Small things matter!

MicheleandLouw0
Level 10
Maun, Botswana

Small things matter!

Dear fellow hosts. I would like to talk about small or minor things. Whenever I stay over I always pay attention to two things which in my mind tells me if a place is kept clean.

 

Maybe silly to others but I have an obsession with light switches! I always check to see it these are kept clean. May it be a beside lamp or other lights switches. And if it is not clean I wipe it clean because I do not want to touch a dirty light switch. (Same goes for door handles!)

 

The other thing I always check out is the back  of the bathroom door. How often has it happened when I sit down that I see how filthy the back of the door is. Some cleaners only clean the door on the outside and never close the door while inside and see how dirty it is.

 

Needless to I am meticulous about these two things in my own listing. Now I am curious to learn from others what small or minor things matter to them?

39 Replies 39

FINGER PRINTS ON ALL THE MIRRORS AND GLASS DOORS ,COBWEBS HANGING FROM LIGHT FIXTURES AND BEAMS, RUBBER SEALS AROUND REFRIGERATOR AND DISHWASHER , FRONT OF CABINETS AND INSIDE DRAWERS, WINDOW BEHIND KITCHEN SINK ,DUST ON TOILET PAPER HOLDER THIS IS WHY IT TAKES SO LONG TO CLEAN BETWEEN GUESTS AHHHHHH

@Peter445I can see you totally get it!!!

Oomesh-Kumarsingh0
Level 10
Pamplemousses, Mauritius

@MicheleandLouw0 I always check the lightings of my apartments as i hate to find a lamp that isnt working and i also like to check if all remote controls ( AC remotes,TV remotes etc)are working properly.

@Oomesh-Kumarsingh0I do the same! Paranoid hahaha

@MicheleandLouw0 Everything is in the small details and that may appear to be a small detail but it can change a whole experience! 

Lavinda0
Level 1
Seattle, WA

My pet Peve is Hair left all over the place....I had no idea before I ventured into Airbnb territory  how hairy some people are. the tub sometimes I could knit a sweater with all the huge hairs that are in the tub and all over the place. Some guests think it is a good idea to manscape themselves all over the bathroom too....hair everywhere. and even if you clean like someone with OCD it is easy to miss a hair as they seem to be everywhere and when you have shotgun listings with one night stays and 3 hour or less turn around that can be a challenge....

Jeremy100
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

I've got a real thing about skeletons in the closet!

@Jeremy100Good one! 😉

@Jeremy100

loool 😄

Martha14
Level 1
Iowa City, IA

Your note set off a flurry of household cleaning of doornobs and light switches!  Thank you!

 

My eye goes to the floor.  I like to walk barefoot on a floor and if there is grit under my feet, I feel icky.  I like a clean floor.

Also, I check for dust on surfaces.  

A third thing is beauty -- okay you say it's in the eye of the beholder -- I give you that, but you can tell if a person has made an effort.  I recently stayed at an Airbnb superhost's place and it was well-organized and functional (coffee maker, blender, even a quart of milk in the frig and a bottle of wine on the counter) but the place was devoid of beauty.  The bedroom had a humdrum looking bed with lots of pillows stacked standing at the head but many without pillow cases -- and all the pillows had regular cases, no shams, no decoration at all on the bed, or walls, or anywhere.  It was dark -- the one window had a pull-down shade that could not be lifted to the top without standing on a ladder (no side cord).  You get the idea.  I appreciate beauty and function together.  One without the other is only half way there.

@Martha14I so totally agree with you yes! Oh and my town is super super dusty.

Mmmm, humdrum looking bed????  I can appreciate what you're talking about with the pillows missing cases, this is not a good look certainly.  I don't there's any excuse for that as one can pick up cases at an op shop for next to nothing.  This is ideal where the sheets used on the bed don't have any matching mates, particularly where they've worn out but then think about the number of hosts who would not care about not having a top sheet on a bed!!  This is something that as a guest I like whenever I travel anywhere.  I looooove my top sheet and have to admit to being disappointed if the bed doesn't have one.  This would be an example of something not being complete.  Of course it could be that the host simply doesn't have enuf sheets to go around and that's why there's one less, it's far more important that whatever linen is on the bed is clean and in good condition.

@Jeanette37

in Europe top sheet is not common , here we use duvet inside a duvet cover instead. Duvet cover is washed after every guest together with bottom sheet and pillow case. We like it more bc guest is never in a direct contact with pillow and duvet . The same bedding style is commonly used in European homes.

I've seen a lot of threads about bed style differences here on CC

Burt-Blackarach0
Level 2
Los Angeles, CA

Agreed!!!!!

Steve2743
Level 10
Calgary, Canada

It's funny. I never notice light switches. They're on the inside of the room you're entering, so you don't even see them before you turn them on. After that, there's no need to look. But I have had a couple guests point it out before I painted & replaced the switches. 

 

For me it's the chrome on the sink/shower faucets. I always make sure there's no streaks on them. 

 

Aside from that, I always make sure the glass is spotless. Not too concerned about windows, but I have a glass desk in the bedroom, and a glass TV stand in the livingroom room. 

Steve