Soiled Bedding

[Simone954]

Hello from Piermont, NY,

I am a fairly new host. My 12th guests will be arriving today.

In general things have been ok, but  I am getting increasingly frustrated with messed up linens, mainly red wine, 

food and chocolate.

Do I just have to invest in several sets and cut my losses? Or I deduct some money? So far I had to spray and wash the sheets

several times to get them clean again. I thought I would have a lot more business people as guests but it seems couples like to

book my space to celebrate their anniversaries. It is just so much extra work. Any suggestions? Similar experiences? 

Thank you in advance.

Simone 

[Ed254]

As the host, you can make it a house rule or condition that there in no eating or drinking on the beds or in the bedrooms. Put a statement in your listing. Tell your guests the house rules when you meet them in person for the first time.

I make it known to my guests that they are only allowed to eat in the kitchen or on the patio. This is out of respect for the next guest to occupy the room. Most guests will understand this so you should have no problem after the notice.  If you do have a problem, you can file a claim for the damage and get some money back from the guest.

Also make sure you have a good water proof mattress cover and pillow protectors so spills, or anything else won't soak through. If you have a spill, the covers are machine washable. As a rule, I have at least 3 sets of clean sheets per bed  to cover any situation. You can also raise your rates or cleaning fees to cover any extra costs.

Bottom line, as much as you want your guests to relax and enjoy their stay with you and get great reviews remember your house... your rules! You are still the Queen of the castle.

[Sarah977]

@Simone954  Dealing with stains on bedding and towels is indeed part of hosting. Most experienced hosts have researched ways to remove various stains. You can ask guests not to eat or drink in bed, but some may totally ignore that request. Yes, have enough bedding that you don't have to rush to pre-treat and wash before another guest comes. And you could add a couple of dollars to your nightly fee to cover your time. A slight raise in your listing price shouldn't affect bookings and will help to cover your time. All guests don't mess up the bedding, so it sort of averages out. 

If they ruin bedding to the point that it can't be salvaged, you can charge them for damage.

[Zacharias0]

Removing stains?!?!? Not anymore. I take a picture and send to the guest and tell them the cost to replace. I buy linens online so finding the invoice to replace and send to guest is pretty easy. Otherwise it goes to Airbnb resolutions. 99% of guests pay immediately the costs to replace. Blood stains on a pillow, candle wax on a sheet, red wine on my area rug. Ones a biohazard and the others arent worth the effort playing Hillary the Housewife trying to get stains out.

As others have mentioned have several sets of sheets and linens. These should be hand anyway in case you have quick turnaround times.

Good Luck.