ethnicity

ethnicity

We are rightfully required by Airbnb to not discriminate against guests with relation to their race, culture or religion. I have had several Asian guests from China to India. My experience has been varied, one issue is that many south-east Asians do not like to open windows and keep the curtains closed while leaving the heater on high, this leads to black mould growing on interior surfaces which is difficult to clean off, after I family I had to replace the curtains because of the mould. I also receive complaints from following guests that the house smells bad, probably due to odours from the strongly spiced foods they cook. I find it galling that I receive a bad review from a guest because of this. Air bnb must also demand that guests be tolerant of other cultures and just accept that when they move into a recently vacated house it may be the previous guest that has left the smell and is no fault of the host as the odours can take some time to eliminate.

I have recently had such an intolerant guest who trashed me with her review because of this and I am frustrated that I cannot counter her complaint.

8 Replies 8
Marzena4
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

If you want to stay in as a host you must grow a really thick skin, @Neil83. Each of the hosts here, especially those exposed to many diversities of ethnicities (look up the list of countries of origin of my guests in my airbnb profile if you're interested), will tell a whole lotta stories. There are hardly any perfect guests. My perfect guests were from Lebanon and Denmark - each of them a solo traveller, and neither of them used Airbnb.

// "The only person you can trust is yourself"

This may be more 'personal preference' or 'not used to the climate' than it is an issue of ethnicity.

 

You may want to install a dehumidifier that guests are not able to turn off, that way you could avoid the mold.  Have you considered shutters or blinds instead of curtains, would that help prevent mold?  There are some paints that claim to be mold-resistant, that could be another mode of prevention. 

 

You could offer hints in your house manual and/or house rules - for example, "Welcome to River's Edge cottage.  Our wonderful climate is quite humid - please, to prevent mildew or mold make sure to [whatever instructions you would like]"  Not every guest will read the manual, but some will and at least you will have a defense in the case of complaints.

 

Also check with local clean freaks, seems like there should be a way to get things clean smelling quickly unless your guests tend to be quite long term, in which case you may wish to build in a few days between bookings?

Kimberly54
Level 10
San Diego, CA

Hi @Neil83🙂  You've gotten a couple of great replies!

 

When I last checked, the per capita consumption of garlic in Korea is 10 kilos?  Twenty-two POUNDS?  EVERY YEAR.

 

THAT is NORMAL!  😉 

 

And certain things--garlic, even wine... if everyone is partaking, you don't smell a thing.  If you're not, the others are going to SMELL/REEK of it.  If they're eating asparagus, the bathroom might smell a little interesting! 

 

As for that mold-issue, you need to handle that yourself, and fast.  If that stuff takes hold, it can be a nightmare to get rid of.  All caps:  NIGHTMARE. 

 

  Best,

Kim
Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

@Neil83

Ventilation is the clue - powerful extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom.

Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

@Neil83

Ventilation is the clue - powerful extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom.

Dehumidifier as mentioned - a reversible aircon will do the trick.

@Marit-Anne0, with black mold, don't you have to do a pretty intense cleaning as well?  Black mold, if this is true, can destroy a house.  Vinegar, brushes/old tooth-brushes for the edges/corners? 

 

Definitely dry the place out, but also need to identify where the 'real' moisture is coming from.

 

Huge project, health hazard... big fix issues unless they jump on it right away.

 

Best,

Kim
Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

@Kimberly54

A moderate occurence of black mould is not a major health hazard, but different climates may have different approaches.  Condensation (humidity) occur when outside and inside temperatures are clashing and the approach to the matter may differ with different climates and different building constructions.  In well insulated buildings, the problem is hardly ever there whatever the climate.  The problem occurs when you have poorly insulated and poorly ventilated buildings/areas as those are prone to condensation and consequently mould may form.

Bleach I believe is the most efficient mould eliminator.

@Neil83

I personally do not think your problem has anything to do with ethnicity. Closing windows while heater is on is something I'd think is a must. Curtains I think have more to do with time of day and need for privacy rather than whether the heater is on or not. 

 

You could post a note near the window about precautions that should be taken 🙂 

 

And maybe you need to think about how to improve ventilation in your home. Foods with strong smells do tend to linger but with proper ventilation and a total wipe-down of all surfaces, you can get rid of most smells within a couple days unless they have totally permeated your walls and furniture. The important thing is to get the smell out as soon as possible instead of keeping it trapped in the home. Same for your condensation issue.... if the cause is shoddy construction then even with ventillation, in the long run you will end up with mold. But ventillation is key. Good luck~