Current guest tremendous uncleanliness

[Michelle2524]

I have never experienced this before and I’m not sure what Currently I have a guest and her 15 month old son staying. They are on their 6th day, staying for a total of 2 weeks. Yesterday while I was in the laundry room (near Airbnb bathroom and bedroom) I could smell the foulest smell. Opened the bathroom door to find chaos, yet no sign of diaper smell. I then opened the door to the bedroom and one would have to see it and smell it to fully understand. In your wildest dreams...dirty dishes, glasses everywhere! Food, empty containers, some kind of liquid dripping off of nightstand, the white comforter looks as if used for a napkin, inside the closet bags, bags of trash, dirty diapers, the floor...I am beside myself! I am crying as I am typing! I take pride and that room is perfect, clean and beautiful! It was! I’m sickened that someone would think it’s ok to treat any place like this. I have someone booked for the same day she is leaving, yet I need to contact ASAP because there is no way in hell that I can get the room back to my standards, everyone’s standards, that fast. I’m so sad, mad and I need advice. This is only the half way Mark on her trip so it will only get worse. Please help me with this. Thank you 

[Emiel1]

@Michelle2524 

This is difficult situation, as you entered the guest room without permission of the guest.

So you only can talk to the guest about the smell and chaos you discovered in the bathroom (assuming you are servicing this bathroom), making you worried about overall cleanliness.

If you want to end the reservation, you can cancel it (with penalties) or shorten it (if guest agrees).

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Michelle2524I totally understand how you feel. @Emiel1  gave you good advice, talk to your guest, offer to help her clean the room and ask her to keep it clean till the end of her stay.

What we do is to have a mandatory light cleaning and towels/sheets change every week and it is stated in our house rules. I advise you to add it to your house rules as well. This way we can (more or less) control the cleanliness in our apartment.

Wipe the tears and take control 🙂 It's your house.

[Helen3]

Hello @Michelle2524  I'm sorry for your situation.

As you are hosting in a shared home during Covid I'm sure you have some house rules and guidance in place to protect both you and your guests in terms of cleanliness, hand washing and socially distancing so use these to reinforce your expectations around how the rooms should be kept.

It sounds like this guest is not coping well with her life situation.

I think it would be useful to have a conversation with her about the smell and bathroom and reinforce your Covid guidance and house rules around how her bathroom and bedroom need to be kept. 

confirm if she wants to continue to stay  you need to be assured that she is keeping the rooms in line with your house rules and Covid guidance 

you could perhaps if there is a space where you can safely socially distance in your home offer to watch the toddler so she can restore the rooms to the conditions they were in when she moved in?

if she can't/won't do this then you will need to work with Airbnb to cancel the booking 

[Mary996]

That is such a kind suggestion @Helen3  and is exactly what I would do  xx

She is overwhelmed. She would probably be so grateful for your help @Michelle2524 

[Michelle2524]

Thank you all for the advice, much appreciated. As far as entering her room goes, I was trying to find the source of the foulest smell. If I smelled smoke, I would obviously had done the same thing. I was extremely surprised that the door was even unlocked, as I provide my guests with a key ...although, am sure it is lost. I was just organizing my garage now when a dash lady came and dropped of two big containers of Taco Bell for my guest. I placed it on the kitchen counter and see now it’s not there, but in her room only to not see the trash come out. Tomorrow is our trash pick up day and I am going to let her know saying so if there is any trash you might have in your room...not a single dish, plate, coffee mug, item of trash has ever come out yet. Makes food, orders food, goes to her room and there is where it stays. Why on earth would one think it’s ok to eat a meal in a bedroom? I have a large house that is perfect and orderly and beautiful, and I take pride in it. I am the one who keeps it that way. We have a beautiful dining room, in which the child can sit down and eat. While she is cooking in the kitchen, often the little boy is wandering around the house with a pb&j sandwich in one hand...I say nothing. And at least a dozen times he comes in my room, and I love kids, don’t have a problem with that. Or she comes in looking for him, no problem with that either. So, I entered her room, not to snoop, I would never do that. I entered because of the smell and the fact that I have never seen any piece of trash, diaper or dishes come out...so, I had concerns and unfortunately, my concern was real. But never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it could be that bad. I am washing a Black and Tan comforter for her and will be asking for my white one back so I can work on it and so it doesn’t get worse. Can I tell her that I don’t want her and her son eating in that room?! 
I have a guest scheduled to come on the day she is to leave. I need to call him and explain that I won’t be able to have it ready in the way that he should deserve. It’s just not possible, and god only knows how much worse it could possibly be at the end of her stay. 
The other day, out of the blue, she told me how beautiful I am, and that every time she sees me she’s been wanting to say that. I was flattered, but surprised. I now think she was just buttering me up. 
Orange liquid was dripping off of the front of the nightstand, and I’m freaking out knowing my personal things are being destroyed...yet, I hate confrontation but I know I have to talk to her. And I will admit to her that I entered, I’m not going to leave that part out. I only hope that she agrees to my requests because if she is not I could get super emotional and explode. I worry about this. 

[Ute42]

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@Michelle2524 

Don't admid to Your guest that You entered her room, this can get You in big trouble with airbnb customer service.

[Sarah977]

@Michelle2524  It's really important if you are home sharing to make your expectations clear to guests from the outset and not shy away from telling a guest when they are doing something that isn't okay. The longer you say nothing and stew with it, the more it turns from a simple "Could you please..." into something that feels like confrontation.

Of course you can tell guests no eating in the bedroom- that food is to be prepared and eaten in the kitchen and dining

room. And also that it's not okay for a child to be wandering around your house with food in hand. It's your home and you need to make your rules and boundaries clear. 

Do not tell the guest you entered her room in her absence- as others have warned you, this can get your listing suspended if the guest complains to Airbnb.  It's not the same as an emergency situation where you smell smoke. 

You could just tell her that you haven't seen her remove any garbage from her room, the dishes she's taken in there have not been returned to the kitchen and washed, and you need her to do all that right now. And that the smell of dirty diapers is permeating your home, which is totally unacceptable.

If she doesn't comply, tell her you will have no choice but to cancel the rest of her booking.

[Helen350]

@Michelle2524 

If she's new to Airbnb, maybe she doesn't understand that she has to dispose of her own trash? 

And tidy up as she goes along? Maybe she wrongly supposes it's like a hotel & you will happily clean everything when she finally leaves? Or maybe she's wondering why YOU haven't removed the trash yet?

So rather than set up confrontation at this stage by threatening to throw her out if she doesn't XYZ, I'd just say "Hi, were you aware that in Airbnbs the guests have to keep the place clean as they go along? I noticed the bins (trashcan?) in the yard only has my trash in it, so I wanted to check you knew where it was & it's OK to put your trash in it?"

Many of my guests eat in their rooms, Whether it's cos they want privacy, or because they want to give me privacy, I don't know... But not a bad thing during Covid! - Maybe your guest is shy and awkward about intruding into your space by eating in kitchen or dining room? - In which case, I'd say "You know it's OK to eat in the dining room? I really don't mind!" - Better than TELLING her!

Of course if she doesn't improve after some gentle encouragement, you may have to give an ultimatum!

[Michelle2524]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Thank you again for taking the time to help me... first thing tomorrow morning I will calmly speak to her, not let her know I went into her room... I know I broke the rules, however this has to be breaking them as well. Thanks again 

[Helen3]

What do your house rules say about eating/drinking in guest rooms. @Michelle2524 

Mine say this is not allowed and I confirm this during my introductory tour .

it's been two days since you first posted yet you haven't spoken to the guest. If you want things to change it's surprising you are letting this behaviour continue.