bloody bed

George84
Level 2
Glasgow, United Kingdom

bloody bed

Hi all

My guest just sent me a message that they had to goto airport, ow and there was an incident the gf had her time and sheets are bloody and the bed a little.

 

They sent this message after they left he did mention he would pay for expenses.

 

What do I do in a case like this?

 

I have a guest coming today so I might have to go get new sheets / duvet.... I will need to get the duvet professionally cleaned r just throw it away.

 

cheers

George

12 Replies 12
Zee-And-Lyna0
Level 2
George Town, Malaysia

Oh, that's horrible!

If i were you, i would quickly get some antibacterial detergent, and with gloves, try to remove the stain and let it exposed to direct sunlight (UV kills bacteria better). Well, if you are able to do that.

IF YOU CAN'T, AND NEED A QUICK FIX

Get a mattress protector now, and cover the whole mattress with the protector. I do this from day 1 to protect my mattress. It's not a cheap mattress. Even get a pillow protector. So, whatever fluids accidentally spilled on the bed, will not touch the base immediately.

While for the sheets, use a new one for sure. For the stained sheet, soak it into a bleach (bleach has high antibacterial activity) in hot water. OR, add some salt into the hot water, it helps to remove the stain.

You don't really need to discard the whole sheet. Just make sure that you have totally disinfected the stained sheet.

I hope that helps, George!

Zee
Karen-and-Brian0
Level 10
Bragg Creek, Canada

@George84 Good of the guests to let you know, as many would just slink off into the cover of darkness without a word! They get major points for that. There are lots of excellent cleaning products available to get blood out of sheets, so this shouldn't be a problem. (let me know if you need the names of some, I will recommend). If you can't get the sheets laundered in time for your next guest, you will have to buy new ones, but put in a claim in for the cost of the new sheets through the Resolution Centre - scan & include the receipt. You probably will need to get the duvet professionally cleaned, and you can claim that cost as well. 

 

Sounds to me as though the guests are agreeable to pay so you should have no problem. Seriously, most people don't own up to this, even when confronted, much less tell you about it, so don't knock the guests down in your review, they did good!! Hope that helps - Karen

You can't claim for new sheets - you can claim if the existing ones need to be professionally cleaned. I think anyone would expect a host to have more than one sheet or duvet cover - guests don't have to subsidise buying additional sets.

Probably not a concern with 'bacteria'.  Blood borne pathogens are usually viruses.  If you use reasonable precautions there is no risk.

 

Never put hot water on blood stains, it will set them in.

 

For the sheets:  soak in cold (or tepid/lukewarm) water with your usual laundry soap.  If the duvet/duvet cover is washable, soak that also.

 

After they soak for a while, try to get the stain out by using pressure from a hose or shower sprayer directly on the area of fabric, scrub with the laundry soap and then soak some more. 

 

If the sheets are white you can use diluted (make sure you dilute it!) bleach or full strength hydrogen peroxide.  Hydrogen peroxide takes blood out really well but will bleach the fabric also.  Don't use hydrogen peroxide on the original stain, only on the trace of stain left after soaking and pressure washing.  If you use it without pre-cleaning it will leave a faint rusty color.

 

For the mattress, if the stain is superficial and unsightly but not penetrating the materials, spot clean with cold water and a tiny bit of laundry or bar soap, then spot clean with hydrogen peroxide, then 'rinse' with small amounts of water again, then water and soap again, then hydrogen peroxide again until it looks OK.    Put a fan or heater blower on it and get it as dry as you can.  Then turn the mattress over for the next guest.  If the next guest comes in before it is 100% dry you should turn it back over or prop it up and continue to dry it between guests.

 

Once it is completely clean and DRY put a new waterproof mattress protector on it. 

 

Blood stains are probably not a reason to discard the mattress unless it is a huge area that is deeply soaked through.  Worst case you could cut out the stained area, fill the defect with a piece of foam rubber cut to fit and turn the mattress over.  If it is a pillow top, you might have to buy a new topper to add to the other side.

 

As you now know, you need waterproof protection on your mattress.  If you get a bedbug proof zippered cover you are protecting for that reason also.  Get zipper covers for the pillows too.

