Do I need to wash the comforter after every stay?

[Bethany27]

Hi all, we've been hosting for almost 3 years now. We usually get one-night bookings back-to-back, and we have always washed our comforter after each guest's stay. However, the frequent washing has destroyed most of our comforters. I recently got a duvet insert & cover so that we can wash the cover frequently without ruining the blanket, but putting the cover on and taking it off each time is getting to be quite annoying. I read that hotels don't wash their comforters often at all, and I'm wondering what other hosts do in this regard. Thanks in advance! 

[Sarah977]

@Bethany27  I know there are hosts who will tell you that it's absolutely unacceptable not to wash all the bedding between every guest, some even feel they have to wash the mattress pad every time.

I'm not one of those hosts. It is only chilly enough for a duvet a few months a year where I live, and I don't wash the cover in between each guest. I use top sheets and fold them well back over the top of the duvet. I don't take one nighters or back-to back bookings, so I can hang the duvet out in the sun and the breeze while I'm cleaning the guest space. I only host solo guests, so it's not like anyone's been having a sex romp on the bedding. I have a spare cover, so if a change is needed, I don't have to right away do a wash. If I have a guest who leaves a bit of odor in the room, or the guest didn't strike me as particularly clean, or the duvet doesn't smell clean, I'll definitely change or wash the cover. If I have a single female guest who doesn't smear herself with makeup and self-tanner and I can hear the shower running at least once day, I don't necessarily feel the need to change the cover. I do wash the covers on a regular basis, just not necessarily between every guest.

Yes, many hosts struggle with putting the duvet back in the cover- it's a matter of practice and there are a few methods that people use. I don't find it very difficult myself- I lay the cover out, hold the top 2 corners of the duvet and reach my hands up inside the cover to put those corners in place. Then grab those corners from the outside, holding onto the duvet corners themselves and the cover corners in each fist, then just give it a good back and forth shake. Bottom corners may then need a quick tuck in place. Not that hard, but I know some people get fussed about finicky things like that.

[Sharon1014]

We've been hosting since November last year and I've just this last weekend given up on using top sheets.  90% of guests seem to ignore the top sheet (even when I fold this back over the quilt to make it glaringly apparent the idea is to sleep between the sheets).  They inevitably seem to sleep directly underneath the quilt cover.  It occurred to me that this is what we also do with our own bedding, just a fitted base sheet and quilt cover, so maybe other people just want things they same way, nothing unusual about it. 

So now I've ditched the top sheet and wash the quilt cover between every guest. Certainly saves a lot of extra work and washing/drying.  Changing the quilt cover isn't difficult (we have triple sets of every linen) and now we do this between each guest, especially for hygiene reasons.  So now all they get is a fitted bottom sheet and the quilt with cover.  We are coming into autumn/winter so it seems both hygienic and practical.  Might go back to a top sheet in summer.  Our cleaning crew guys suggested using the hotel method of triple sheeting with tuck-in, but I figure that one is going to lead to the quilt itself being soiled and not a fan of tucked in bed covers as they are quite restrictive for sleeping.

[Emilia42]

@Bethany27 

Triple sheeting is the best method for me. It is super easy and you don't have to worry about putting the duvet insert into a cover each and every day..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FkuTAY77FQ

[Emilia42]

P.S If you have a queen bed you will likely need to buy king flat sheets so that you can actually tuck everything in.

[Sarah977]

@Emilia42  I watched the video and still don't get how that keeps the duvet from ever touching anyone's face or body. (can't understand a word of that guy's Kiwi accent, either, but I could still watch) It assumes that people sleep with the top sheets all tucked in tight like it looks right after they make the bed. The very first thing I do with a top sheet when I go to sleep is pull it all out from under the mattress if it's tucked in like that. I can't stand feeling constircted in any way when I'm sleeping. So the 2 top sheets wouldn't end up being folded down together like that over the top of the duvet and would be all askew by the time I woke up.

[Emilia42]

@Sarah977 Haha, I actually turned off the sounds because I couldn't understand the voice either. I think you would be surprised by how well the two sheets still encase the blanket. There have only been a few times where I have seen the bed completely ripped apart. 

[Sarah977]

@Emilia42  Not only would I pull out the tucked in top sheets, I like to cuddle in warm when I first go to sleep, then by the middle of the night, I'm almost always too hot and throw the duvet off. But I'd still want the top sheet, so I'd end up pulling your entire triple sheeting method apart (well, not the bottom sheet). Honestly, a bed made like that would drive me nuts. I like to go camping, but only to a place I can drive close to because I have to bring my sheets and duvet- I can't sleep in a sleeping bag, I have to be able to stick my feet and legs out. If I ever make it up your way, I guess I'll have to volunteer to wash your windows or something to make up for the bedding mess I'd create :-)))

[Katrina79]

@Bethany27 Yes you should use a duvet and cover, definitely wash the cover between each stay. Eww if you don’t. You should put the duvet in at least the dryer every week. 

[Gordon0]

If we arrive at a Airbnb or hotel and it had a comforter/decorative quilt and cushions  (normally this only ever happens in the States) they're promptly dumped on the floor/in the wardrobe. The fact that many places don't wash them (and I understand, but don't necessarily agree with why) means I don't want them anywhere near me. 

The double-sheet malarkey is a bit weird for us too, but I understand we aren't all the same (thankfully). For me, this feels like you've been stuck in an envelope!

Many Brits/Europeans use duvets which are sealed in (zipped/buttoned) a cover. The cover is washed every time and we don't use anything other than a bottom sheet. 

[Ange2]

@Bethany27   I don't take one night stays. I have no idea how one-room hosts do it.  I would end up paying for people to stay if I did.  I use clean, fresh, everything for each visit, you never know what may have been on the covers: dirty clothes, dirty shoes, naked bodies sitting, lying on them, and many guests discard the top sheet, European style,  so the duvet cover is essentially acting as a sheet against their body. I bought three sets to lessen the onerous task of changing them each time.  I have not yet found an easy, cheap, cost-effective way to do this.  How about a coverlet? Just throw it whole into the washing machine, no cover to change.  I have no idea how durable they are, I would think much more than a duvet, and in general far cheaper.

[Sam3555]

Yes you should use a duvet and cover, clean everything for each visit,

but anyway it depends of your host style

[Bethany27]

Thank you all for your responses. We're super **bleep** about making sure everything is clean and freshly washed for each guest; it can be daunting with the duvet + cover, but based on your answers it looks like this is the way to go. 

[Kath9]

@Bethany27, if I washed the duvet itself in between each guest, I would never get it dried! Plus, I'd go through a lot of duvets. So, I only wash the duvet on occasion, but the cover gets washed between every guest. As I also have back-to-back one-night bookings, I have a number of duvet covers so they don't need to be washed immediately. Like @Sarah977, I used to fold the top sheet over the duvet, but like @Sharon1014, I got so sick of putting on the top sheet only for most people to push it right down to the bottom of the bed or lie on top of it that I rarely use it now. It seems that top sheets are no longer a thing, and most people prefer to sleep directly under the duvet. Taking the duvet cover on and off is a slight pain, but I use Sarah's method and it works fine.

[Sarah977]

@Kath9  My guests actually do use the top sheet- I've never found it pushed to the bottom or on the floor, with only the duvet being used. The only person who did that was a friend who was staying without charge.

It's only chilly enough for a duvet here a few months of the year. The rest of the time it's a top sheet and a blanket, and the blanket is a lovely hand-woven Mexican wool blanket, which is actually a bit scratchy, so that's one way to get guests to use the top sheet. :-))