What should a guest do before they leave re: cleaning/tidying?

[Jill41]

I have just had a guest who left unwashed crockery, one of the toilets was disgusting, wet towels everywhere, duvets on floor, gas hob thick with grease and dirty greasy kitchen surfaces. I wrote a neutral review saying they were friendly and communicated well before the hosting. I choose to let him know privately that I was surprised at how the apartment was left but made it friendly and offering understanding if there had been a problem but I got this back

'Did you really expect us to clean the house before leaving? I think you don't even know what kind of service you are offering. Airbnb is about renting your house as a Hotel, It is not like couch surfing, where people do it for free. I paid more than 400 € for only 3 nights in your old apartment and after that amount of money, that is almost a robbery for the quality of the flat, you are cheeky enough to tell me about the cleaning? You are charging almost a half monthly salary for only 3 nights, you must be able to clean it after all. We didn't break anything, but as you should understand like when I go to a hotel I don't care about tidying or cleaning, because I don't have to do it. .....the house full of boxes everywhere, and the bathrooms were pretty dirty when we came in. So please, stop saying bull**bleep**, take your money that you probably don't even pay taxes for that and this business is totally under the table and don't text me again. I will tell you again just to make it clear, when you pay such a crazy amount of money for a renting, you don't have to clean after being in the house, you must take care like we did and don't break anything.'

The apartment is professionally cleaned in between each guest and the bathrooms are spotless so he has lied about that. I don't charge a cleaning fee. There are no boxes laying around and there is no smell - so my question is this - how should a guest be expected to leave a rental? Everyone else who has stayed has said the apartment is really clean and have left it fine. I expect to have to clean but not this level, am I expecting too much from my guests? 

He left me a great review.

Thanks for any advice so i can put it on my hosting:)

[Mark5829]

guest is correct as there should be no cleaning responsibilities. 

[Þorsteinn1]

I have a cleaning fee. I also have this in mind, "When guest leave he might leave it in a bad state cleaning wise." That way its win win for me.

If the guest leaves it dirty, then thats what I expected. I leave 1-4 star in cleaniness depending of the state of the house. I do not get annoyed.

If the guest leave it tidy, then I give them 5 star, leave in review how awesome and tidy guests they are. Everyone is happy.

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Jill41 I got burned early in hosting and I’m glad I did too. I was having an issue with guest having parties at our house. One particular party caused furniture damage and every single square inch of the tile floor had some type of food on it. The kitchen floor had dried orange juice and when I challenged the guest and requested payment, the guest stated in writing ‘good luck, I welcome the mediation process’. I got the money I was asking for and I also changed my house rules to reflect a fee of $300 for cleaning upafter a party. In my welcome statement to the guest, I clearly outline what I want done cleaning wise. I also making it absolutely clear that if you have a party you’re getting kicked out and charged. We haven’t had a party problem since. 

[Mark5829]

damage is a different issue. This is about a host leaving long list of chores to do...trash outside, thermostats set, remotes in place, start the dishwasher, towels in a certain place, stripping of the beds....it is BS

[David1678]

Is there not a matter of liability to this whole business? What if a guest poorly cleans dishes and the next guest gets sick from it?

We should not be putting the burden of cleaning on someone whom we cannot hold accountable if they don’t clean well. A maid service or yourself, you can hold accountable. I would think you would want to avoid any question marks when it comes to the health of your abode. 

That said, I wouldn’t expect a guest to trash a place, but I wouldn’t hold them accountable to the cleanliness or safety of it. That’s just asking for trouble. 

[Christine615]

In my house rules I make it clear that I expect the house to be returned exactliy how they found it. Dishes cleaned and put away, trashed bundled and ready for pickup. Recycling sorted, etc. I say in my listing that the cleaning fee only covers the cost of washing linens. Guests put the towels in the hamper in the laundry room and I'll strip the beds. Otherwise they are to treat my home as my home.

So far I've had minor issues, but most have cleaned before they left.

There are people who think "I'm paying money I shouldn't have to clean." But on the Airbnb livestream they did say they are now trying to tell new guests that they are renting homes and there is a different level of expectation about that versus a hotel with maids.

And you're not alone. In the beginning I left a few good reviews I now regret. It's a learning curve. I'm going to find ways to be kind but honest about reviews and leave fewer stars and hit the "thumbs down" symbol.

