Ruined Pillow Cases & Bedding

[Tracy405]

Recently we’ve had several guests ruin the sheets or pillow cases with their nighttime beauty products. The products actually bleached the cases/ sheets. I use a higher quality cotton sateen bedding that washes well and is reasonable. I try and buy extra pillowcases I find in close outs and discount stores. 
Does anyone else have this problem? If so do you charge them for the ruined bedding? I’ve decided to offer white ones with a note to please use if needed. 

[Robin4]

@Tracy405 

Hi Tracy, I sympathise with you, I also use coloured sheets and have had the same experience.

The culprit is a well known (in some parts of the world) brand of acne cream and it does exactly that, It leaves bleach marks about the size of a 'quarter' on the sheets, and more particularly, the pillow cases.

There is no way to re-instate them I am afraid, and it has happened to me twice since I have been hosting.

Although I am not mad on 'do this/ don't do that' notes around the place, for the past 18 months I have a section in the house rules, and I have a note in the bathroom asking guests to please refrain from using acne cream on their skin before using the bed linens or towels and I provide a photo of the result of what happens if they do. 

Since then Tracy I have not had a recurrence, I think most people are decent and don't wish to create damage and in most instances they are not aware until it's too late, as they generally use white linens at home (which the cream will also slightly discolour.....gives a slight beige tinge). I provide face wipes and I do as much as I can to keep these products off my towels and linens, I want to keep using my pastel colours because they do look better for longer than whites, and also guests seem to prefer them....it gets them away from that 'hotel' bed feeling they are using Airbnb to escape!

*

Tracy I think your idea of offering white pillowcases to guests who use these products as an alternative is a good one, and I may adopt that if I ever get a recurrence of this problem.

You can charge them Tracy but, my feeling is that is a fairly negative step because, it will impact the review they give you and it is highly probable that you won't get compensated, Airbnb will invoke a 'wear & tear' clause and you will end up worse off. I build into my nightly listing amount enough to change the bed linens after each 30 guest stays and if damage happens I don't take out the big stick, I just head down to Spotlight, Target or K Mart, grab another set and get on with the business of having guests!

Sorry this has happened to you Tracy but you can get around it without too much hassle if you understand that on odd occasions it will happen and just make allowances for it.

All the best......

Cheers......Rob

[Trude0]

I have this issue too, with pillow cases and towels. But with my 17 year old daughter, not with guests. 😂 I’ve now decided to start charging my daughter.

[Emilia42]

@Tracy405 I use white sheets, pillowcases, and towels and do not have this problem. I get the occasional pink/blue hew from what I'm assuming is shampoo but it always washes out. 

[Piotr48]

This is why I stopped using white pillowcases and towels.

[Natalie725]

I've had this problem with white bed linen and towels. Always, always somebody gets mascara on the pillows and I have to spend all this extra time scrubbing it off with bleach. I think it doesn't matter what colour you go for, if a guest will stain - they will stain it regardless. What I do these days, is I just print out the house rules and leave it in a frame under the WiFi password frame. The first rule is about "being mindful of makeup on white towels and bed linen, and to use face wipes provided." I haven't had this problem nearly half as much now, because of its placement near to the WiFi password... So they are much more likely to read the rules as well, seeing as they always want a WiFi password