Change house rule

[Lixia0]

I’m new Airbnb host and I just started listing my property four days ago and I’ve had 8 bookings already. Today I read some topics about banning curry cooking because it is very difficult to clear the curry smell.  So I added the rule of “no curry cooking is allowed” . But how can I request the guests from the confirmed bookings to follow that? Thanks much for all opinions!   

[Susan151]

@Lixia0. You can not change the rules for existing reservations. Your new rule will only apply to bookings made after you added the rule. You could certainly ask your existing reservations to not make "curries," but since they didn't agree to it as part of their reservation, this can not be enforced.

[Linda108]

 I am not able to see your listing.  If you published 4 days ago, it should be up by now.  Is your guest someone from the Air BNB system?  Seems like you need more time to become acquainted with this platform.  

[Lixia1]

sorry I logged in with my hotmail account, but my list is with my gmail account. I'm now using my airbnb account to reply. can you see my list now?

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Lixia0

I would change to no cooking of foods or use of spices with strong, lingering smells including but not limited to shellfish, curry, and use of fish sauce. Also no deep frying of any kind allowed. 

[Lixia1]

Thanks Jessica for your advice! that sounds good to me.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Lixia0@Jessica-and-Henry0

I won't help, trust me, been there done that... but now, when my Indian or Chinese guests arrive I tell them to please open the windows and ventilate the apartment thoroughly during and after cooking. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0

Well when we explain how to use the stove, we emphasize they absolutely HAVE TO turn the stove overhead vent on. Henry has a very sensitive nose so he is actually one of the reasons why we don't cook much at home. 

I haven't had any Indian or Chinese guests yet........ but Korean food is pretty smelly too LOL~

[Kathie21]

@Lixia0  How do you define a 'curry' though - does it include all strongly spiced Indian ot Thai food (eg a dry fried vegetable dish) , or just the kind with a sauce?  What about African stews which can be just as spicy but for some reason are not called curries?  In any case, I think the most lingering smell is from frying oily fish such as slamon or mackerel!

On another topic, I'm not sure that it's wise to have a picture of your(?) little girl as your profile pic...

[Lixia1]

thank you for the reminder, I'll change it. btw I logged in the forum using the wrong ID (it should be the one I'm using right now)

[Sarah977]

@Lixia0   I understand the issue with smelly food odors, but if I were a guest and a host stated that I wasn't allowed to cook the type of food I normally eat, I would feel that to be pretty discriminatory.

A better solution IMO is, as @Branka-and-Silvia0 suggested, ask them to open the windows when they cook (although I can see them ignoring that if it's cold outside) or better still, get an air purifier which absorbs the odors.

[Wendy117]

Try leaving out a bowl of white vinegar. It absorbs the smells.

I would not tell my guests they cannot cook curry as basically most asians only eat spicy food.

[Helen427]

@Lixia0@Wendy117@Sarah977@Kathie21and @everyone else

Some curry ingredients can and do cause headaches to those within vicinity of the cooking - have lived in places where it has caused terrible issues for others.

Be mindful that elements on one's stovetop when making some Indian foods like Roti can be damaged from having the element on high..

You could also include in your Listing to mention if kitchen is required for cooking and ask that they mention it when making and confirming there reservation - it helps with knowing if one needs to make cupboard/ fridge / freezer space available for the guest concerned if they don't have a separate fridge to use from use.

All the best

[Kath9]

@Lixia1, OK I found your listing now. First, I recommend putting a profile picture of your face rather than some random scenery. Hosts really like to see profile pictures of our guests and I assume guests also prefer the same. Regarding the curry smells, I would not write what you have written  - it is too ambiguous for a start, it's a little discriminatory and it probably won't make any difference to what your guests decide to cook anyway. I agree with @Branka & Silvia and @Sarah977 - just ask your guests to put the overhead ventilation on when cooking and open the windows if possible. 

[Thomas1033]

@Lixia0  we have no cooking curry in our house rules.  We didn’t initially until unfortunately 3 guests in a row stunk the place up with the last one being the worst yet.  We had to wash every piece of linen, curtains and surfaces.  There is no above the range ventilation at all.  6 hours of cleaning which btw was also because the guests thought they had maid service lol.  While I did not mention the curry smell I did mention the filthy condition they left the place.  Thumbs down and will not host again.  Going forward if curry is cooked the review will reflect the fact that rules were broken.  Air purifiers don’t work.  My mother used to cook curry and while I love the taste, my childhood home always smelled terrible and so did my clothes.  It’s a smell like no other and it lingered in our home for weeks.  Your home your rules.  I don’t believe we have hosted anyone since who would have been cooking curry but I don’t consider it discrimination as we also do not allow smoking for the fact that it also smells and lingers.  Hope this helps.  Yvonna (cohost)