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!

[Daphne70]

@Sean433  I think you nailed it.  

[Laura2592]

Oh here is one I just got from a friend of mine who is a frequent Airbnb guest (and rarely leaves 5 stars on cleaning...ugh.) Carpet. She said she tries her hardest not to stay anywhere that has wall to wall carpet because she renovates houses and has torn up a lot of it. She claims its always "disgusting" and that no house with carpet is ever truly clean. That was interesting to me. We don't have wall to wall carpet in our cottage (being pet friendly its much easier to have hard surface floors.) But I thought I would share. I had not heard that before!

[Sean433]

@Laura2592 

It is true, carpets are a breading nest for dust and I try to keep them a minimum in my listings. I have done renovations on my property and one of the best ways to improve air quality is to get rid of end to end carpeting. Practically speaking, it is also best to install laminate or hardwood for cleaning purposes. I have another property where there is end to end carpeting on the second floor and it needs steam cleaning every few months to remove stains and even then, during the months it is not carpet cleaned, it probably holds dust much more then the downstairs which has hardwood. So we will be removing and replacing it with hardwood during the slow season. Also raises the value of the home 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  Wall-to wall carpet is totally disgusting to me. I don't care whether people steam clean it every few months and vacuum it regularly- it's quite filthy stuff and full of allergens. Few people would deal with their washable floors by only vacuuming them, and washing them a few times a year, but that's exactly what is done with wall-to-wall. 

Not only that, not much of it is made from natural fibers, so it's constantly gassing off toxic chemicals.

[Gillian120]

Hi

I had a guest who looked at me gravely on leaving and I thought she was about to report something terrible but said, ' I just thought I should let you know that your place smells strongly of scent' .

Well apparently to her this was terrible.   I may have used a different softner or something but I certainly could not smell anything strongly and no other guest had ever mentioned it.   I put this on my review of her in a nice manner just so future hosts would be mindful that she was sensitive to fragrances and she was very upset for me for mentioning it.  However I am glad I did as I think us hosts need to be honest in our reviews and if a guest as one of you said, 'put on a white glove to look for dust', other hosts need to know to decide if they really need someone that obsessed staying in their house.

I am certainly going to be polite but honest in my reviews in the future, as I think guests are becoming more and more demanding.  For example

I had a guest only give me four stars after staying in our stand-alone 2 bedroomed, 1,000 sq ft, full kitchened guest cottage for C$155.00 a night with private garden, games area and swimming pool (which is normally C$210.00 night during high season) because he could not find any herbs or spices in the cupboards.  This was despite the fact there is a pot on the patio filled with fresh herbs and we live next door for him to have asked me for anything else he needs, which other guests have done.  As I said all we can do is ask guests if everything was ok before they leave and give honest reviews of our guests particularly if they are very unjust in their criticism.   

[Christopher668]

Haven't really had any cleanliness comments but we did have one guest who, of all things, sent us a photo of a small tear in one of our window shades.  Not sure if he was sending it just to make sure we wouldn't claim he caused the damage, or if it genuinely bothered him.

[Angie488]

cleanliness is the new way to get a free stay.. cleaners get a bad name, ripped off! Because the charge is listed separately the guest think they should not have to pay it. so lie to get refund, Causing owner to ask cleaner to refund????? still had to clan it so why refund? Being on vacation does not mean completely destroy a place and then try to say negative things. Why is it ok to allow  a guest to check in and then 5 hours later complain? The majority of them are complaining for 2 simple reasons 1. They know Airbnb will make owner reimburse. @2. They know their family is going to make a mess. And who cares if they have pictures. i can puke on a toilet and take a picture to blame someone else. If guests would reaize it is what it is A Cabin in the woods, not theirs. an there are no refunds, grow up go on vacation and enjoy yourself, Pay for te vacation or stay home!!

[Kelly149]

@Laura2592 bugs - yes!! I get in front of that one by telling guests during very buggy seasons that FOR THEIR HEALTH we only spray the outside perimeter of the building with pesticides, but not the inside and that in this TEXAS WEATHER the bugs will want to come inside. That doesn't mean the house is buggy, it means that inside conditions are nicer than outside conditions and it means that the pesticides will start to kill the bugs as they cross the barrier but it isn't an alien forcefield that can keep them outside the bubble.