Unusual Chinese guests

[Neil408]

[Update Feb 19th, 2020] This thread has now been closed in line with the Community Center Guidelines. 

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Hi guys. 

I'm writing this as recently I've had some unusual experiences with Chinese guests. I am based in the UK.

The first one I had was with two mid 20's girls who stayed, they made lots of noise at nights and also washed their dirty underwear in the sink in the bathroom. They were due to stay for 4 days but after breaking many other house rules they left after 2 nights.

The second issue I had with another guest - they blew up a kettle after boiling rice in it and refused to pay - it was only after contacting airbnb halfway through a 4 night stay that they then offered to pay for a new kettle.

Thirdly and finally - a Chinese guest stuck a metal spoon into a 240V 13amp toaster and thankfully had not injured or kill herself. In 2017 I rewired the property and upgraded the electrics to a modern RCD protected fuseboard (I live in a recently renovated 18th c. period property) and this likely saved her life by tripping the RCD protectors on the fuseboard. I did not find out about this until after she checked out. I came back from work to find my keys posted through the letterbox as requested but none of the electrics working. On further inspection, I found a metal teaspoon jammed inside the toaster. I asked her what had happened and she said she didn't know what I was talking about. I then asked her if she was okay because I had found a metal teaspoon jammed inside the toaster and she didn't reply. All I can assume is that she did NOT get electrocuted.

How far do I go in writing my guest rules? Do I have to treat everyone like children? 'Don't stick your fingers in plug sockets' 'Don't wash dirty underwear in the sink?' 'Don't stick cutlery or metal objects into a live 13A toaster?' 'Don't boil rice in a kettle?' I can't think of every possible eventuality where stupidity might occur?

Help and advice needed!

[Sarah977]

@Neil408  Sinks can be washed out, no?  And presumably the things are washed with soap and then rinsed in clean water, so the sink wouldn't be yucky. Maybe men's minds don't work like that?

Funny story- a friend travelled to India and thought she was being a really smart traveller by bringing one of those plastic rings with clothespins on it so she could wash out her undies at night. She checked into a hotel in Delhi the first night, which left a great deal to be desired in terms of cleanliness, but she's a pretty easy-going traveller. She showered, changed out of her travelling clothes to go to dinner, rinsing out her dirty things in the sink and hanging them up on the little plastic clothes hanger. When she got back from dinner, she found that the cheapo clothespins on the thing didn't hold properly, and there were her freshly washed undies floating around in the stained toilet and on the filthy bathroom floor.

You say you have a washing machine and dryer your guests could have used, but would you really want them using those appliances just to wash a few very small things? Maybe you could provide a small wash basin and a suitable place to hang things to dry to avoid the wet floor scenario in the future?

[Beth80]

@Neil408 @Sarah977 . Almost all of my guests, male  and female, wash their under garments in the sink. 

The rice and the toaster, Wow!  

[Robin4]

@Neil408 

Neil, you are possibly being a bit precious here mate, If a guest wants to wash their 'smalls' in the bathroom sink and then use it to wash their hands, clean their teeth.....let them. 

People in other parts of the world have entirely different ideas about hygiene to what you and I might have, but that is their business. You are (after all) going to clean that sink thoroughly before the next guest arrives to get rid of that toothbrush splatter, that antiseptic mouth wash they spat into the sink, and that left over dinner gravy they poured down the drain........ aren't you?

To your guest who tried to boil rice in the kettle.....my guess is that you don't provide a saucepan for them to boil their rice in, as normal human beings do, so they used the only implement open to them that was provided.....the kettle! Does that not tell you something Neil? Guests are going to cook meals.....allow for it!

To your third point, sticking knives or forks in toasters to release that stubborn bit of toast is not something exclusively restricted to Chinese or Asian guests, I have had  the odd one or two from Australia, Europe and even Britain that have done the same thing and tripped the RCD.....that is why we have circuit protection.

Neil, you have to make your listing bulletproof, you have to anticipate all the stupid things a guest may do and believe me they come from everywhere, not just China!

What your post tells me Neil, is not what a bunch of loonies the Chinese guests you have had are, it tells me that you have perhaps not understood the risks involved in inviting strangers onto your property!

Cheers.......Rob

[Helen350]

@Robin4 I think @Neil408 's point about smalls in the wash basin was that it's a SHARED basin in the one bathroom he has to use too! (Tho' I agree it wouldn't be an issue for most of us!) I keep a cleaning cloth by the basin, so I can wipe before I use it, & wipe between guests if I spot anything... & I hope so will they! One guest took exceptional offence at the visible presence of the cloth tho' -  'dirty' =1* - can't win!

I'm sure Neil DOES have pans, hosting in the flat he himself lives in.... I reckon Chinese guests use kettles as RICE COOKERS, cos kettles look more like rice cookers than saucepans!  

