Where do I find the current cleaning requirements? Have they finally been removed?

[Christine455]

I've been pointing out for a long time that the sanitizing requirement is BS and since the CDC finally agreed, were those ridiculous requirements to sanitize all the dishes (35+ hours of dishwashing) removed?

Most of my potential Airbnb guests are short-term and don't want to pay my $250 cleaning fee.

[Sarah977]

@Christine455  Hey, back when all this over the top cleaning started, I said that people were going to start getting ill from living in environments that were constantly sprayed with disinfectants. Just like bacteria become immune with the overuse of antibiotics.

I imagine that if a Covid infected person just coughed or sneezed in their hand, and then used the doorknob, and half an hour later you also used that doorknob and then wiped your hand across your mouth, you could indeed contract it that way.  But it certainly isn't the primary transmission risk.

Things like public doorknobs and gas pump handles have been shown to be covered in bacteria. Way worse than toilet seats. I have a nurse friend who travelled in India for months years ago. She had a spray bottle of Dettol she carried with her and sprayed every public doorknob, hand rail, etc before she touched it. She also thoroughly scrubbed her feet (not just soaped them in the shower) , which she had walked around in all day in sandals, every night and wiped them with alcohol.  She said she was the only traveller she met in India who never got sick or ended up with foot or toenail fungus.

[Christine455]

@Sarah977  Everybody has their own standards and immune system.    I used to travel a lot and we'd say "when in Rome do as the Romans do."   But our bodies have to get used to the different microbes and foods and spices.   So I quickly learned not to pig out on that wonderful food.

The sickest I ever was in my entire life was when I stayed at my parents' house after 2 weeks in the Middle East and I ate way too much Bavarian bread with the smoked ham that I loved so much.   Never expected that to happen after only 2 weeks out of the country.

Like your friend in India, travelers need to take care of their specific needs and I would never rely on claims of hosts or companies about sanitation.   I know how people lie.  

[Stephanie]

Hiya @Christine455 @Sarah977 @Lisa723 @Emiel1 ,

I'd like to share a recent update on the Enhanced cleaning protocol that takes onboard the host community feedback and new learnings about the pandemic:

• COVID-19 safety requirements: With Hosts in more than 220 countries and regions around the world, we understand each of your communities are at different stages of their COVID-19 containment efforts. We're making two changes to better reflect this changing landscape:
  • First, for mask wearing and social distancing when interacting in person, we’re moving away from blanket global requirements and instead now asking Hosts and guests to follow local laws and guidelines.
  • Second, to better align with the latest COVID-19 science on transmission and to make the cleaning guidelines easier for Hosts to follow, we updated our enhanced cleaning process. For example, Hosts will no longer be required to wear masks and gloves while cleaning (but it's still recommended), or to wash every dish in the cupboard if it has not been used by guests. (Here’s a deeper look at our updated cleaning handbook). If you’ve agreed to our enhanced cleaning process already, you don’t need to go through that process again. If you’re a new Host (welcome!), you’ll be prompted to review and agree to follow these practices.

I hope this helps moving forward but please do feel free to ask should you have any other questions!

Thanks,

Stephanie