[Mark5829]

then stop charging for cleaning fees if we are part of the cleaning crew...it is BS

[Don-and-Sandy0]

I am new to Airbnb, and am wondering if I am requiring too much from my guests after reading the comments.  I was advised by others locally to not make the beds for guests and just have the sheets folded on the beds so that they can make the bed - that way they would know that the sheets were fresh and it also cut down on cleaning costs, since it takes time to make beds. I also request that before they leave, guests should put a load of towels in the washer and turn it on, strip the used beds and put the pile by the washer, take out the trash, and leave the cottage as they found it.  (So far, I have long breaks between guests and though someone checks the premises, I do not have it cleaned until the next guest is arriving, so I need the garbage put out, etc).  I am bargain priced for Cape Cod and charge a cleaning fee below my costs.    Is this reasonable or outrageous?

[Mark5829]

there should be no cleaning responsibilities for the guests just like a hotel

[David126]

There is no right or wrong answer.

[Sarah977]

Your requests do not seem unreasonable. You might mention, or have in writing at the home, the reason you want them to put the towels in the washer and take out the garbage, so they don't just think that you want them to do your cleaning for you. That there are sometimes long breaks between guests, and that the space gets cleaned immediately BEFORE guests arrive, ensuring that it is freshly scrubbed for them, therefore you can't have wet towels moldering and garbage smelling the place up or attracting pests, and thank them in advance for their understanding and cooperation.

Personally, I would make the beds before the guests arrive- it just looks nicer and more welcoming. It should be pretty obvious to a guest whether the bedding is clean or not. And while it would be helpful for the guests to strip the beds and put the laundry by the washer, I wouldn't require that. It only takes a few minutes to make or strip a bed.

[Don-and-Sandy0]

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@Don-and-Sandy0 wrote:

I am new to Airbnb, and am wondering if I am requiring too much from my guests after reading the comments.  I was advised by others locally to not make the beds for guests and just have the sheets folded on the beds so that they can make the bed - that way they would know that the sheets were fresh and it also cut down on cleaning costs, since it takes time to make beds. I also request that before they leave, guests should put a load of towels in the washer and turn it on, strip the used beds and put the pile by the washer, take out the trash, and leave the cottage as they found it.  (So far, I have long breaks between guests and though someone checks the premises, I do not have it cleaned until the next guest is arriving, so I need the garbage put out, etc).  I am bargain priced for Cape Cod and charge a cleaning fee below my costs.    Is this reasonable or outrageous?

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Just an update - after a full summer and quick turn-arounds, and a little more experience! I now have the cleaners make the beds and I added this line to my instructions, "if you are willing and able"  please strip the beds and do a load of towels.  I request that the cottage be left in "tidy" condition, as they found it, (which is not the same as saying it has to be as clean as they found it), that dishes be washed and put away.  Most have complied.  I have wonderful cleaners, but our clean rate has been marked down for reasons beyond their control -one of the Keurigs was running slow, or they found a dirty dish in the cupboard (our cleaners don't have time to work with dishes!),etc.   I am going to add to the instruction book these stories to inform guests; maybe that will help next year with the clean reviews.

[Ben284]

Hello,

This is Harry. I assist Ben with his AirBnB property. We have been doing this for two years now and are Superhosts. Everyone may have different standards of “clean”, but I’m sure we as hosts all endeavor to provide clean accomodations for our guests. What I take exception to is the misconception of guests treating our accomodations as their own because that’s when we get surprised when we find out the guest turns out to be slovenly at home. AirBnb should be about a more ideal mindful community of hosts and guests, but, as a very recent experiment, and many guests are new to the concept of home stays and more accustomed to the maid service of hotels, motels, and possibly even traditional bed and breakfasts, it’s hard to live up to ideals. We will keep endeavoring to provide our guests with the kind of service and experience we’d want to enjoy when traveling, but we hope AirBnB will do the same when considering that the host accommodations are really the bread & butter of this experiment, and be more proactive in educating guests about mindful traveling. As hosts we can best seek out the lessons to be learned.

[Paul154]

LOL

These are guests I really, really want.

I hope you feel pretty foolish about not publicly stating that they left the apartment dirty  🙂

[Des3]

I always read guests’ reviews, and sometimes check out the person who reviewed them, especially if all reviews use similar wording.

If they kept to the rules and arrangements, didn’t cause any damage but weren’t the tidiest, then I’d focus on the positive. If you’re overly critical, it could impact future bookings. That said, I always score as I find and state if they were messy on the private feedback for Airbnb.

It’s swings and roundabouts, some guests are spotless, some are not. I pay my cleaner the same weather she does a 2 hour clean or 4, as the cleaning fees go to her. Though, if it’s above 4 hour’s, I obviously pay the extra. I only charge for 3 hour’s, as the extra is for windows, checking cutlery and crockery etc, which is my responsibility.

Some people are just not as clean as others, or are in a rush, or are having a bad day on checkout. Most people are on holiday, so I don’t expect too much.

The worse thing is causing damage and not telling me, as it’s hard to pinpoint the culprit if you have a few back to back guests.