Keeping Shared Bathrooms Clean Without Going Insane

[Michael956]

I rent two bedrooms in my home and I have two shared bathrooms.  Guests may use either bathroom.  In a quest to keep the bathrooms clean at all times, I find myself getting increasingly worn out and exhausted by constantly checking the bathrooms to make sure a guest hasn't left it a mess after using it.  My fear is that the clean and neat guests in Room #1 will walk into the bathroom right after the sloppy guests in Room #2 have left toothpaste splattered in the sink and on the mirror, peed on the toilet seat, left hair in the sink and a big puddle on the floor.  It's gotten so I'm going in and out of the bathrooms twenty times a day and night to check them, and it's exhausting.   For those of you who rent rooms in your own home and have shared bathrooms, how often do you check them for cleanliness?  I want to strike a reasonable balance so that I don't get a bad review about a dirty bathroom yet don't drive myself crazy.  

[Marzena4]

@Michael956, if you have two bathrooms, why not lock them and assign respectively to the rooms? You will never find any other working solution with guests. Even if you put a notice in each "Bathroom shared. Keep it clean."

I also have a similar problem, but only one bathroom. I check it daily. But unfortunately, the cleanliness is not always rated 5/5. But I don't have the time to do it more often, I don't host for a living.

[Michael956]

That's an interesting idea, Marzena.  One bathroom is near to the guest rooms and most guests perfer that one, but to get to the other bathroom the guests have to walk through the kitchen, so I'm not sure how the guests assigned to the back bathroom would feel about that.  I am going to consider your idea, though.  Everyone prefers to have their own bathroom, and it would save me a lot of effort.  

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Michael956

I think @Marzena4's suggestion is good. Assign a bathroom to each guest bedroom with a sign clearly stating who's bathroom it is. You could price the rooms differently and explain in your description that in your home there are a total of 2 guest bedrooms, each with their own private bath. You should also clarify the location/distance of the bath from each room. Also, you might want to think about (in advance) how you would want to handle guests who ignore the fact that bathrooms are assigned and try to use the one closer to their room if they think they can get away with it and how it would affect the guests in the other room. 

[Marzena4]

Or, @Michael956, lock the further bathroom and force your guests to actually share the one closer. Then, the 'dirtier' guests will not compete for the cleaner bathroom. And a big sign inside 'Keep this place clean.'

I noticed that leaving some cleaning stuff in the bathroom makes some guests think of using it.

[Michael956]

I think if I assign bathrooms I will put locks with keys on the doors so that only the guest who is assigned to that bathroom can access it.   Thanks for your suggestions.  

[City-Limits-Ranch0]

@Michael956If I were a guest I would like my 'own' bathroom and would not mind going through the kitchen to access it.  I vote for locking the bathroom doors.  Are the rooms priced the same? Are the rooms equally nice?  You could assign the closer bathroom to the less nice bedroom and viceversa or you could charge more money for the nicer bedroom plus the closer bathroom.  If you do assign bathrooms it will be necessary to clearly describe the options for the guests to choose what they prefer.  If you only have one room rented for a few days you could always upgrade their experience by giving them the key to the closer bathroom even if they have not reserved it.

[Michael956]

Good ideas.  Thanks.

[Susan608]

Michael, I am going through a similar problem only I only have the one bathroom and I rented out the two rooms and bath for the first time yesterday. I cleaned it perfectly beforehand and I went in the next morning at 7am to check it and was mortified! Spit dripping down the sink, powder on the countertop, something sticky and thick on the foor. The toilets bowl had drips on it. Wow - how do you rate whom on cleanliness and how you prevent yourself from being rated as dirty? I feel like I have to go in there all day long on the hour to make sure it is kept clean.I provide Chlorox wipes on the shelf in the bathroom so they can wipe up after themselves, as well as gloves. Any other suggestions?

[Michael956]

@Susan608Fortunately the bathroom slobs are few and far between.  Guests can tell if you clean the bathrooms regularly and understand you can't be in there every single second to wipe up every spill.  As long as you're being consciousness your guests will recognize that. 

[Helen350]

@Michael956 Sounds like you've answered your own question!