Is it necessary to clean the duvet cover?

Diego33
Level 2
Los Angeles, CA

Is it necessary to clean the duvet cover?

How often do you guys clean the duvet cover? I have been doing it every time to be clear but I was told I didn't need to the other day by a guest. Thanks

43 Replies 43

We have moved into an apartment for 3 month and there is no matress protector which we feel is unhygienic but the host are very difficult to deal with, any suggestions appreciated.

Go buy a mattress protector.  Amazon has them - not too expensive.

Heather402
Level 2
Chattanooga, TN

Yes, I read this. Hotels seem a bit disgusting on this bit. I never let the bedspread touch me. In the UK, the duvet is the top sheet and is cleaned after each guest, I hope! 

http://www.traveltruth.com/2015/01/28/do-hotels-clean-the-bedspreads-after-each-stay/

Deborah476
Level 2
Nowra, Australia

It is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to clean every time. It violates so many health regulations not to. Ppl have sat on it naked after using the toilet, eaten on it, had sex on it, wiped their hands on it and that's just on top imagine underneath it. A top sheet moves around so that's not a good reason not to clean it. Over in Australia there's talk of more regulations and it's because of things like this. Think of what YOU would like and SHOULD EXPECT then do that for your guests!.

Fiona243
Level 10
Birkenhead, United Kingdom

I believe that in UK and rest of Europe, it is standard to wash the duvet cover for each guest. In the US, many people use a flat sheet between the guest and the duvet / comforter, so those hosts may think they can get away without washing the duvet / comforter cover.

However, bear in mind that guest may have sat naked on bed to get dressed after taking a shower, could have done who knows what on top of the duvet / comforter, especially if weather is warm. Therefore I think irrespective of whether you use a top sheet or not, you need to wash the duvet / comforter cover. And for those US hosts who use a comforter without a removable cover, then I guess that means you need to wash the comforter each time.

I provide an additional bedspread which is folded up and in a clear plastic zipped bag in the wardrobe. If this is taken out of the bag I wash it, without question. Likewise additional blankets which are rolled up and tied with a cord round them. If they have been unrolled I assume they are dirty and wash them. I'd rather wash something that actually did not need washing, than risk giving a guest something dirty.

This notion of having a duvet only has baffled me for years. 

A fresh flat sheet under the duvet can be washed multiple times and be fresh and clean daily whereas changing a duvet cover every time a guest comes along is just overkill and much wear and tear & discolouration on the duvet cover. Hail the FLAT SHEET!

 

@Meg-And-Mike0 the duvet cover should be washed regardless of whether you've got a flat sheet underneath. You don't know what the guest has done on top of the bed (dumped dirty luggage on it, sat on it naked, had sex etc).  And not all guests use the flat sheet. I use a flat sheet between the fitted sheet & duvet, and find a lot of my European & Asian guests don't actually sleep underneath the flat sheet. They sleep on top of it with the duvet on top of them.

I hate flat sheets. They get tangled up when you are sleeping, make twice as much washing and it takes twice as long to make the bed with tham. Hail the DUVET ONLY!

so your saying that clean bedding is “overkill” ? How do you know your guest hasn't got too hot in the night with a flat sheet and a duvet and then just removed the flat sheet? You need to clean ALL of the bedding after every guest has slept in the bed. I think you might be in the wrong business if thats your attitude!! 

Nina1091
Level 2
Langenfeld, Germany

I know this is an old threat, but the topic is still very important. As a guest I find the thought of a duvet not being changed utterly discusting! In fact, I have just left an accomodation earlier than booked after finding out that they only change the top sheet, also now trying to get a refund. 

Do you know what a guest has been doing on the duvet?

Not to mention that we Europeans do not like to sleep with the top sheet fixed at the side of the mattress, we want to be able to move at night. And the way I sleep, I touch the duvet often enough, does not matter if it has a top sheet. 

Changing the duvet cover needs to be changed between every guest, no excuse please. I am in general not very fussy when it comes to accommodations, but when it comes to the cleanliness of the bed, I just cannot handle it not being changed

I always wash the duvet cover between guests. But I just want to correct a misconception that a lot of Europeans seem to have about top sheets.

Just because the top sheet is tucked in when the bed is made doesn't mean that in areas of the world where a top sheet is standard, that people sleep with the top sheet all tucked in like that. That would feel really claustrophobic, as you mention. I've used top sheets all my life, but I certainly don't sleep with them tucked in under the mattress. 

If I were to stay at a hotel or a friend's house, if the top sheet was tucked in, I would free it on the sides and bottom before climbing into bed. People only tuck it in when making the bed because it looks tidier.

@Nina1091

Julie-And-Mark1
Level 2
Northfield, VT

@Nina1091   I wash all the bedding (sheets, blankets and comforters) between guests, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.  I recently purchased extra blankets and comforters so I always have a clean set ready for the next guests.

As a B&B owner and a guest of many hotels throughout the world i find it totally disgusting that this question was even asked!! What exactly are guests paying for if there’s not even basic hygiene standards and cleanliness  ? Regardless of having a top sheet or not ANY linen used on a bed should be laundered without fail after every guest has stayed, NO EXCEPTIONS!!  If it’s a cost issue then increase your prices, or close your business down. 

 

 

 

 

 

MakanaBreeze0
Level 2
Princeville, HI

The industry standard in the hotel industry is that nothing is washed every time except sheets. Whether that is gross or sanitary etc is another point, I am just stating the standard.  You never see a cleaning person carting a duvet cover, blanket, bedspread, throw pillows, etc down the hall. The only thing washed is sheets.

 

So if you are asking what people *want* you to do, obviously people want sanitary, and to wash the cover every time. A duvet cover that is cheaper and cn be replaced often (because of the wear and tear) rather than a very nice luxury airbnb duvet cover of linen / chenille etc, is more amenable to that. If you are at an airbnb with a nice or thick duvet cover that's a clue it's not going to be washed every time. 

 

If you are asking what the industry standard is, then the answer is the hotel and hospitality industry at standard never cleans any bedding for every guest but sheets. Gross but true.