Irreparable sheets and towels, how to stop this trend

Miho-And-Brina0
Level 3
Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia

Irreparable sheets and towels, how to stop this trend

Hello Everyone,

I decided to post my topic to the Airbnb community here after doing a few researches online, and could not find any helpful information. I hope that other hosts here who have experienced or are experiencing my issue, can share with our community some tips that can help us decrease waste.

 

In the past couple of years our sheets, pillow cases and towels have often been ruined by stains that are impossible to remove. In the past we have used chemical removers such as bleach. Now we are an eco friendly business, and we use natural stain removers which are far more efficient, but are still unable to remove many of the stains. We believe that the irreparable stains are caused by certain types of sun screens, because they come up only in the hot summer months, June, July and August.

 

It breaks my heart that each year we have to throw away beautiful, often new sheets and towels. Of course, we donate or reuse old ones as cleaning cloths, but that doesn't really help in resolving the issue, because contamination happens on such a massive scale! 

 

I am thinking about starting to raise awareness among our guests and providing them with information about why usual sun screens are not the best option (environmental issues for the oceans, leaving stubborn stains on fabrics etc.), and will start including a natural sun screen in our welcome gift. I think if people knew more about this, they would be more careful about the way they use sun screens.

 

Have you been having the same problems with bedsheets and towels, and if yes, what is your approach to dealing with this?  Does any statistics exist about how much is thrown away every year? How do hotels cope with that?

 

I will be grateful for any input, any suggestion that anybody may have for me. Thank you folks 🙂

57 Replies 57
Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Helen427 

 

I would never attempt to wash my cats. All hell would break loose! I did try washing my kitten when I was a child and that was not a good experience for either of us. Luckily, my cats don't get any critters as they have vet prescribed treatments that prevent all that...cats-in-baths-2.jpg

Helen427
Level 10
Auckland, New Zealand

@Huma0  That reminds me of when I was having a bath and my cat was walking around the rim and fell in....Thankfully she was great about it. She seemed to quite enjoy the rain and water. Funny how animals always have a way of reminding us they are with us in spirit after they go to Rainbow Garden & Heaven

Miho-And-Brina0
Level 3
Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia

@Helen427 My cat gets panicked and screams only if someone holds her and doesn't let her go during washing. If I leave her so she can  move freely in the bathroom while I do her washing, it's the wettest experience but she is ok, she is not having the best time, but she is patient about it. She is a persian who likes to  chase butterflies in our garden so I have to do washing a few times a year: a solution of a little bit of cleen green into warm water works great for her fur. 😉

@Huma0 

 

@Miho-And-Brina0  said:

 

“natural stain removers which are far more efficient, but are still unable to remove many of the stains”.  It breaks my heart that each year we have to throw away beautiful, often new sheets and towels”. 

 

Oxygen bleach is not bleach, it’s hydrogen peroxide and washing soda. It seems to me that using it, combined with the occasional hot water cycle, is far less damaging to the environment, than having to toss otherwise new linens. 

 

Miho-And-Brina0
Level 3
Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia

@Colleen253 Thanks for clarifying. I got confused, because we don't seem to have this product in Croatia, but will simply buy hydrogen peroxide, will mix w soda and see what happens 👍 

@Miho-And-Brina0  The oxygen bleach I use is a concentrated powdered version. It appears that a home made liquid version would be 1:1:1 peroxide/w soda/hot water, mixed at point of use. I hope that works for you!  There are many other OB products available.

 

Miho-And-Brina0
Level 3
Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia

@Colleen253 Was just looking for hydrogen peroxide online buying options in Croatia, and it seems to be out of stock at the moment. Thanks for the tip for how to make my own solution! Looks easy to make and am exited to try it. I'll do a new research online, peroxide should be easy to find 😉 

Miho-And-Brina0
Level 3
Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia

@Colleen253 Ordered the hydrogen peroxide. Will try it + washing soda in a hot water and will let you know about the result. Thank you!

@Miho-And-Brina0  Thanks! It would be good to know if it works just as well. I do like the convenience of the product I'm using, but as you mention, supply chain issues are so common now. Alternative options are good to have. Washing soda is something I keep on hand as I use it to make laundry powder, and I do use peroxide frequently too. 

Miho-And-Brina0
Level 3
Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia

I love washing soda (we call it crystal soda here) ! With my husband we discovered it recently, while looking for ways to clean our outdoor grill area and the white stone tiles in our garden, and were amazed at the great job it did. I use it ever since. Thank you so much for suggesting to add the hydrogen peroxide, so looking forward to try it! Cheers, Brina

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Colleen253 

 

Thanks for the tip. I have used hydrogen peroxide, which I find in my local pharmacy and found it good, to a certain degree, on blood stains, but never tried combining it with soda, so will give that a go.

Miho-And-Brina0
Level 3
Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia

@Colleen253 Sorry it took me a while to respond. My first hydrogen peroxide order got lost so I had to reorder again. Then tested the hydrogen peroxide + washing soda on a few types of fabrics with different kinds of stains. It did help to remove quite a few old stains and to repair a beautiful white 100 % cotton sheet that I had been trying to recover for a couple of months and had given up all hope already 🙂 I learned that hydrogen peroxide is a great helper and will start using it regularly to treat stubborn stains. Thank you so so much for your advise! ❤️

@Miho-And-Brina0  That's terrific! Glad it worked so well for you!!

@Colleen253 @Miho-And-Brina0 

Be aware hot water can set stains/ residue so maybe try spray it on &  soak first in cold water.

 

 Best

@Helen427   Yes, I know that can be true 😊 but I was talking about washing whites specifically with a commercial oxygen bleach product. The one I use is a powdered concentrate of hydrogen peroxide and washing soda. It gets stains out with few exceptions, for me. And I’ve had guests leave every stain imaginable. Again, this was suggested as way to tackle those impossible stains that the usual natural cleaners are not getting out, and to prevent the last unfortunate resort of having to toss irreparably stained linens.