Do you charge for soiled sheets & towels?

[Dunstan0]

Hi I would appreciate your input on this one.

As a host would you charge a guest for stained sheets and towels?

There is a towel with lipstick that won't come out and also I have some sheets that with stains that won't wash clean.

Do you consider this to be 'fair wear and tear' or would you charge when you notice a fresh make on linen or towels?

Sometimes guests have used white towels on the floor  which renders them useless for future guests. Obviously first step is to update my house rules to prevent it in future...

Another issue is menstrual blood. I'm not totally clear if this is due to carelessness or if it is 'just one of those things' but either way, guests aren't going to be happy if they check in and there is a blood stain on the sheets!!! Understandably so. It has only happened twice in a year but I'd like to have a clear policy in place for next time...

As a male host I would be most grateful for your input on these.

Does anyone know how hotels deal with it?

Thanks in advance,

Dunstan

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[Allison94]

@Jan-and-Dave0 Great idea!! I've been thinking about putting out make-up wipes or even a sign telling guests not to use the white towels to remove their make-up but this is much better!! I hope you don't mind if I borrow this idea for my Air BnB. 

Thanks, 

Allison  

[Alathea0]

I literally just bought makeup remover wipes and placed them prominently next to the white hand towel and the guests still got makeup somehow all over the three large towels and one hand towel.  😕

[Felicia44]

I’ve had make up wipes out ever since I open my Airbnb three years ago. They just sit there and guests use my white washcloths and towels to remove make up, Henna powder, grease and grime. I just found two more towels I need to toss. I think I’m going to try the black washcloth idea. But then I know that some stains when washed on black will fade out in spots. 
@Alathea0 

[Gayle125]

But these are still just as dirty. Only difference is you can’t see the stains. You re-use then anyway after washing?

[Sonny2]

We understand menstrual staining could be used again if these were solely your own sheets. but i would not feel comfortable re issuing them for other guests to use however its cleaned. We treat the same when guests for some reason leave brown stains on the sheets. ewwe. ! Not at our rentals... ever!

[Ali40]

Women remove mentrual blood from clothing and linens all the time. It's not as if you're cleaning up a murder scene. There are tons of products that will remove that little bit of blood from the laundry. Google them. As for towels, don't use white towels unless you don't mind if they get dirty. I provide makeup removing wipes in the bathroom. And no, you can't charge a guest exta for that stuff. It's part of doing business. 

[Jenny1243]

They are changing me £20 smallest menstrual stain which i didnt notice. 

[Tennay0]

 I’ve stayed at some upscale properties and they have charged for messing up pillowcases, sheets for makeup 

[Em4]

@Dunstan0  i use Airbnb and other accommodation online platforms.  my style is a hybrid between a home owner and a boutique lodge which i am still developing.  because i am running the entire accommodation operation including day to day physical work with staff, the admin, the business, the cafe, kitchen, cleaning, policies and staff training and I have a full time job that i try to keep up to date up to the moment i change over to focusing 85 - 95% on Hukawai Lodge + Holiday Homes, i use a professional linen service.  this is included in my pricing structure.  all linen is gathered up, bagged and picked up and replaced with professionally cleaned, laundered and pressed linen by the linen company.

the biggest concern from my perspective is staining the mattress.  to my mind thats pretty revolting.  consequently, mattresses have a number of layers between the bed sheet and the mattress including two matress protectors, one of which is waterproof and noiseless.  just to clarify, menstrual blood is not revolting, it is just nature.  someone has already written that women have been cleaning menstrual blood forever.  what is revolting is stains on the mattress since this is something that can rarely be rectified between guests.  blood on sheets or towels really isn't a big deal.  a number of people have suggested cleaning products.

a bigger problem to my mind is sperm all round the show.  no number of mattress layers is going to clean that up.  once again to clarify, its life.  its the way things can be.  not every guest.  but it happens.  myself, i suit up, glove up, tie my hair back, hat up then clean.  same for staff.  our focus is more on cleaning and sanitising every room, ensuring everything we say is there is in fact there and on ensuring  as much as i can, a healthy bed, which includes anti bed bug matress covers, since bed bugs are brought in with a guests luggage.

just with respect to fecal matter on linen that is not professionally laundered, in my opinion thats an absolute hazard.  The fact BNB hosts do not use professionally laundered linen is a deal breaker for me.  Of course prices reflect both scenarios ie home linens, professional linens.  I do my best to remain ill-less all year, but becoming ill on holiday would not be my idea of a holiday.

someone also mentioned makeup remover cloths.  i think thats an excellent idea for home linens.  professional linens have to deal with makeup on linen themselves.  it costs me nothing extra.

Em

🙂

[Sonny2]

I've stayed at a bunch of Airbnb that charged $10-$40 for cleaning fees, It's questionable how well they launder and clean. Now I only book places that have a higher cleaning fee knowing that they are actually cleaning and washing my sheets before I stay . Just my observation. ...

[Em4]

@Dunstan0  i use BNB and other online accommodation platforms.  my style is a bydrid of private home owner and small boutique lodge business.  Hukawai Lodge is open during the high season only for +-90 days to individual travellers and a further +- 120 days at this stage for groups of 18+.  i talked to hotel/motel/B&B owners before opening for the first time in dec 2016.

locally even BNB hosts use commercial linen providers the cost of which is added to the nights tariff.  consequently it does not matter how the linens become or are soiled.  there is no cost added to the basic weekly price of linens which are collected from and each new order delivered to your door.

re linens cleaned by hosts, i think fecal matter is a hazard requiring similar to commercial professional laundering ie hot temperatures and aggressive products.

Em

🙂

[Max-And-Michele0]

I think offering a rolled up dark towel with a note for ladies to use under booty during period to prevent stains. That is what i use at home to prevent damage to my mattress.

[Allison94]

I'm on the fence about this myself. I recently hosted a guest and his girlfriend and she left self tanner product on everything. It still has not come out of the bedding, the decorative pillows or the towels. And what are the rules there? I mean I can't put any of the bedding out for other guests with stains on it. There's general "wear & tear" and there is general "disprect" where people just don't care about things when they're not their own. 

For now I am re-thinking white towels and bedding for something darker and more forgiving. 

[Amy368]

Allison - I am following this thread for the same reason - just had two-month renters leave me with two sets of completely usesless sheets and towels and bath mats stained with what I can only assume is body tanning products. So careless! They only had the sheets washed (I offer free linen service) once while here. I can't decide if I just have to eat the cost of replacement or reach out to them. Wondering if Airbnb has a clause about that somewhere?

Amy

[Jennifer1612]

We host at the beach and have a real issue with oil, self tanning stains and fish guts!  We have a laundry room with a basket of rags and older towels but find guests use our white bathroom linens for any type of clean up. I have not found anything to get the orange self tanning stains out of towels or sheets. Most management companies in our area charge guests for ruined linens.  We are struggling on what we want to do?  Why shouldn't we be able to charge to replace towels, sheets pillows etc? 

I offer makeup wipes and it does help minimally, but we are replacing some piece either a towel or pillow case, sheets etc with 80% of our rentals. Would you put it in your house rules?  Just thinking out l