Clean Linens

[Danny21]

Firstly, this is definitely NOT a reflection on my practices.

I recently read an article on a legitimate news website titled 'What Hotels Don't Want You To Know'. It had some shocking entries and some which made me pause for thought.

One in particular was 'Hotels don't use clean linens unless you ask for it'.

Which got me thinking.

Pros:

1. This would certainly cut down the turn-around time tremendously as only evidentally dirty linens/towels would need to be laundered and not the whole lot.

2. By not laundering linens after every guest, this would cut down on laundering costs (at-home or hired).

3. It would cut down on electricity consumption which has a number of other benefits (reduced bills, reduced environmental impact)

Cons:

1. What if a guest has an STI, crabs or lice and the linen gets infected. What would happen if a guest complains? How would this differ from a hotel?

2. Evidentally dirty linens were to be washed but not some, what if the guest complains of 'funny smells' e.g perfume/make-up? (you wouldn't notice the make-up if it was the same/similar colour to the bed sheets)

Anyone any thoughts on the matter please?
Thanks

[Matthew285]

@Danny21 just to add one more voice to the flood:

Please don't even consider not changing the linens between guests.

If you have enough sets of linens, changing them won't slow you down because you don't have to wait for them to wash and dry.

Please provide clean sheets for every new set of guests.

Please.

[Sandra126]

A friend of mine once stayed in a budget hotel, think extreme budget, flea pit sort of place. He complained that the sheets were dirty so someone came and said ''Dirty? Now they are not!'' and flipped them over. True story.

But hotels overall will certainly NOT give you dirty linens.

And I iron mine too, like @Robin4. You can see in a flash if they are touched. Crisp white linen!

But Robin, I stopped ironing the quiltcovers as it drove me insane. Instead I have quilted thin doona covers, they cannot be ironed and don't need it. Have not looked back. Quilted three myself, bought one. Here's one still with pin in (obv not done yet, I take the pins out...)

[Robin4]

@Sandra126 Hey clever you.....do you buy the fabric quilted and sew on your pattern or have you access to a quilting machine and quilt from scratch?

Sandra from posts here over the years most hosts don't iron linens and I can understand the rationale for that. There is enough to do in turning a listing around without making unrequired work for yourself.

They buy 180 thread count with a reasonable amount of polyester and those linens really don't need ironing. But I like to make a statement with the creases! I even use an ironing aid like 'Fabulon' to emphasise the creases.

As I said elsewhere here, it is also a form of self preservation. I am related to a host who had a one month stay and on the last day the guest complained there were bedbugs! Either he or his partner had a good quality camera and photographed the date and time stamped evidence. Up until the last day of their stay there had never been any evidence of bedbugs in the listing, and the affected item was a bed in a private bedroom not given to access by lots of other people. The only people with access to that room was the guest, the guest's partner and the host.

Airbnb totally refunded the guest and closed the hosts listing and cancelled all reservations until an exterminators certificate guranteeing the listing was infestation free was provided. That 'incident' cost the host almost $4,000. I know that is an isolated example but I would probably bet that guest told all his friends how easy it was to get a free extended holiday with Airbnb. CS made absolutely no attempt to verify the hosts position in this...they just shut the listing down as soon as the guest made the complaint......They do have the capacity to move speedily when it comes to some complaints!!!!

Nobody will ever try that one on here Sandra and I make younger travelling guests aware that certain cleanliness standards are continually documented to Airbnb for the guests health and the welfare of both guest and host!

Cheers......Rob

[Sandra126]

Morning @Robin4, I too understand that most hosts don't iron. As they say, they have a life. So do I, but it often includes an hour of ironing. About to do today's batch. I also iron the handtowels, and the teatowels. As for me, I cannot stand any sheet with synthetic components and because my accommodation is made to please me, I have to stick by those standards for everyone. I know that some really notice and appreciate it.

Quilted my own, I have an industrial sewing machine. I make random things for a living actually (apart from accommodation, a sideline), so have all the gear I might want for making whatever I need/want. Not ironing quiltcovers is a massive improvement as they are the hardest to get right as they are double sided and slip around! Basically you make a thin quilt, and add a back to it with an opening at the base. Ready to slip in a quilt of whatever seasonal warmth you want, or in the peak of summer I just leave it empty.

But I won't expect hosts to do what I (and you) do, and the best thing is that we can do whatever we like as long as guests are happy with what we provide.

[Christine615]

I have three bedrooms and we have the linens changed to fresh sets after each stay. I don't want to chance bedbugs, lice, etc. from guests.

What I did was shopped sales and got duplicate sets of sheets and blankets. I have a washer and dryer on site so the laundry can be done on site.

Also - before I got started I watched host videos on Youtube. One of the best pieces of advice I saw was to lint roller everything. I pick up a ton of hair before I put the items in the wash and low and behold there is often still stray hairs on some things after I take them out of the wash. So imagine what you'd get if you don't clean.

I don't think it is legal in the US for hotels to not change the linens. And I always "peek" into rooms that are being cleaned when I'm coming and going and the staff always have the beds stripped between guests.

So I hope you do the linens.  You have no idea what the previous guests might have done the night before.  I will say - We wear gloves to clean, found underwear under the sheets, and something "strange" on the mirror against the wall. We even snake the bathtub drain to remove hair and lint roller the bathtub before it's washed to get up the hair left behind (that stuff is tenacious).

On a lighter note, my mother-in-law put her own set of linens and towels in a closet for when she stays in the apartment. Just in case. I don't blame her.

(We also iron the sheets but I agree with the other host - that does add an hour to the cleaning total).

[Cathy418]

Does everyone was comforters each time? I'm new so I was wondering. I do make the bed with a flat sheet, just wasn't sure if I should wash the comforter each time . I'm in search of reasonablly priced duvet dovers also. 

[Rachel177]

Hi Cathy,

Anything that is exposed to the guest I wash - you don't know what they've been up to under the sheets or on top of them! I have a fitted & flat sheet but find that a lot of my guests from Europe, the UK and Asia aren't used to a flat sheet so sleep on top of it with the duvet/doona over them.

I have multiple sets of sheets & pillowcases, and 2 sets of duvets covers, duvets and mattress protectors. I wash all pillowcases, sheets and the duvet cover between guests, and rotate the duvets over for each guest. The mattress protector, duvet and pillow protectors get washed each month.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

I prefer duvet covers for comforters/blankets than just placing them between sheets.

Since Henry and  I host longer term guests (1~4 months), we usually change/wash all covers and sheets and blankets/comforters (just about everything except the actual mattress and pillows) between guests. During mid-stay bedsheet changes, we  replace anything that goes on top of a protector - so basically all the covers and the mattress pad.

We don't leave out spares or extra towels for guests. They are stored separately in our CLEAN linen drawer so we know exactly what is clean and what is not, and brought out when needed.