Details guests see as "not clean enough" - -add your thoughts!

[Laura2592]

I had posted that I learned a lot about cleaning having an Airbnb. I hate cleaning and have a cleaning service in my primary residence. It was clear after a few rounds with them at our Airbnb we needed to be working on some of the cleaning ourselves in addition to having a cleaner come in. We collect a lot of feedback from our guests via a suggestion box. One of the biggest challenges is meeting what I call the "personal cleanliness expectation" or PCE.  PCE consists of general big ticket items like clean floors and counters, non-sticky tables,  no dust bunnies, scrubbed toilets, etc. But each guest has there own individual "PCE" items-- if they see one, doesn't matter for some how nice the big ticket things are. You lose a point or more as they signal "not clean enough" to the guest. 

Now some of these PCEs are over the top, so bear with me. But this is what I have discovered. I am sure a lot of other hosts will chime in (at least I hope so.)

First, bugs. Our cottage is on a big rural wooded lot. So bugs get inside. Spiders when its cold, flies and mosquitoes (and fireflies!) sometimes when its warm. Crickets any time. We have a big porch and a little vestibule between the screen and main front door. Crickets especially will wait and hop in when the lights are on. Some guests will say that the place isn't clean if they see a bug, alive or dead. This is something we work very hard to manage, but nature is gonna be nature out in the country under the trees. 

Anything that is supposed to look distressed. We have a very rustic reclaimed floor in one of our bathroom made of old barn wood. Personally I love it. Its got old paint and goes well with the vibe of the house. It gets mopped and cleaned with all other floor surfaces. But one guest said it looked "old and dirty." Likewise the bedside tables in one bedroom are chalk painted and shabby chic. One guest left a comment that they weren't "crisp and new" looking (they aren't, nor are they supposed to be). If you look at all the fancy "luxe" places on Airbnb they have a very specific type of look-- white, open, clean edges, new-appearing. So be careful if your place invites a different aesthetic.

Baseboards and picture frames. Yes its common sense to dust them. But one guest told us that she does the "white glove test" on those areas before giving out 5 stars.  (Good to know.)

Dark furniture. Some guests see dark, heavy furniture as "dirty" even when its not. Grays, beiges and bright colors seem not to evoke this reaction. Same with dark counters. Why? No clue. 

Areas behind shelves/washer dryer/pieces of furniture. I know-- who goes behind that stuff? Guests do, especially if they have small kids or pets with toys. We were appalled to discover that the area behind the washer and dryer in our laundry room was super gross. It took some effort to move the machines and clean but now we have a long swiffer type duster thing that helps.

Your personal stuff. We had a drawer in a piece of furniture in the bathroom where we left a tube of our almost brand new toothpaste by accident. Guests found it and were unhappy... it seemed like we should have cleaned better. 

Stoves and fridges. Yes, they should be clean. They should be very very clean all the time. If your place is spotless otherwise, but certain guests open a stove or fridge and sees any evidence of muck,  your place is not clean enough to meet their PCE.  Same goes with a microwave.

Smells. We have a solid stone built cottage with 18" thick walls (about 45 cm). We can't vent to outside for a fan without paying an exorbitant amount. We can't fit a recirculating fan under the hand built hickory cabinets because they aren't a standard size. So we don't have a toaster or allow deep frying. Why? The smells. We found out the hard way that some cooking smells (really burnt toast is the worst!) really linger in a place with 18 inch thick stone walls and only ceiling fans to help move odors along. If your place does not smell fresh right upon opening the door, its not meeting someone's PCE. This is particularly true in a place that allows pets as not all of your guests have them and no one wants to smell someone else's wet dog. 

Please feel free to add what you have found!

[Ballal0]

When hosts complain about guest's expectations on cleanliness it just makes me think... 'lazy'.

There are so many things you can't predict when hosting but cleaning is the one thing you CAN control.

I'm glad that some hosts are putting up 'disclaimers' about their cleanliness at least. That way the guest should know what to expect!

Sure, a guest is either confused or lying if they automatically call a shabby chic style dirty -without checking. (But let's be honest those pieces with cracks will get more dirt trapped in them) And if that's the style a host goes for, then they need to find special ways of keeping them clean. It's not an choice of stylish OR clean! 

People saying "we're not a hotel", I don't understand. The abundance of Airbnb has brought hotel prices almost in line with private rentals (lower in some cases). You are not doing guests a favour by letting them stay at your place! 

When guests complain about things that ARE out of your control, like the weather or that smell from a neighbouring farm, it is annoying.  Welcome to hospitality!!

[Laura2592]

@Ballal0  wow I'm not sure that your comments are fair. All I was doing was sharing feedback we have collected from guests. I was not complaining, nor are we lazy hosts, nor are those who shared similar experiences. The point was that everyone has different expectations and it's best to be aware. I guess when you host more than a handful of guests you will have an opportunity to collect some of these insights too. Best of luck to you. 

[Ballal0]

Laura, sorry, comments weren't specific to you! But after reading the whole thread. 

In essence my point is - expectations in *cleanliness* for anyone, should be 100%. And yes, some annoying guests will confuse decor/taste for lack of cleanliness. 

But some of the "disclaimers" people are posting are basically saying - 'we're not going to clean that thoroughly'.

Many years of owning a very busy hotel, gave me plenty insight on the importance of managing guest expectations for things that are your choices (décor, music, style of food) and things that are out of your control (the weather, local attractions, busy roads).

Cleaning standards is neither. 

[Laura2592]

@Ballal0 I definitely think you could work on your phrasing 🙂 This is a community that supports hosts. If your goal is to call out others for what you perceive as "lazy" it's not exactly diplomatic to the many people on this board who work very hard to make comfortable experiences for guests. There's really no reason to be unkind even when expressing a dissenting

opinion. But I guess with many years of customer service you probably realize that. Again best of luck with your ventures.

