So...would you run all dishes through dishwasher between guests..

[Jann3]

We're gonna rent a studio apartment out on AirBnB and my husband asked a good question today: His question? "Are you (I do all the between-guest-cleanings) gonna put all silverware/dishes/pots/pans in dishwasher between guests to ensure they are clean?"

I never thought of it before, but I know Extended Stay America (not the best comparison) DOES this. The maids told me there once that they put their pots/pans/glasses/plates and silverware in the dishwasher between guests. If they need to turn the room over fast, they replace it all and put it in another room's dw.

The finicky "guest" in me says yes, clean them all between guests. (We have a 4 piece place setting, 6 pots/pans, silverware, glass pyrex storage containers, etc... ) It would all fit...and the dishwaster can get it done in an hour. Wouldn't be an issue. BUT what do other hosts do (that rent full-units)?

Just so you know where I'm coming from - and the husband I'm dealing with - this is the same husband that said: "OOooooh, I have a good idea. Take the toaster to the garage and use the leaf-blower to clean it out between guests! It'll get rid of all the crumbs" 🤔 

To which I said: 😡!

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Jann3

If it were me, a definite YES. Some people just really and seriously do not know how to properly load a dishwasher or do the dishes or wash the grease of a pot.

I don't have a dishwasher and when I have friends over, they sometimes do the dishes for me (I never cook so it's mostly cups, utensils and small plates/bowls used to eat takeout/delivery) - but half of the time, I end up having to do the dishes again because they don't meet my standard for "squeaky clean". 

Ohhh~ I love the idea of using the leaf blower to clean the toaster of crumbs!!!!!!!! I don't have a leaf blower but I need to start thinking about something similar that will work  😄 

[Jann3]

@Jessica-and-Henry0: I *know* you're wondering if Jessica's hairdryer has enough horsepower, aren't ya Henry? 😂

[Vanessa-and-Kurt0]

@Jann3

The last house we stayed at asked to rinse dishes and leave them on the counter drain mat.

-They didn't want guests to load the dw "wrong"

-They only wanted to wash used items

-

[Karen-and-Brian0]

@Jann3 If they all fit, I say go for it! We have far too many dishes & pots & pans to fit in 1 load but I do check them to ensure they've been cleaned by the previous guests & rewash as necessary. It's a nice touch if you can do it. 🙂 - Karen

[Karen-and-Will0]

@Jann3 The first thing I do upon arrival to clean our place is check all the dishes, utensils, and pots/pans.  If they are even slightly dirty or even have water spots they go in the dishwasher. Most of the time things are clean but it only takes one time to turn off a new guest with dirty dishes.  For example, a couple of weeks ago when I came in everything seemed in order.  However when I checked the dinner plates the top 2 were greasy as if someone had eaten and put them straight away without washing.  Ugh!  Into the dishwasher they went along with a very close inspection of everything else.  My dishwasher takes 2+ hours to run a cycle so I clean the rest of the place while it runs.  What dishwasher do you have that takes just an hour?

[Jann3]

The LG dishwashers have a "1-hour" cycle that's meant to wash dishes that have no food or stuff on them...just residue or dishes that have been rinsed. Combined with Cascade Platinum, it sanitizes w/o a 3-4 hr cycle (yes, I checked this out). I just figured it might pay to put them all in regardless of how they looked...since - in practice mode - it's taken me 2 hrs to turn over the apartment.... 1 hr isn't that bad for the d/w. It'd leave me enough time to load it, run it, and unload and put them away.

[Lisa658]

Hi @Jann3

We have it written in our house rules that all dishes must be run through the dishwasher including the plastic cutting boards.  We don't mind if they leave the machine running when they check out.  

I only do checks on 3 properties after the housekeeping is completed.  This takes about 30 - 40 minutes each including fixing any little mistakes.  In a year, I would say maybe 2 sets of guests per property do not adhere to the request to use the machine.  The pots have glass lids so I hold them up to the sunlight and I have found this to be a good indicator of how the rest of the dishes have been left.  Biggest pain is the teapot - definitely buy one that you can get your hand in deep enough to scrub out any discolouration.    

I am a bit mindful of wasting energy resources on repeat cleaning that may not be necessary.  Where would you draw the line?  