[Robin4]

@Helen350 

Yes of course Helen, I should have thought about that @Neil408 , it's a shared facility.

I too get a lot of Chinese guests and I find them wonderful. They love the dog, the garden and are respectful of the property.

If I was to be picky, they shed black hair like you would not believe, heaven only knows where it all comes from, and they insist on making the bed so it looks just like it did when they arrived. It must be a cultural thing, I tell them to just leave it or, if they really want to help, strip it and leave the linens in a pile on the floor. But almost every time I go in there after check-out I have to strip a perfectly made bed!

The guests I look forward to least are Australian couples in their mid to late 60s. The women  you will never please, and their husbands are so used to being told what to do, they forgo an opinion! These women always tell you what you can do better and if I am going to be marked down for value, location or cleanliness, it will come from this bracket. Many times they will provide you with a list of improvements........

Her suggestions were quite reasonable except that, two of them that were supplied, Tissues and paper towel were not where she expected to see them! The grab rail to aid getting off the toilet was a good point, and is now in place. The yellow or white strips on the edge of the two steps into the bathroom I am prepared to forgo, and possibly cop a bit of criticism from time to time! This is after all, not an industrial site!

But I have little to complain about, one in thirty might rub me up the wrong way just a bit, but that's a small price to pay for all the great ones I get!

Cheers......Rob

[Sarah977]

@Robin4  I've had guests (not Chinese) make the bed perfectly before leaving, as well. Even though I'm sure they realize I'll be washing that bedding and remaking the bed for the next guests. I figure it's their way of wanting their host to go in after the stay and have a really good impression of how respectful and tidy they were. 

[Neil408]

I hear what you say but I have saucepans in the kitchen and a gas hob for guests to use. I did show them the kitchen and it says on my listing that they can use it. 

With regards to the sink, youre right, it is a shared sink and I do clean it after every guest etc but dirty underwear is a new one to me, especially when I have a washer-dryer.

I usually find that European guests are typically less problematic on the whole, in my experience. I've hosted 400+ people in two years so I understand the risks involved in hosting, 99% of the stays are problem free.

[Lisa723]

@Neil408 many women's undergarments must be hand-washed and definitely not ever put in a dryer. (I provide folding drying racks.)

[Helen350]

@Lisa723 I feel the need to protect @Neil408 from any more women's undergarments!! 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Neil408  If you get quite a few Chinese guests, it might be worthwhile to buy a rice cooker. I don't think they're expensive. I cook rice in a regular pot, myself, but I've read posts from other hosts before who've had similar issues with Chinese guests using kettles to cook rice. I guess they're just unfamiliar with the concept of using a normal cooking pot for that.

I was actually considering getting a rice cooker myself, even though I never get Chinese guests, because I'm the master of burning rice 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Neil408  Just get some of those antibacterial wipes, if you don't use them already, and keep it under the bathroom sink if the underwear washing grosses you out- you can grab one and wipe out the sink before you use it yourself.

[Helen350]

@Neil408  - Don't know if you researched similar posts, so as promised here are some links:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/hosting/Read-this-BEFORE-you-host-Chinese-guests/td-p/699334 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/hosting/Problems-with-Chinese-visitors/td-p/672747

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Cultural-Differences-in-the-Bathroom-HELP/m-p/314494

[Olyd-N0]

Well said Rob. 

About the undies. ...indeed many ladies do not add them to the usual wash in the washing machines, opting instead to wash them daily as they take a bath, either in the tub or sink.  This is a usual female thing in many parts of the world.  

[Catherine175]

I had a similar situation with 2 Chinese girls who assumed that one of them could sleep in the bedroom and the other in the living room. The one in the living room slept through her mobile alarm going off at 3 am diturbing the whole house.

Airbnb were gracious about the situation and gave us a free night ( which we haven' tused & I assume lost).

My sister also has had huge problems with Chinese guests who sneak extra people and children ( a no kid accomodation because of inherent dangers) in to her holiday cottage and then say they can't speak English. One group cmplained about the breakfast sh eprovided ( a very generous good quality breakfast). They told her that she needed to provide rolled oat or weetbix (can't remember) because that was what Chinese liked for breakfast!

[Pete69]

I would remove the toaster. Toasters are notorious for starting fires.

Yes, you have to set up your stay for the lowest common denominator of guests. Some people are just plain irresponsible. I recently installed countdown timers that control the ceiling heater and ceiling fan in the bathroom. Last season I had guests who ROUTINELY left the bathroom fan running while being gone for 12 hours during the day. They also left the AC on while gone for the day even though I have instructions not to leave it running while gone. I just ordered a Cielo Breez Eco AC remote controller. I'll be well prepared for this summer season.