Cleaning expectations for guests

[Eloise26]

Hello,

I'd like hosts' honest opinions on recent feedback I received from a host.

Context: We'd booked an entire house for a week as part of our honeymoon. We never saw the host in person as he lives 200 miles away.

His public review stated: "the house was left dirty, and a window left open which could have resulted in water damage."

It was a big house with lots of windows which we did check before leaving, I can only guess we hadn't latched one quite right and it managed to blow open. It was an honest mistake but I understand his frustration.

However, I don't understand the 'dirty' comment. Privately, he said:

"It was disappointing to find the house had hardly been cleaned when we arrived yesterday. There were lots of bits of food etc under and around the dining room table - the floor clearly hadn't been hoovered. The kitchen hob hadn't been cleaned, neither had the worktops. An oven tray had been used and shoved back in the cupboard without being cleaned. Bathrooms weren't too bad but the downstairs one at least hadn't been cleaned properly."

It seems the expectation was for us to leave the property exactly as we found it, which is an expectation he has since added to his listing. We followed the check out instructions (strip beds/take rubbish to kerbside bin /empty dishwasher/leave everything (in our own minds) clean and tidy) and there was no instruction to vacuum. We had wiped down the hob and worktops, there was no significant mess/spills/stains etc but we hadn't performed a deep clean. The baking tray was an oversight - I think my wife must've assumed I'd already cleaned it and put it away. I'd thoroughly cleaned the upstairs bathroom, but seeing as we'd only used the downstairs toilet a couple of times I hadn't given that much attention.

We've received positive feedback from other hosts and I wouldn't think much of it, just that the host has very high standards, if it wasn't for the fact that the host has left reviews of other guests complimenting how they left the house. During our stay we saw an older version of his house manual before it was updated, which asked guests to thoroughly clean and tidy everything to the same standard you would expect when arriving, as sometimes he does not visit in between guests, and telling guests where to find bed sheets to make the bed if they arrive when he hasn't been to the house in between. We thought this was quite strange and assumed it was unsustainable which is why it had been changed with less strict cleaning expectations, but based on his feedback it did seem as though those expectations are still there.

So, I'd genuinely like to know hosts' thoughts and their expectations for how clean guests leave their own properties, especially with regards to vacuuming/bathroom cleaning.

Thank you!

[Linda108]

@Eloise26   There is a wide range of expectations by hosts in terms of what constitutes guest cleaning.  Often it makes a difference whether a host is local or remote, uses a cleaning service or cleans themselves has an entire house/apartment or a private room.  There is some agreement that most hosts expect tidy rather than clean.  Tidy reflects that the guest has respect for both the space and the host.  Leaving a place so messy or filthy or damaged by carelessness does not reflect respect.

If you find the host expectations to be out of line with what you find reasonable, you should reflect that in your review.

[Eloise26]

Thank you Linda. I was happy to perform the tasks outlined in the house manual at the end of the stay, but the expectation of vacuuming and leaving the place "as I found it" wasn't known to me until I received his feedback. We'd had a lovely stay in the house so were very positive in our own review.

[Mark116]

@Eloise26   I'm going to fault the host here, if he has an expectation that you are leaving it as you found it, he needs to make that 100% clear, which I guess he has realized and has since changed his listing to reflect this.  

I have sometimes been annoyed at people who leave the house really messy...crumbs everywhere, super dirty stove, and failed to follow the rules on garbage disposal...but it doesn't sound like you fit that profile.  You DID clean up, only not to the level the host wanted, because he wants his guests to do the cleaning on his behalf...which as an aside is hugely, risky, to depend on strangers A to clean the house to pristine so that when strangers B arrive, everything is sparkling clean.

You can respond respond [nicely and politely], to his review with a message that says you weren't informed you needed to leave the place 'as you found it' and then list the cleaning that you did do and mention you thought you had closed all the windows.

PS...asking guests to vacuum also seems a bit much, people are on holiday, they need to leave things neat and orderly but beyond that, it's an unfair burden to expect someone on vacation to clean it like a maid service would.

As @Linda108  says though, there is a wide variety of expectations from hosts not asking guests to do anything, like not even do their own dishes, to hosts who want guests to do a full cleaning and everything in between.  I think that most hosts have an expectation that the place will be left neat..e.g. no major spills, or dirt, stuff that was used is cleaned and put back in place, but that a few crumbs here and there is not an issue.

[Lisa723]

I'm with @Mark116. If hosts require guests to clean the house before leaving this should be in their house rules that you have to acknowledge when booking. (I personally wouldn't book any such house for a vacation, particularly a honeymoon.) We have a short list of check-out requests (strip used bedding, start dishwasher, take out kitchen garbage, turn off heat/ac and leave doors and windows closed/locked) but if guests don't comply with them we wouldn't factor it into their review unless they really left the place in bad shape in other ways. I think the way this host is attempting to operate is completely unsustainable.

[Kaylee18]

@Eloise26   Did you pay a cleaning fee for this booking? 

If you did and the host expected the place to be EXACTLY as when you first came and wanted a complete cleaning done before you left, then I think he should have paid YOU to clean! LOL...

Every host is SO different so it's best to  just follow whatever the house rules are. If he did not have that in the rules at the time of your booking, you did nothing wrong. 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Eloise26  I'm with the other hosts here who said that expecting you to leave it as clean as it was when you arrived is an unreasonable expectation. Even if the host doesn't charge a cleaning fee, it isn't a guest's job to do deep cleaning unless that expectation was stated in the listing description, which of course means you would not likely book it. 

A guest is normally expected to tidy up, make sure all garbage is collected and placed where stated, clean the stovetop, the counters, etc. and do up the dirty dishes. Sweeping the floor is also a nice gesture, but vacuuming or mopping, unless the floor is full of sticky stuff that wasn't wiped up when it spilled, seems over the top to me.

The bottom line is that a host needs to make it clear what is expected before accepting a booking, i.e. in the listing info. And a guest cleans up their personal messes. and makes sure to follow check-out instructions. 

[Romana19]

Myslím,že očekávat od hostů,že dům důkladně vyčistí,je nesmysl.Hostitel si za úklid nechá zaplatit,je to jeho povinnost.Samozřejmě,že hostitelé jsou rádi,když návštěvníci po sobě nenechají velký nepořádek nebo zničené věci.Já po svých hostech rozhodně úklid nevyžaduji.Nechávají odpadky v koši,postele neuklizené,koupelnu špinavou,někdy i připálené nádobí.Radost mi to nedělá,ale jsem ráda,že to není ještě horší.Někteří nechávají i zbytky jídla v posteli nebo pod postelí.Myslet si můžu co chci,ale co se dá dělat.Hlavně neničit.Někteří hosté zničí a ještě to schovají,jsou jak malé děti.Pokyny stejně nečtou. Rada - dát si něco na uklidnění,zanadávat si a jít to uklidit,aby další host nic nepoznal.

[Eloise26]

Thank you for your responses everyone. I’ve since remembered the window he said we probably left open (he doesn’t know for sure because apparently it was a neighbour that saw it and closed it for him, but he said it was this one because of water marks on the chest of drawers) doesn’t even open. So I don’t understand where these water marks could have come from. He also said 

“While it was not the end of the world we both found it fairly irritating and disappointing that when we arrived at the house after the 4 hr drive the first thing we end up doing is cleaning up.” I’m really surprised to hear someone irritated by cleaning up after a guest has stayed... I just honestly  don’t understand how he’s given other guests good reviews for cleanliness!

I know I need to let this go now but I am upset by this considering it was our honeymoon and now I feel like it’s ended on a bad note.