If you leave extra towels in the cupboard and they appear undisturbed do you take them all out and wash them again?  I fold them and place them in a particular way that it would be very fastidious for the guest to replicate if they used the towel and put it back.  Never had this happen so we do not wash the towels that are not disturbed.  They are just rotated.

We only provide extra blankets on request otherwise how could you be sure the guest did not just put it back how they found it?  If you really wanted blankets there, maybe they could be tied wih raffia ribbon with a note asking that they be left on the bed if used?  No one will go to the trouble of trying to get it back to how it was.

We order our linen from a local hire company and from time to time there may be a tiny hole.  If these can be placed at the foot of the bed where it cannot be noticed, I have instructed the housekeepers to do so.  We can get our money back for these sheets - but what a waste of water and energy and labour.  I can't justify it in my own mind for something the guest would not notice.

The best thing that we have bought is a steam washing machine.  You can put blankets that have only had a light use on a refresh cycle for 20 minutes of steam clean and this meets the standard for killing any and all unwanted micro "beings".  I love that this saves so much water and energy.

Ultimately, you have to do what will leave you feeling comfortable with how you have presented your studio.  No sense compromising and not being at peace with it, but please consider the environment too when making the decision.

Lisa

[Jann3]

@Lisa658,

We, too, bought a washing machine w/a steam cycle (The LG WM5000HWA) and absolutely ADORE it! I use the sanitize cycle for the white cloths/towels and the steam cycle for the quilt/comforters. We purchased the LG Sidekick Pedestal Washer - that mounts below the main washer - taking the place of the washer's pedestal - for smaller loads (kitchen towels, etc) that don't require a long wash. It uses very little water and handles 4lbs in 1cu/ft of washing space.

[Duje0]

@Jann3 after gues's leave apartment, i personally chech all dishes, plates, knifes etc. if they use it during they stay.
Many guest don't clean it , and they just put it between clean paltes,pot.. etc.

[Anna9122]

if you're going to obsess over cleanliness of your space, obsess over the bedroom and bathroom. 100% of guests use the bed and bathroom and if a new guest finds a problem in these areas, its not usually something they can quickly and easily fix themselves. *If* a guest uses your kitchen, and they *also* find the last guest did not clean right or the cleaning team missed something, its probably a lot less gross than what they would find in bedroom or bathroom and can fix it themselves quickly and easily enough without needing to call the host to fix it. The guest can't so easily wash their sheets after a long day if they find someone else's hair under their pillow or in the shower, or pee marks around the toilet but could easily just find a new fork or plate, or wipe away some toaster crumbs onto the floor.

[Lawrene0]

@Anna9122 , your own listings say you have committed to the enhanced cleaning process, and your reviews rave about cleanliness. Is there a reason you are advising other hosts not to worry about crumbs and unwashed dishes? Surely you aren't hoping the rest of us will slack off? 

[Anna9122]

@Lawrene0  I'm not at all saying slack off. I'm not at all saying leave crumbs and unwashed dishes for your guests. and I'm also not saying don't follow the "enhanced airbnb cleaning process". It's annoying that I even have to make that clear but I said exactly what I meant. Run your business how you want--I was just trying to put my 2 cents in. Obsessing over small details that don't matter that much isn't a sustainable way to run a business. Unless you have unlimited amount of time (which most of us don't) you might want to spend the most amount of your time on things that will bring you a better ROI or bring you closer to your goals whatever they may be. Like the 80/20 rule. spend 80% of your time and effort on the things that matter the most and 20% on the finer details.

[Nash-Cottages-LLC0]

@Jann3. We run everything we can through the dishwater between guests, but also have blocked off the day before and the day after a guest stay to ensure we can clean and sanitize properly.

[Laura2592]

We do. Its part of the whole "disinfect until your eyes pop out of your head" COVID protocol. All dishes get run through the dishwasher between guests. We stopped leaving out as many because it took so long. We ask guests not to put back dishes they hand washed (some insist on not using the dishwasher. I did a thread on it a while ago and found out this was controversial.) We have a little note in our house guide and check in instructions that we need guests to use the dishwasher for the superheated water/sterlizing protocol and if they don't feel comfortable, just leave their hand-washed items in the sink and we will run them through.