Dear Dawn,
I'm not sure you can avoid a bad review, unfair though it is. I'd weigh the possible house vs. budget wrecking. Have you involved airbnb? Every once in a while they do come through.
Why did the guest leave her cr*p behind? If she stormed off and left it, I'd say it's on her to figure out a way to get it back. I try to make sure, in my initial response, that the potential guest realizes what they are getting when they book with me. I only had one guest who somehow failed to to understand she was getting a suite in a house & not the whole house. It was the only mediocre review I ever got. I hope your next set of guests are stellar, Sally