 

Our mattress has 1) waterproof zippered cover 2) thick quilted fitted cover 3) thin 'waterproof' terrycloth cover 4) sheets.  We wash sheets for each guest, and the thin waterproof if there is any hint of a stain or every third guest or so.   We only  wash the thick quilted and  the waterproof zippered covers if there is an 'incident.'

 

 

Hi @Gerry-And-Rashid0 Yes, I agree, sheets are usually under the category of "wear & tear" & wouldn't be normally allowed. I was thinking though, in this case, because the guest had offered to pay, there might be a good chance @George84 could be successful in his claim. Always worth a try! Please let us know how it turns out George - Karen

Hi @Karen-and-Brian0,

 

actually, that would be really nice if you could recommend some cleaning products that are capable of removing blood stains from bed linen (and are available here in Canada).

 

(I usually wash soak fresh stains in cold water and rub salt into the fabric - but admittedly it doesn't work as well anymore after a while once the stain has dried and all..)

 

Thanks so much in advance 🙂

 

 

Hi @Rolf26 The product I'd recommend the most is called Biokleen Bac-Out - it's an enzyme stain treatment, enviro-friendly & made in the US (Vancouver, Washington). I get it on amazon.ca but it might be in local stores now, I haven't checked lately. I highly recommend it!

 

Just spray the stains and let it sit for about 5 minutes before putting in the washer - I have a Miele washer so I use their detergent  Miele UltraWhite for my white sheets and towels, very warm or hot water, and a scoop of Oxyclean (just in case). The stains always come out completely - blood, red wine, raspberry juice etc., no problem! For set stains, I saturate them really well & let sit for longer, even overnight to give the enzyme time to do it's thing. They've always come out looking like new.  I haven't had a stain yet that I couldn't get out with this product (touch wood!!). It's really good for cleaning up dog accidents, and all types of organic stains and messes (think: vomit). 😞  - Karen

 

 

@Rolf26 I just checked, and it's still not sold in stores in Canada but you can get it on amazon.ca as I said, and I see Lucky Vitamin has it too at a great price ($11.76 CAD for the 32 oz spray bottle Bac-Out Stain & Odour Eliminator), shipping is $17.00 CAD by DHL courier which isn't bad at all when you consider Canada Post charges more than that for a regular parcel to go 2 provinces over.  Hope all that helps - Karen

Wow, thank you very much @Karen-and-Brian0 for your quick reply and all your explanations. I will try it out 🙂

City-Limits-Ranch0
Level 10
Watsonville, CA

Thank the guests for telling you!  Thank them for offering to compensate you.  Buy a second set of sheets, duvet and cover.  You should have those anyway.  What if your washer/dryer was not working between guests??  

 

Give them a great review.  Their communication was awesome.

Agree with @Karen-and-Brian0 - open a Resolution Center request immediately.  You only have 48 hours OR UNTIL THE NEXT GUEST CHECKS IN.  Take pictures of the damage (I know it's gross) to add credence to the need to professionally clean or replace.  

Agree with @Zee-And-Lyna0 - get mattress and pillow protectors right now for exactly this reason. Consider putting some femine products in the bath area for unexpected monthly arrivals.  Travel can really wreak havoc on hormones. 

Agree with @Gerry-And-Rashid0 - you cannot claim from the guest new sheets/duvet but you can write those sheets as an expense off on your taxes for the business - at least in the US (hopefully the UK has similar rules). 

Make sure all your correspondence with the guest is through the Airbnb portal.  If you received the original message via text or private email, reiterate it on the Airbnb platform so they have a history of the guest agreeing to pay for damages.  Otherwise make sure you upload screenshots of the conversation in your Resolution Center case.  

 

 

Thanks guys for your help, advice & support

 

Overall I think if a guest damages anything they should pay, unless it can be cleaned. I have heard some stories of the way people treat hotel rooms..... we are small time operators making a side buck not a major hotel with a cleaning staff.

 

So if a guest stays and pays 100 euros and the damage they do is 30 euroes ie 30% of total..... thats a big loss to a small guy not to mention the time it takes to clean/ source replacement.

 

The guest has agreed to pay 30 euros to sort the issue out, that was very good of him