

Thank you for sharing! 

[Chris13041]

Sadly, this falls in the category of 10% of guests will treat your property like it is a hotel with an unlimited budget to replace linens, towels, etc.   We have learned over time to write rules about things like this and when violated, use the power of the review to alert other hosts.   This also helps when asking for reimbursement since the damage is a violation of house rules, not just general usage.

[Leonia2]

@Chris13041 , Thank you for the advice, i will add no use of tanning products to my house rules. Losing a few towels for occasional stains is all part of the business, but use of spray tans in my shower and all over my expensive bedding is very different.

Several people have mentioned using the power of the review. In this most recent incident it wasnt the person who booked that caused the damage but a colleague. Im not sure it is fair to the person who booked to receive the bad review but dont know how else to handle it. Any suggestions?

[Chris13041]

From where I stand, the individual who books the property is responsible for ensuring the additional guests behave properly.   A review that states truthfully what happened and that the booking guest failed to take responsibility is important information for future hosts who may decide to decline to host that individual.

[Rebecca]

@Leonia2,I think the thread that @Frances3408 is referring to is this one: Unsalvageable linen/bath towels. Host @Luz688 got some great advice from other experienced hosts,  @Claudia4114, @Carol9828, @Christie260, @Tara0 and @Jane4673., who may might be able pop in and share their support here too. 😊 

[Joan2709]

@Leonia2 

Host Damage Protection excludes stained linens:

Many Hosts post a sign asking guests to use dark towels provided (not bath towels) when using self tanning and acne skin care products as well as hair dye and makeup. Worth a shot.

"To help preserve our white towels, please use the designated dark towels for makeup, self-tanner, hair dye, and acne-care products."

[Luz688]

Thank you @Joan2709!

[Tanya928]

This is good info

[Joan2709]

@Leonia2 

You can always provide private feedback to the booking guest and advise of all the damage. It is the booking guest's responsibility to convey house rules to others in the group, but that rarely happens. We add that to our after booking message that confirming a booking means all guests agree to the House Rules and please take a moment to review those and share with those in your group. Of course, guests don't read and rarely do this. 

This is why a sign inside the listing will do the most good. You can add that you provide dark towels for use with self-tanning etc. and advise not to use these products on the beds as they will permanently stain the linens.

You can add a fee/fine to House Rules, but those rarely get enforced by Airbnb as they are not part of the "standard house rules".

[Leonia2]

Joan, thank you for the helpful advice. I have added  a request to not use tanning sprays/creams during their stay to our house rules and a comment in our booking message about making sure that all guests in their group know and abide by house rules. This way the expectations are clear. In addition based on advice from other hosts, I have placed cards on the beds, letting guests know that we have provided luxury bedding for their comfort and to please refrain from using tanning sprays, and if stains occur they may be charged an additional cleaning or replacement fee. Thank you to all the hosts for sharing your experience and knowledge!!!

[Elaine701]

@Leonia2 

Yes, unfortunately, we are well aware of this. It's a known problem in the business here. It's impossible to remove stains from spray on tanning products, even for professional cleaners. Your towels, sheets and pillow cases will be ruined. 

We have written in our in-house guide, a plea to please avoid the use of spray on tanning products, or at least please shower it off before going to bed. 

I won't be specific for obvious reasons, but there is one nationality that is notorious for the use of spray on tanning products, particularly women of that nationality. It's been so predictable that some hosts in our area will even switch their bedding to cheap disposable polyester whenever they have a guest of that nationality. 

Fortunately, that particular nationality overwhelmingly prefers hotels in tourist resorts specifically catering to that particular nationality, so it's rare that they'll book an Airbnb not in those resorts, but it does happen, especially if there's a special circumstance, such as a friend or relative's wedding nearby (your reference to that in this context rang a bell with me, which is why I've chosen to mention it ...against my better judgement). 

I know...  it's unfair to paint one nationality with such a broad brush, but it happens consistently, predictably, and almost exclusively, and it's widely known in the business here.

I suspect it's not intentional - they simply don't realise the damage because they probably don't use it at home.

All you can do is ask guests not to use these products, but that doesn't usually stop it. So it's just another cost of doing business. 

Good luck...