Do you charge for soiled sheets & towels?

Dunstan0
Level 3
Bath, United Kingdom

Do you charge for soiled sheets & towels?

Hi I would appreciate your input on this one.

 

As a host would you charge a guest for stained sheets and towels?

 

There is a towel with lipstick that won't come out and also I have some sheets that with stains that won't wash clean.

 

Do you consider this to be 'fair wear and tear' or would you charge when you notice a fresh make on linen or towels?

 

Sometimes guests have used white towels on the floor  which renders them useless for future guests. Obviously first step is to update my house rules to prevent it in future...

 

Another issue is menstrual blood. I'm not totally clear if this is due to carelessness or if it is 'just one of those things' but either way, guests aren't going to be happy if they check in and there is a blood stain on the sheets!!! Understandably so. It has only happened twice in a year but I'd like to have a clear policy in place for next time...

 

As a male host I would be most grateful for your input on these.

 

Does anyone know how hotels deal with it?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Dunstan

 

 

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53 Replies 53
Kayla4
Level 5
Albuquerque, NM

I might charge for the lipstick depending on how long it took to get out.  If I could not get it out, I would charge.  

 

Blood is easy to get out.  Spray and Wash or Shout stain removers work perfectly.  I would not charge for a stain on one sheet or comforter as that isn't excessive and surely accidental.  It's annoying and time consuming but happens as part of the business.

 

However, I just had one group leave stains on 4 different comforters, 4 different sets of sheets and 1 bed skirt.  I think someone was throwing up and kept changing beds.  It was a group of 4 that stayed in a house with 9 beds.  All of the beds were used.  I considered the stains in 4 DIFFERENT beds to be excessive and I did charge an additional cleaning fee.  It took 5 hours to deal with the laundry and a couple of items had to be stain treated and washed twice.  The claim is still in process through Resolution Center but I did speak on the phone to a rep when I made the claim who seemed supportive of the extra fee.  I do not consider this level of staining and work to be the cost of doing business.

 

Additionally, I would charge against the deposit for any abnormal stain that could not be removed.  By abnormal, I mean anything that could not accidentally happen under normal sleeping circumstances.  For example, marker stains or other things that don't belong in beds.

Sison0
Level 2
Quezon City, Philippines

Hydrogen Peroxide removes blood stains but only if relatively fresh. Afterwards use bleach on white towels.

Blood stains are not difficult if the person rinses them in cold water right away and they are not left to set, and if your sheets aren't 100% cotton (but mine are) and this time they left them for days and kept using a different sheet to lay on and turned the sheets around so now both top and bottom sheet have blood stains all over. I soaked in cold, then soaped and scrubbed, then laundered in cold, then scrubbed again and they still aren't clean. I will be asking for replacement. I don't buy cheap sheets, I only want to offer ones with high thread count and they are expensive to lose for one guest's carelessness.

I now have added to my house book, that if sheets get stained they are to be rinsed in cold water right away and scrubbed clean, and then either laundered at a laundromat and dried, or else I am to be contacted for a replacement and will do the laundry (for a fee). If this is not done, and stains don't come out, then the guest will pay for replacement. Same for beds. It now says that if you stain or pee on beds you will replace the mattress. I don't allow my guests to sleep in stinky pee pee beds.

My units are low cost and I try to give quality and cleanliness including really good beds and hight thread count 100% cotton linens that are always clean -- at a low cost. If people ruin my linens then I can't continue to do that, so I will charge them for the items ruined.

It's common sense. Who sleeps on sheets dried in blood for a week without rinsing them before they leave anyway?? Well -- I've found out who. Some people do.

Helen56
Level 10
San Diego, CA

I have had my white wash cloths completely ruined by makeup stains; I washed them many times and they never became white enough to match the towels.  

Now I provide a pack of makeup wipes and say to my guests, 'these makeup wipes are for your use, just to save my white towels'.   I've never had a problem since, and mostly they thank me for them!

Donald28
Level 10
Lithia Springs, GA

Ive had bloodied sheets and comforter from a guests nosebleed and just tossed everything out. I started to go after them for the money but just let it go. I was happy I had a mattress cover and the mattress didn't get soiled too! 

 

Some things just aren't worth the hassle. 

MCLady-Petra0
Level 1
Las Vegas, NV

No ots not property damage because landlord has to change them any way would be unsanitary and they could lie to get money for extremely cheat sheets

Spring34
Level 2
Richland, WA

Hydrogen Peroxide will get out blood stains, especially if fresh. Always keep on hand- blood is a thing with noses and scrapes- a must- I use only white sheets- shows everything and also bleaches well. 

Jenny1243
Level 2
Hull, United Kingdom

Im been charged for smallest period stain which i didn't notice. I will be leaving bad review and not paying it. Its ridiculous.  14 the Orchard southview. Uk

Chris17082
Level 1
Merced, CA

So my issue is my guest washed the colored sheets and duvet with something thst has bleach on it. The duvet and sheets are all bleach damaged.  


I brought up the issue to the guest and her response was “Surely u don’t expect me to give u new sheets. At most the expectation is to replace the value of the item at time it was damaged.”

 

Sorry lady, yes I expect you to pay the $100 to replace the almost new sheets and duvet you destroyed and tried to hide in the closet for me to find later.  Some people!