Asking guests to strip their linen

[Sarah2310]

I have been asking my post-covid guests to strip their beds when they leave and put the linen in a plastic bag I have provided for them. Nobody has refused, until yesterday, when the guest refused because she might get covid from the mattress or pillows. I was flabbergasted. Why would you feel safe sleeping in a bed that had only a sheet of cotton between you and a potential source of covid. I am certainly assuming my mattresses and pillows are free of covid. 

I air my rooms, very fully and the duvets and the pillow covers for at least 24 hours before putting on clean covers. What is everyone else doing?

[Charles224]

@Sarah2310 We would feel too awkward to ask that of our guests.

We see part of our responsibility as breaking any C19 spread.

When we clean we start in the bedroom/s; we get the laundry wash underway (linen & towels) then sanitise our hands. Anything a guest may have touched and anywhere a guest may have been is thouroughly cleaned (basically everything..). If a guest said they didn't use something we would still clean it. As for mattresses; we have very solid mattress protectors on the beds, and yes, we clean these too. 

No wonder they say Australians use a lot of water.

As a business we wouldn't last because cleaning takes many hours, often spread over a few days, but as a place to stay... well there's no place like a very clean home away from home.

[Anonymous]

@Sarah2310  Your guest was a total idiot, but if you're already wearing a mask and gloves while cleaning the space I don't see a science-based reason you should feel personally endangered by stripping the guest's linens.

It seems people are being overcautious about surface transmission while not taking airborne seriously enough. 

[Gordon0]

What is everyone else doing?

Using common sense. Gloves and a mask (like @Anonymous ) says offers protection to the stripper (NPI). I'm not about to ask my guests to carry out this cleaning step for me.

[Huma0]

@Sarah2310 

I don't think your guest is being very logical,  but I would not ask the guest to do this. I don't really see the point. 

I let the room air for a while after a check out and wear gloves to remove the bedlinens and put them in the machine and wash my hands again anyway.

I also use mattress and pillow protectors that get washed between stays, as does the duvet. Then there is a gap between guests.

So, I don't see a danger to either me or the guests in regards to bedding. If we're going to worry about touching potentially contaminated things, I would worry much more about light switches, door handles and locks, taps etc. Are we going to ask guests to start cleaning these things too because we are afraid to touch them? Just wear gloves and a mask!

[Sarah2310]

The point of getting the guest to do it is that the bed, the only thing I can't wash, is getting aired as soon as possible without any risk to anyone. When I go into a guest bedroom I wear a mask, gloves and clothes specially kept for that job only and thanks for the tip, but I already do remote controls, handles etc. The guest is not obliged to strip the bed, it is simply to help me at a time when we are all doing much more cleaning than usual. I was just surprised as every other guest has been very happy to do it.   

[Anonymous]

@Sarah2310  How long does it take you to strip a bed?

For me,  the actual stripping is two minutes tops - not really a big savings if the guest does it. But if the linens are already bagged, you must be missing the chance to inspect them for damage or a missing component. A stain is much likelier to set if you don't catch it before it goes into a regular wash.

[Emilia42]

This made me laugh:

Why would you feel safe [sleeping in a bed] that had only a sheet of cotton between you and a potential source of covid.

Isn't that a mask?

[Sarah2310]

I didn't come up with this idea myself, I read it as advice somewhere, clearly not on the Airbnb website as it seems to have come as a surprise. 20 odd guests since lockdown have been very happy to help. If they do this simple task for me and open the window too, I don't have to go into the room for 24 hours, which is an extra precaution. We are already taking enough risks so I'm going to continue to do it.

[Sarah977]

@Sarah2310  You really should be washing the pillow protectors, duvet covers, and mattress pads between guests. I'm not hosting right now, because I have a home-share listing and wouldn't take that risk with COVID, but if I had a separate place I was renting, I would be washing those things. 

A lot of hosts wash those things between guests all the time anyway, or have extra sets so they don't have to wash them right away, but I haven't necessarily done that in the past. However, since COVID, I certainly would. I know the information has been that the virus doesn't remain viable on porous surfaces like cloth for more than 24 hours, so as far as the way I deal with my own things, I follow much the same procedure you do, for instance I'll remove the clothes or mask I wore to go out, not touch them for at least a day, but not necessarily wash them unless they were actually dirty. But I'd want to be on the super safe side when it came to a rental.

[Laura3135]

As a Host if i was that worried in a shared home with shared spaces, probably not hosting would be the best option for me, as everyone else has said getting your guests to strip there own beds is not going to make much difference.

As a guest i would like to know any procedures like this on inquiry, it would give me an idea of the vibe of the Airbnb, getting told in advance something like this I would probably book elsewhere.

[Amanda660]

We send folks a nice message the night before they leave thanking them for booking etc and ask them to strips beds and place in the laundry basket along with used towels, to place all rubbish in the outside bin and put the dishwasher on as they leave.  No one has had any issue with this request - our property sleeps 8 and we only charge a £25 cleaning fee so I think they’re relaxed with it. 

[Amanda660]

We send folks a nice message the night before they leave thanking them for booking etc and ask them to strips beds and place in the laundry basket along with used towels, to place all rubbish in the outside bin and put the dishwasher on as they leave.  No one has had any issue with this request - our property sleeps 8 and we only charge a £25 cleaning fee so I think they’re relaxed with it.  We asked them to do this pre-Covid too. 

[Angela3008]

Nothing to do with Covid...

In all the places I've stayed in, when I see people are busy, as my gift to them, I strip the bed and help as much as possible with cleaning. However, a place I stayed in recently, had notices up dictating that bed be stripped. Wellll... I didn't do it. I took the pillow case off (I bring my own pillow, so only used one of theirs).. but that was it. Perhaps it's in how you ask? As a guest, I think it's a bit of an affront to ask paying guests to work for you as well. The level of cleanliness of this place was on the poor side also and they were only letting two rooms. Nice people, but unfair on guests with all the 'rules'. 

[Kate2246]

I do not want to touch people's dirty, used linens. As someone else stated,  it's a 2 minute task, versus the hours we spend cleaning a rental to prepare it for the next renter.