Do you charge for soiled sheets & towels?

[Dunstan0]

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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[Wendy117]

Has anyone found something to remove tanning product stains?  I tried everything and 3 times now have had to throw them away.  Would you believe even the cot linen was stained!

[Alice247]

Something I would recommend is a makeup remover towel. Basically a black washcloth that says "makeup remover" right on it. Then your female guests can stop ruining your white towels with lipstick, mascara, etc. You can buy them at aBundle.com. 

[Sonny2]

Thanks Alice, 

We have done that, yet they still sometimes use the white bath linens, and not the designated make up remover towel. For some reason , the darker towel never gets touched, 

[Sarah869]

I stupidely have white sheets on the bed we provide to guests. One guy booked our room. He was nice. I did specify no guests cause he booked for one person (this is a private room in our apartment) and we heard him bring a girl over. 

They had period sex (sorry to put it that way) and I came home from work at 1 am with blood everywhere in the bathroom (I did not see her but my bf heard them). I thought maybe he might have cut himself and send him a message abot having bandages.

The next day i noticed the sheets were in a trader joe's bag and when he left is when we saw the damage. He attempted to wash them but now there's faded blood stains everywhere. Ive tried to wash them out w hydrogen + oxyclean but he already had set the stains in his attempt to wash it.

I just don't know what recourse I have at this point. I set a 30$ cleaning fee but my sheets are either garbage or I have to spend 2 hours dying them and probably 30$ in dye products

[Sonny2]

Washing it once with detergent and bleach is normal with our wash, maybe hydrogen peroxide and oxyclean once. but washing it multiple times to get blood and fecal material out costs us extra money that shouldn't be spent in the first place if guests would simply respect airbnb and their hosts. Oddly enough, ever since I took instant book off my bookings and screen every guest before bookings, I haven't had any issue with the above mentioned problem. I would entertain other hosts thoughts... Sure , I can swallow one towel lost or damaged, but when you see blood stains on all the bed linens and bath towels, that amounts to quite a bill and more land fill. 

Sarah, we use White sheets and towels thinking we can bleach and sanitize whites, and it looks clean and fresh, I don't ever remember staying at a 5 star hotel that had colored sheets on them to hide any stains. 

[Ange2]

@Dunstan0   I don't charge for it, I treat it as a cost of doing business.

[Monica459]

So I just became a host myself 2 months ago, my towel is full of hair dye color, I contacted the guest to find out what it was to try to find the right product. Any suggestions of what to use to remove hair dye on white towels? Also, as a host do you charge the guest for that towel that got ruined?

[Clare0]

@Monica459 Yes, I would make a claim for damage if I could not get the stain out.  In fact I made a similar type of claim for a stained pillow case that was caused by a guest's sleeping mask that left a black stain.  The guest paid for it.  I would think that hair dye would be very difficult to get out, so I would file a claim.  I get most stains out, but if the stain causes me to buy a new item, then yes, I make a claim.  But, be sure you keep receipts for all items you buy for your Airbnb.  I was able to prove to Airbnb what the pillow case cost and the cost to replace. 

[Kayla4]

Yes, they don't need to dye their hair when they are traveling!  Dyed hair wouldn't stain a towel if it were washed out properly after the dye job anyway.  This was just carelessness.

[Samantha1242]

Popular hair dye brands can run from the hair multiple weeks after dyeing. This can especially be true for vegan, cruelty free or environmentally friendly brands. It is also more common with colors like blue, purple, pink and for individuals who have naturally darker hair. 

[Leslie208]

Had a guest with pink hair leave hair dye residue on my sheets. I used straight rubbing alcohol on the stain and it came out completely. 

[Marcie9]

My sheets are patterned and so are my towels. I don't like to use bleach, so I stay away from white. Last week, after the guest left, I found blood on the quilt and the sheets. Unfortunately, I washed and dried the sheets before I realized they were stained; I think they're set in now. I treated the quilt and washed it multiple times. I think I finally got all the blood out.

When he returned this week, I asked him to let me know if he gets blood on the bedding so I can wash it right away. He said he didn't notice any blood, but mentioned he had a cut on his back. When he left this morning, the sheets and pillowcase had blood on them. Not as much as last week, but I saw it as soon as I walked in the room. Either he really can't see or just doesn't care.

Cleaning someone else's blood is always unpleasant, no matter where it originated. Cleaning your own blood from your clothes or sheets is different, and you can sleep on your own sheets if they remain stained after cleaning.

I don't think I'll charge this guest for damaged property, but he would like to stay with me regularly. How do I decline his booking requests? Is there a way to block someone from seeing your listing?

[Melissa71]

Just ignore his request. I had a women with two kids stay in a private room with a private bathroom. And while accidents do happen, she used my white towels to clean up her sons poop. I am always home and have a two year old. I would have gave her wipes if she asked or if she told me of the accident. I would have been able to be understanding. But to be surprised to find other people’s biological hazard waste, is rude.  She wanted to stay with me again. And I never responded. 

[Andreas-and-Anna0]

Poor guy, hope his cut isn’t serious! If he wants to come back you could tell Him that you will keep the sheets just for him and give him the cleaned, stained sheets and say that upfront.

[Spring34]

Hydrogen peroxide is your best friend for blood!