[Ballal0]

Mine, were general comments that's didn't single out anyone, or their level of experience... Sorry you took it personally.

I think it is my respect and admiration of the many hospitality business owners that I know personally, that just really gets my back up when people 'explain away', something as basic as cleaning.

But yes, in terms of my personal experience, that you bring up again 🙂 you're right. I should know better than to get angsty! 

[Helen350]

@Ballal0  ( @Laura2592) But BUDGET, SIMPLE, OLD STYLE  Airbnbs are NOT hotels! They are spare rooms in private homes, with private home standards of cleanliness! I spend 2 or 3 hours cleaning for every guest, room vacuumed & dusted, bathroom cleaned everywhere, stairs, landing, kitchen & dining room/entrance hall. BUT, I have a lot of clutter in my dining room, things piled on shelves, boxes everywhere. It's in the dining room/entrance hall cos there is no where else to put it! There's too much of it to dust it before every guest! You wouldn't get the owners clutter in a hotel, of course, but you can in private HOMES!  I have a hairy, shedding dog! - I can get the dining room carpet clean, then 1 hour later, the dog has rendered it looking like it hasn't been cleaned for a week! He sits on the sofa in the dining room too, leaving dust & hair... Tough! - It's his house! I clean the kitchen, then I might show a guest in just as a lodger has left dirty pans everywhere to clean up after she has eaten her meal.... It's a lived in house, sometimes lived in by several people (& the dog).  GOOD guests accept all this, are perfectly satisfied & give 5* for cleanliness. Of course the odd picky one doesn't, & the occasional guest complains the house is 'old' = not clean!

And Yes, I am doing guests a favour, letting them stay for £20/21 per guest, or £30/31 per couple!! (I do also appreciate the income, so am grateful for their custom too.) For me, it's not just a business, I like the original Airbnb concept of a cultural exchange, tho' sadly these types of guests are becoming fewer, as people just want a cheap night. The best guests are still those who stay several days, share something of themselves, value interaction, & are deeply appreciative of the authentic, local experience!

[Ballal0]

Nothing wrong with that mindset as long as you set the expectations. 

You're right, the cultural exchange element has mostly worn away with Airbnb. In fact I'm not sure it really is the place for that any more (sadly). I've use Work Away, for some amazing cultural exchanges in my own home. 

[Bruce-And-Patty0]

@Ballal0  I know you are not singling anyone out here, but when a guest requests that we provide 4 beach chairs and a beach umbrella for them because they are flying in and we tell them "yes, we will get that for you," and they ask for bottled water, coffee, tea, snacks, beach towels ("yes, those are automatically provided--enjoy!"), then they ask for super early check-in on the heels of someone checking out that day ("our cleaner will be rushed, but she said a 2-hour early check-in is ok"), THEN they knock you down a star for cleanliness because of two missed cobwebs (behind the toilet and under a bed--not out in the open cobwebs), I do not call that lazy.  

[Ballal0]

You went out of your way to accommodate that guests early check-in. 

I hope you told them, that was the reason the cleaner finished early!!

Also hope you're not jaded by the experience and continue doing what you usually do.

[Bruce-And-Patty0]

@Ballal0  Thank you for your kind words!  Yes, we did tell them.  I am not jaded,  just disappointed.  Not gonna lie -- I felt so defeated and devastated after that!  We're somewhat new to hosting and with time, I'm sure I'll have a thicker skin.  This forum definitely helps!!

[Helen350]

@Bruce-And-Patty0 Lots of people in this forum, especially those in the U.S., will tell you that guests who demand extra favours or rule bending will give the worst reviews!

[Sarah977]

@Ballal0  If Airbnb's are now more expensive than hotels, it isn't because hosts are charging some outrageous prices. it's because Airbnb has gotten incredibly greedy and continues to jack up their service fees. They even charge service fees on hosts' cleaning fees, which is really grabby- whatever a host has to pay their cleaner has nothing to do with any service that Airbnb provides. Guests are getting fed up with this.

As for cleaning, I agree that there is zero excuse for a home that one is charging money to stay at to be in any way dirty, certainly not the spaces the guest has access to. A bit messy or cluttered, if the host lives there as well, in the spaces shared with the host, can't be faulted, but I think hosts should at least make some effort to tidy up shared spaces when they have guests.

[Ballal0]

Totally agree about the cleaning! 

On pricing etc - all the booking sites I used to use for my hotel charged a lot more commission than Airbnb. 

I've got to say, I don't actually understand the cleaning fee element?! Can't believe Airbnb take a fee for that!!!

But why don't hosts just add it on to their daily prices? Wouldn't that solve the problem?

[Sarah977]

@Ballal0  I don't charge a cleaning fee myself, but hosts who do say they can't really factor it in to the daily price, because it's a one-time charge per stay. (Unlike a hotel, which often has daily housekeeping services, most Airbnbs just clean between guest stays) In other words, whether you stay one night or 2 weeks, you just get charged the cleaning fee once. I sort of get this, as some people are perfectly capable of making an enormous mess even if they're only there for 12 hours, others seem to leave places spotless even if they stay for a week or two. 

But there has to be a better way to do it- if I were a guest, I'd want to see it factored in to the price I initially saw, not added on after I spent time entering dates, number of guests, etc.

[Sean433]

Those who complain of cleanliness are typically the type of people who are not clean themselves. They want to come to a clean home because theirs is not. One nice element of a vacation is a vacation from their unclean or cluttered home.

Meanwhile, my bathroom floor is likely cleaner then their kitchen countertops.

Having said that, you should keep your cleaning game high. I do regular spot checks on my cleaners. I also look for random hairs in the bathrooms and on the beds which is where some guests try to look for issues.