Long Term Guest Weekly Cleaning “Standards”

[P23]

My husband and I just finished our first long term stay (6 weeks) in a townhome that we had to ourselves. Our amazing host had a cleaner come in once a week to wash all of the sheets, bath towels and kitchen towels. The cleaner would make the bed with the clean linens, vacuum, mop floors, dust, clean the kitchen and bathrooms.   We are very tidy and kept the home spotless between the weekly house cleaning. 

We left that host 3 days ago and immediately began our second long term stay (5 weeks) in another region of the country. We are in an entire house by ourselves again this time.

This host has not said anything about weekly cleaning, changing linens or towels. The House Rules are silent on the topic. There are extra sheets and towels in the linen closet. I assume they are clean or they wouldn’t be in the linen closet. However, every kitchen towel and cloth napkin in the house had dried food and/or grease on them and were just tossed in a kitchen drawer...I assume by prior guests. Sheesh. 

It’s clear that whoever does the cleaning here does the minimum.  Accordingly, since nothing has been said and the cleaner isn’t very good anyway, I think we will handle our own weekly house cleaning including washing and changing our bed and bath linens.

I’d like guidance on what a long term guest might expect regarding weekly house cleaning and linen changes.  I’m not taking about dishes and daily living clean up. Please remember, this is only our second long term stay and we’ve had two opposite experiences. We want to know what to expect or ask for in the event any future hosts are silent on cleaning plans for long term guests. Thanks in advance. 

[Kirsten24]

You should just ask the host, as a host I would like my guests to commuicate with me for anything they don't understand

[P23]

Hi, I will ask the host. I was just curious if there are any standards as I am new to long term visits. I wanted to get a sense of what the norm is first.  Thanks. 

[Rachel177]

@P23 as @Kirsten24 said contact the host if they haven't put anything in the house rules or house manual about cleaning. When I accepted longer term stays I had it in my house rules that I expected guests to wash/change sheets and towels and clean and provided them with cleaning equipment, spare linens & access to the laundry.

And you should let the host know if the tea towels etc in the kitchen weren't clean ASAP. I'd be unhappy as a host if my guests marked me down for cleanliness in their review but didn't let me know about it until they'd checked out. And I would also be having a word to my cleaner if I employed one, but as it's me I'd be having a stern word to myself :-).

[P23]

Hi, thanks for your expectations as a host.  It’s helpful. 

This is an absolutely beautiful home. We feel so fortunate to be here to begin with. Without AB&B and someone willing to share their home, it wouldn’t be possible.  

I’d never mark a host down for anything especially without communicating first. Even then, it’s just not my nature to make a fuss or ding anyone. 

When I confirm with my host that we will do the weekly cleaning/linens, I will let her know about the kitchen towels. You’re right...it’s info that should be shared. I didn’t want to be a “complainer” to my new host. But it’s important for her to know.  Now I just hope she’s not the cleaner. 

Thanks for the input. It’s a beautiful home in a gorgeous area so our focus is on that and how fortunate we are to be here thanks to our host trusting us newbies. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@P23 

As others have stated, each host is different so it is best to check with the host. 

I've seen some hosts say that since guests only pay the cleaning fee once, that is why they feel they shouldn't have to (or cannot afford to) provide regular weekly cleanings during the reservation. Especially if there is a weekly or monthly discount. 

On the other hand there are hosts that will say the weekly cleaning is mandatory to maintain a cleanliness standard and have built it into the rates. 

If your current host is new or is off-site, they may not know. Especially if you are their first long-term guest. Long-term guests have different needs than short term guests. Many hosts don't realize this. I remember when I was a new host I really appreciated when guests provided feedback on things that I missed or never really though of. I'm sure they will appreciate your feedback and want to work with you to find a way that you both are comfortable with 🙂 

[P23]

Our current host is fantastic hence my reluctance to do/say anything that comes across as complaining. Our host and her home are 5 star.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts and own experiences. 

[Sarah977]

@P23  You sound like the kind of guests most hosts would love to have- appreciative of the property and the host, focused on having a good time and not nit-picking every little thing.

As others have said, just communicate with the host before or after booking to understand what the cleaning deal is, or anything else you need clarification on. There isn't really a "norm" about anything on Airbnb as far as how a host runs their listing, aside from the obvious, that the place should be clean on arrival, that the host should be responsive to your communications, that the amenities that are listed should be there and in working order.

There's a big dif, as far as I'm concerned, in being a complainer and alerting a host to something they may not be aware of, or something that was overlooked. I'd certainly want to know if guests found dirty dishcloths in the drawer. But I'd feel differently about a guest who messaged me saying "The dishcloths in the kitchen drawers are filthy!" vs "Hi XXX, The place is lovely, quite comfortable. Just to let you know, someone had put quite dirty dishcloths in the drawers. No biggie, but thought you'd want to be aware."

[P23]

We strive to be the kind of guests hosts would want. Seriously, someone let us use their entire home with nothing held back or off limits. It’s helpful to know there are no “norms”.  

We had had such a great time out and about today. And such a lovely place to come back to. I had to pinch myself. 

We will keep our host informed in a thoughtful, diplomatic manner. 

Thanks again. 

[Dana282]

I have it in my listing, and the info booklet I provide in the home, that cleaning service during guest stay is not provided. Guests are required to wash their own towels, etc. if they run out of clean  ones. Guests staying longer tha 7 days, I request they wash and change the linens at least once a week. They have access t a washer and dryer, and I also provide laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, etc.

We do thorough cleaning between guest stays. Like others, I would recommend telling the host about the dirty towels. Sometimes guests will put dirty things in weird places that are not regularly checked.

[Marg11]

Although I offer to clean weekly most of our long term guests do it themselves as well as remaking beds and putting out fresh towels, mats, tea towels etc they have used. I wash everything and give it to them to store. We don't have a cleaning fee so it just saves me work.

[Casita-By-The-Texas-Bay0]

If the listing says nothing about weekly cleaning for long stays, it must be that the cleaning provided is just at the end of each visit.

That is what we do.

At the end of each visit, the cleaning crew comes in and does a complete cleaning of the house (washing of towels, mats, linens, etc...) including any dirty dishes the guest left.

The house has a washer & dryer and dishwashing machine available, and detergent is always handy in the case that the guests have some washing they wish to do, specially during longer stays.

As advised above, I would contact the host with any questions, and in order to have clear expectations. I know that if a guest would contact me about cleaning during their stay, I would have no problem contacting the cleaning crew to go perform a house cleaning at the guest expense (since we offer long stay discounts already).