Discovering sheet stains

[Kathleane0]

Please forgive a super-newbie laundry question. I tend to discover small stains as I'm putting freshly laundered sheets on the bed. Do you all carefully examine all sheets before washing to pretreat stains or do you use something in your wash to remove stains you're not aware of?

[Dave-and-Deb0]

Hi @Kathleane0 

This is a great question. 

We actually ask our guests not to strip the beds. Our cleaners handle this because it allows them to inspect the sheets while they’re still on the bed, which makes it easier to spot any stains. If they find something, they can quickly document it with a photo, treat the area with stain remover, and then strip the bed. This process has worked well for us and helps us maintain high cleaning standards.

I hope this tip is helpful!

[Bhumika]

Hi @Kathleane0 , that's a great question! I've noticed that our hosts frequently discuss about how to deal with stained linens. Host Dave has also shared a quick tip with us, what do you think of the approach?

I'm sharing a few conversations related to the topic if you'd like to explore them further : 👉view the discussions here 👈

I am also inviting hosts who participated in similar topics and shared wonderful advice with the community in the previous threads. Looking forward to their guidance on your specific question : @Sally1079 @Tara0 @Robin4 @Elaine701 @Debra300 @Angela3989 @Thea-and--Keith0 @Clara116 . Thank you everyone in advance for your support! 🌻

[Farah148]

@Kathleane0 I've run into this situation.  While making the bed, I have a Tide To Go Pen (my #1 choice) or Shout spray bottle handy, and I just spot treat as needed without needing to redo laundry. HTH.

[Kathleane0]

I like that idea Farah. I assume that those products don't leave a noticeable scent on the linens?

[Farah148]

@Kathleane0 I haven’t noticed any. Tide To Go Pen is best, since it lets you work on the stain without needing any other equipment. Shout spray I use for larger areas, and more for pre-treating before wash though. HTH.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Kathleane0 

I do the same as @Dave-and-Deb0 - treat stains before washing, and carefully insect when making the bed. Anything that is treated before washing should come out. If it is still there afterwards, that's the end of the line for the sheet. Washing and drying will often set the stain permanently. 

[Dainal0]

It's helpful to do a quick pre-wash check for stains, but adding a stain-removing booster to your wash can tackle unnoticed spots effectively.

[Ubaid12]

Absolutely! A pre-wash check helps identify any visible stains, ensuring they get the attention they need. By incorporating a stain-removing booster into your wash routine, you can enhance the cleaning power and tackle those hidden stains that might otherwise go unnoticed. This two-step approach can significantly improve the overall cleanliness and freshness of your laundry!

4o mini

[Cheri354]

We also let Guests know not to remove bedding, "we'll do that for you 🙂 "

It's so much easier to view the sheets while they are stretched out/less wrinkled in place

on the beds ! Then if we see stains, we can pre-treat or scrub first then launder. I usually start

on stains with a small amount of the detergent (Tide), handscrubbing it a bit to loosen the stain.

It usually works.

[Clara116]

@Kathleane0 @Bhumika  We all started like you with learning and growing and working to discover best practices/ways to do different challenges. Don't apologize for asking.....WE ALL Had to ask, read and learn also!!! Stains of course is a big one! Many of us request that guests leave the sheets on the beds. I write: Just leave the bed, you have paid for the service and no need to strip the bed. Almost every time when it is stripped and nicely folded, there will be hidden stains--- so look carefully. Unless stains have been baked in after 4-5 nights of wet to dry of many fluids , most stains can be removed. I have had baked in, and must throw away/out condition of everything - but that's very rare. 

I say key is to FIRST hit any stain FIRST with cold water/ soak in soap/even dawn/tide/ vinegar also,  anything - a cheap bar soap that works nicely is Fels naptha (walmart) - gets out loads of stains.. if soap/detergent don't work/ and super close look before putting in the dryer as it will set all stains pretty much forever. Soaking even 24 hrs or longer is sometimes needed. BEFORE Heat!! trust that!! I work and live by - NO stains - even the tiny ones -  NOPE - a stain to most people means dirty even when all efforts have been used. I give such sheets/pillow cases etc to the animal shelter/or for dog beds!!! 

Hope you have a super happy hosting life!!

Blessings, Clara@116 

[Debra300]

@Kathleane0,

We ask our guests not to remove the linen at checkout.   This allows us to look for stains and pretreat any that we find.  Also, for safety reasons, we don't want to go through bundked linen.  One time we found broken glass in the bed sheets.

We use Shout stain remover, blue bar soap, and sometimes bleach, to treat stains.

[Cathie19]

Hi @Kathleane0 .

i don’t think I can add to the already great advice from @Clara116 , @Debra300 , @Cheri354  & @Dainal0 .

I, like Clara, live in hot climates, so stains can bake the sheets just during a stay. I always ask for the sheets to stay on the beds. I actually get suspicious of folded sheets. Also it’s too hard to check loose sheets, even using a forensic like grid. Lighting affects what you see.

So sheets on the stretched flat surface are best. Make note of stains and/or hit them with a pre wash spray as they come off the bed. Maybe consider rubber /disposable gloves if they have only just left, to protect yourself. Otherwise ensure you wear them if needing to scrub any obvious body fluids such as blood. 

I recently had a sick family and the dad put my white king sheets in the wash with the babies soiled, modern cloth nappies!  But that’s another story! 

Spray, soak and elbow grease with a good soap are often the actions required for soiled sheets.  Sometimes then the actions are retreated.. again and again.

So always have spare linen for turn around cleans plus extra in an emergency during the next stay. You are best to buy nice sheets on sale and have a few of them, then overly expensive ones, that get destroyed in one stay.

My pet hate of stains are artificial tanning products, some body oils, heavy body sweat and the cream based makeup foundations, which can be a killer of sheets! 

[Cindy1674]

Hi Kathleane! It’s funny you asked this because I just had a similar experience with my Airbnb a couple of days ago. After dropping off a few items following my cleaner’s visit, I discovered some small stains on the duvet cover. Since it has colors and patterns, bleaching those stains is tricky. After that, I decided to stick to white sheet sets and duvet covers moving forward, so they can be easily bleached. Lesson learned!

[Kathleane0]

I wanted to give a note of hope for those who've said a "baked in" stain manpasnits time to toss a sheet. I've been able to get stains i hadn't noticed until they came out of the dryer out with a long and sometimes multiple soaks in straight up white vinegar.