guest body odor

[Dionna0]

I have a middle age long-term guest who's been here a week already. He works mainly from his room. He has only showered once since his arrival. He doesn't use deodorant and has been sleeping on top of the quilt on his bed along with the pillow shams since his arrival. The only time I knew he showered was when I found a wet towel in his room (house rules specifically say all wet towels are to be hung on the bathroom shower curtain rod) when he went to a meeting at a local Marriott hotel one morning. This is the first time I’ve had an offensive odor problem. I don't know how to broach the subject as it is a sensitive one.  I did mention a couple of times that this guest was welcomed to use toiletries in the bathroom. Their reply was "oh, I have my own." And I thought, well, use them. 😞

Also, I'd like to be able to find the appropriate words to add to my house rules going forward. I've had an order problem of another kind (such as too much cologne or perfume enough to choke a horse and make me sick to my stomach). My solution to that was that I simply aired out my house once the guest left for the day but it is summer in Florida, after all, and the temps have been pretty high (mid-90’s daily) so... that's not an option.

Any suggestions? At this point, I'm basically avoiding using my nose to breathe and praying somehow miraculously he’ll shower... ugggghhhh!!

Thanks one and all for your suggestions....

[Linda108]

@Dionna0  There are some really long and involved discussion threads on this site regarding body odor from poor hygiene to possible medical disorders.  Since the human ability to sense their own scent deminishes over time, it is possible the person is unaware.  However, you as the host can educate your guest of the impact in the shared home environment.  Something like,, "Mr. X, perhaps you are unfamiliar with the share home economy, but I want to bring to your attention, that there is an issue with the impact of your personal hygiene habits and the comfort of all in this home.  I respectfully request you endeavor to bathe daily (leaving wet towels in the bathroom, please) especially because of Florida hot and humid summers.  Should this request be offensive to you in any way, I will request Air BNB relocate you to a more suitable location.  Thank you."

Sounds really stuffy doesn't it, but the purpose of sending a message through the Air BNB system is to have a record of your communication to the guest in case you need to act to relocate him.

Keep us posted as to how this works out for you.

[Rachael26]

@Linda108 - I love your wise and measured responses - but I can't believe that Airbnb would rehouse a guest because of a perceived body odor. Just too subjective for such a sensitive and inconvenient process

@Dionna0 I'm afraid you will just have to wait this one out, knowing that it will eventually end and it is unlikely to happen again anytime soon. It is one of the negatives of making money by sharing your home - and even writing more rules into your listing will not stop it from happening again (same with overuse of perfume products).

 You will need to weigh up the possibility of a poor review through personally insulting a guest  and even then still having to suffer as nothing changes - or suffer through it while maintaining a professional front.

Best Wishes.

[Huaai0]

Lord Jesus won't remove someone with body ordor--it is so heartless, cruel, insulting and humiliating. It is not a moral issue. It is not his fault. What I would do is wait for him to check out and life will get backt to normal.

Note in some cultures (such as Tibet), people only bathe once a year. It's their cultural norm. 

That warning letter is a big no no. 

[Linda108]

As you can see, @Dionna0, this issue evokes very different opinions from hosts.  If you read other discussion threads on this topic you will see a similar divide.  Both @Huaai0 and @Rachael26 are very knowledgeable and experienced hosts and they have a different take on how to approach this problem.  The salient issues I gathered from your post are that, 1) this is a long term guest so you will not be able to just wait until he leaves to be able to be comfortable in your own home and 2) this is a behavioral, not medical or cultural issue, as he had enough forethought to be able to shower before attending a meeting.  Finally, while a gentle discussion with him seems to be the kinder action, I suggest a message via Air BNB will not only provide a trail of your concern, but also might allow him some privacy to consider your concern.

It is my thought that if this guest wants to use the Air BNB shared home option, he would need to adjust his behavior.  I would assume (and hope) your review of him would be accurate and honest about his offensive body odor and personal hygiene.  BTW, did he have a profile with reviews?  What if you gave him a thumbs down review based on this and you never gave him an opportunity to correct the situation?  That would not seem fair to me.  Hosts complain all the time that guests leave negative comments without ever informing the host and allowing the host to correct the situation.

I don't think it is possible to have a " house rule" for every behavior that might arise in a share home situation that becomes intolerable for you.  And certainly long-term versus short-term requires a different set of hosting skills.  Perhaps you will consider a two week maximum stay for the future.

 I am a believer that I learn my most important life lessons from difficult situations.  Hosting, especially a shared home listing, has provided me with a number of opportunities to grow and confront uncomfortable situations.  Best of luck dealing with this and keep us posted how it all plays out.

[Robin114]

My question is after a guest with body odor leaves, how do you freshen the mattress? The room is already smelling. I can wash sheets, blankets etc, but the mattress???

[Mark116]

You could sprinkle baking soda on the mattress, let it sit there for a few hours if you have time, and then vacuum it up.  It is also probable that the mattress itself, if you have sheets+mattress pad may not be affected.  And, if you don't have one of the vinyl mattress protectors, I would get one after this guest leaves..that will give you 3 layers of protection for the mattress...mattress protector, pad and then sheet.  Good luck.