Please don't use white towels to remove makeup

[Joe227]

Hey Guys,

I have tried many ways like adding this to house manual, hanging a note on washroom mirror, puting a note on towels, direct message to female guests before check-in and Im surprise its still happening and they clean their makeup with white towels ! some gens clean the showes as well!. I am surprise how these makeup matterials are made that even bleaching towels can not remove the stains! therefore I have to buy new set ot towels every 2 months or less.

I'm wondering if anyone has a successful experiance.

Thanks

Joe

[Lizzie]

I really like this idea @Letti0 and I like that you have ones with make-up actually embroidered on to them, very cool. 

I actually stayed in an Airbnb home that had something similar, where there was a tidy stack of dark grey face cloths (flannels), that lived by the sink in the bathroom. They had a little sign on them saying 'please us these for make-up.' It was a soft reminder that the white towels are not to be used for this. 🙂

[Mercedes-And-Tim0]

Where did you puchase the black makeup washcloths? I've had some guests ruin my wash clothes and This is a great idea.

[Letti0]

@Mercedes-And-Tim0  Here you go:

https://turkishtowelcompany.com/product/black-makeup-washcloth/

[Danielle681]

Hi Letti0,

Thank you for the amazing tip. Since hosting in January of this year, we have provided navy blue washcloths and a few whites and had quite a time trying to get the make up and hair dye out of the white washcloths. We are unsure if we will find black washcloths with the make up sign on it here... However we would start with plain black until we can find something similar. In addition, we are creating new signage and adding in the bathrooms as gentle reminders.

Best wishes to you and your hosting team!

Love from Barbados

[David-and-Annie0]

I love this idea and had not seen it before. Gonna get ASAP. I also have make-up wipes disposable cloths, but I like this better!

[Danielle681]

We tried the make up wipes disposable but they are added costs and find some are left back as everyone use various brands due to skin types. We also tried plain cotton pads and those too are hardly used. I know most people travel with their make up or skin care routine packs. 

[Sarah977]

I like @Letti0's solution. I do have a hard time understanding hosts who insist on using white towels, then complain because they are stained. Hosts need to be pragmatic and adjust what they would "like" i.e. only using white towels and expecting that guests won't stain them, to "reality" i.e. some guests will inevitably stain them no matter what your instructions and what alternatives you provide. I have thick fluffy brown towel sets for guests. No one has complained, no one has questioned whether they are clean or not, and I don't have to deal with staining. It's fine if a host wants to use only white, but then you can't really get upset when guests are not careful.

[Lynette57]

Agree with you Sarah, I have top brand, thick fluffy  grey and beige towel sets and I dont have that problem either just a quick 2 hr soak in a colour protectant stain remover and we're all good .  I do have sets of white towels but very rarely use them any more because of this exact reason

Cheers Lynn

[Michelle-And-Michael0]

@Joe227 It's one of my pet hates to be honest. I do leave a packet of makeup remover wipes in the top drawer of the bathroom vanity, but not very many guests use them. The last guest who did, opened a new packet of 25 wipes, used 2 and then, took the rest of the packet with her! 

We have had some really badly stained towels and washcloths, but after some research, I have found the perfect removal method for these types of stains.... and with a little scrubbing, it works every time for me.....

This method will suit any stain that is oil or grease based.... Prior to washing, directly and liberally apply non-Eco dishwashing detergent to the stain (it must be just the cheap and nasty brand of concentrated dishwashing liquid). Scrub and rub the stain onto itself, then dip into a small amount of HOT water and rub again.... by this stage most of the stain should be removed. 

Then, when you put your towels in to the wash, add 3 squirts of the dishwashing liquid to your laundry detergent (for really bad stains you can also add a quarter of a cup of borax), and use white vinegar in place of fabric softener..... wash in HOT water! 

Its really important to stop using Fabric Softener for your towels and sheets, as this puts a coating on them that actually attracts and absorbs oils, makeup etc! 

I do like @Letti0 black make-up cloths though! I might have to try and sources some of these myself! 

Cheers,

Michelle

[Letti0]

@Michelle-And-Michael0 They are actually 50% off right now from what I paid for them. They are called The Turkish Towel Co. if you google them you'll see they supply to hotels and spas. I actually got their name from my mani/pedi person lol.  

[Sarah977]

@Letti0   One of my guests hung what I thought was a shawl on the clothesline- I commented on how pretty it was. Soft woven white cotton with a couple of small black stripes near the edges. She told me it wasn't a shawl, but a Turkish Bath Towel- she said she loves them when travelling because they dry so quick. 

[J-Renato0]

@Joe227

What about providing tissues to remove makup? Many good hotels put tissues in bathroom, near the mirror. If it work for them, maybe it works for Airbnb listings.

https://www.accentamenities.com/makeup-remover-wipes/

https://www.amazon.com/Make-Up-Remover-30-Tissues/dp/B000BI2AU4

[Nina204]

@Joe276  Good luck with that.  I actually have signs,  "please do not use the white towels to remove make up I have provided make up remover wipes"  I bought many packages of make up remover wipes and guess what?  probably every third trip I get someone who uses the white towels!   Very frustrating.  The signs and wipes are right next to the sink.  sigh..

[Stephanie365]

We are kinda screwed either way.

Dark towels hide makeup stains well, but bleach out when people use acne treatments containing Benzoil Peroxide. I had one male guest ruin an entire set of towels with "bleached" areas from the peroxide. 

[Sarah977]

@Stephanie365  Too bad when people regularly use products which stain or bleach, that they don't travel with their own gear. Seems to me if you can't manage that, you don't qualify as as a grown-up. I dye my hair and I always carry this ratty old thin brown towel with me when I travel. I wouldn't think of using someone else's towels, even in a hotel, and leaving brown dye on them.