Guest VERY sensitive to "chemical scents"

Ned-And-Laura0
Level 10
Simi Valley, CA

Guest VERY sensitive to "chemical scents"

I have a guest checking in and a week after they booked they contacted me and said they were VERY sensitive to any sort of scented chemicals.  They have asked me to remove any linens or towels completely from the space if they have been washed with scented detergent and they would be bringing their own.  (we just use regular Tide).  No febreze in the space and even cleaning agents for the bathroom and kitchen may cause them problems.  Apparently they get splitting migraines.  They appologized and said they should have asked before booking.  So on one hand, hey, great, I don't have to wash the sheets and towels after.  But I am worried when I clean the bathroom/kitchen with any sort of cleanser I will make them ill and receive a terrible review.  But I don't know how to clean without any cleaning agents.  Have you ever dealt with this?  I just have a feeling about this guest, that no matter what I do I am going to receive a bad review.  Either I clean and make them ill or I don't clean well enough (i.e just wipe down with damp cloth) and they say the place is dirty.

45 Replies 45
Bruna-and-Siana0
Level 10
Santa Clara, CA

Your house, your rules. If it was me, I would rather cancel this booking (call Airbnb and they will do it penalty free). There are so many things that can go wrong with this booking, I wouldn't want to deal with it. If scent is such an issue, they should have communicated it immediately, even before booking (a booking request would have been the appropriate way in this case).

 

I agree, this smells (sorry for the bad joke) like a future bad review. Ask them to cancel or call Airbnb and they will cancel penalty free.

Good advice.  One of these I hosted the guest slept in her car.  We use SimpleGreen and other low impact cleaners and detergents.  Luckily she was polite about it, but it cost a full refund.

So do host get penalized for cancellations? I didn't know that.

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

I would call Airbnb, and use the extenuating circumtance that you have 'discovered' since the booking, that your up-coming guests are best suited for a very sterile environment (hotel or hospital), prefferably one devoid of any pleasant, man-made odors. Let them deal with them, that should keep them busy for a while.

Crystal144
Level 10
Central Coast, Australia

LOL hospital. You just made my day

If hotels can provide sheets and air that don’t make people sick I think Airbnb can do as well. It’s not about sterile environment it’s about choosing an experience that doesn’t make them ill. That choice is not clear when booking. People can chose places that are pet friendly or not. Why not have an extra box to chose wellness or illness. Why not chose a positive experience for guests rather than  worry about bad reviews. 

Absolutely agree with this, thank you @Monique790 . 

The "hospital" quip was totally out of line. There are people with serious allergies to artificial scents and I'm one of them. I wish Airbnb would add a filter like this too. The first thing we do is confirm that the host does not use scented products. Most of the Super Hosts "get" this and reassure that they never do.

Once shared a rental with friends who booked via a rival company to Airbnb -- the host had instructions to use FIVE Tide laundry pods per wash. I'm sensitive to Tide anyhow but FIVE?! We aired the house out as best we could but of course the overwhelming scent remained. First night I got one and a half hours sleep. We had Amazon express deliver two sleeping bags, we stripped the bed, and placed the bedding in a closet we weren't using. That reduced the scent levels to bearable, but certainly not optimal. 

TBH I think anyone renting out a space should default to fragrance free cleaning and laundry products. Scent ≠ clean. Clean spaces don't smell. We've been duped by manufacturers into believing that their scents are necessary. I bring my own personal toiletries, but I can't control the environment and deeply appreciate those hosts who don't use scented products. 

Ned-And-Laura0
Level 10
Simi Valley, CA

I can't cancel, it was too close to the check in time.  I took a different approach.  I went to the store and bought organic, natural cleaners and scent her a photo asking if they would be acceptable.  She seemed thrilled at my desire to make her stay an enjoyable one.  So hopefully I turned a potential bad review into a good one.  

 

@Ned-And-Laura0    Even organic, natural cleaners can be scented. Maybe your guest will be okay with this if it's the chemical stuff that causes her concern.  @Marit-Anne0's suggestion is a good one for guests like this.

Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

@Ned-And-Laura0

You can do almost any sort of cleaning with fragrance free washing up liquid, vinegar and water for the windows, vinegar for desinfecting, soda crystals for the greasy bits.

Rosie62
Level 2
Hamilton, Canada

I have the opposite problem – guests bringning SUPER-scented toilettries that smell up the entire house - all 3 floors. Anyone? To answer your question though, I clean the bathroom with baking soda, rinse with warm water, and then for a great shine, rinse again with club soda.


Works great on kitchen countertops, sinks too.

Also, I discovered rubbing a very light amount of coconut oil on stainless steel fridges keeps them smudge-free for a long time. I read somewhere to use furniture polish, and I thought that was a bad idea around food (!) but coconut oil is a natural anti-bacterial too.


@Rosie62 

 

For any smells left by guests, scents, spicy cooking, i leave a bowl of white vinegar on the counter. It seems to abdorb odours.


 

Charles444
Level 2
Brampton, Canada

I had a similar experience. In my case the guests arrived before informing me they are allergic to scents or any kind. When I enquired why they didn’t inform me prior to their arrival, they could not provide me with any convincing reason. However, I provided them with some accommodation. Unfortunately, they are also super high maintenance guests. I am looking for feedback on what comments to give in my review to warn others host about this type of super high maintenance guests. I am going to change my house rules to make it obligatory for persons with allergies to scents to inform me prior to arrival so I could charge additional Cleaning costs. Thanks 

Giving this guest a bad review based on their medical condition is basically disability discrimination.  Someone did this to a family member of mine, and she rightfully filed a complaint with Airbnb which took down the discriminatory review.  Don't do this.  You might suggest to the guest to please express their need for disability accommodation up-front so hosts can indicate if it's a good fit.