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:)

[Suzanne371]

Thanks. I’ve been reading some right terrible stories on here about Air BnB. It’s a shame that some people aren’t greatful enough to their host to be gracious and obliging. What a horror they are!

[Laurel47]

I’m very new to this but in my checkout list I ask that they strip the bed and put sheets in the hamper. Toss the towels in the tub and load and start the dishwasher. I charge. 25.00 cleaning fee and I’ve not had any issues. 

[Letti0]

@Laurel47  You should always tell them to leave the bedding on the beds. This way you can see damage and treat the sheets correctly when washing them imho.

[Laurel47]

@Letti0 Good point! Thanks for that info. I’ll tweak my listing. 

[Andreas-and-Anna0]

There is a lot of truth to what he said.

[Fred13]

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

   Leave a nice tip?

Seriously, we ask our guest to do nothing, yet they all do leave the place 'immaculate'. Doesn't do any good however, for my Mrs is such 'clean freak' she will turn the place upside down any way.

[Letti0]

@Fred13  I ask two things only, please do not wash our towels or linens and leave the beds unmade. I have a sign framed over our washer that states: Please Do No Wash the Towels or Linens if You Need More Please Ask. We have only had 2 groups not do this. One used the towels to clean up some red juice and washed the towels leaving pink streaks all over them washing them incorrectly. The other did wash them correctly and cost me $40 less on my cleaning bill I refunded her the $40 I saved from my cleaning bill. She did wash them correctly, but I don't want them to do this more do it wrong than right.  

[Irene425]

Well apparently there is no straight answer. I had my first experience as a guest and refrained from commenting because I found the place not very clean and not well supplied for the number of guests. The washroom was in bad condition and one of the beds was unbearably uncomfortable but I didn’t want to be a jerk and give a bad review.  Well, to my surprise the host told me that I didn’t leave his apartment clean and that he expected me to compensate him for his broken pendant lamp. 

It was 38degrees Celsius so we opened up the windows. A gust of wind caused his pendant lamp (plastic ikea) to drop and break. To my surprise I found that it was only held my the two electrical wires, not screwed in in anyway. I answered him privately and defended myself because I don’t think I should be liable for a poorly installed lamp. It could’ve fallen at anytime, I was just unlucky to be the current guest. Also if it had fallen on one of my kids... i would have been the one bitching. 

Anyway i sweeped the floors quickly left the towels in a pile and washed all the dishes. I wiped off the surfaces but they were not immaculate, would have needed to be cleaned again of course. The garbage tied up and recycling in a bag but we didn’t throw it out because they didn’t tell us where to access the garbage area so I assumed it was included in the fee. I did not wash out the sinks or bathtub at all. 

I’m not really defending myself but just saying that as a first time guest I was not at all expecting to require leaving the place so clean. I understand that this is someone’s home but I am also a paying guest and don’t wish to deep clean (in my opinion because I hate housework) on my vacation, or compensate the owner for a broken light fixture.  So all that to say that I don’t think I’ll be using Airbnb anymore. Too much stress. 

[Victoria567]

Hi @Irene0

So you used the bath sinks and the bathtub and didn’t clean it up after you?

I don’t like housework either, but I do like to use a clean sink and bathtub or even a shower in my own home ,after my kids or husband have used it.

In our home we call it consideration and being clean and tidy as none of us likes living otherwise.

Whether out and about in other folks homes, as guests, or in air bnb accomodation or in hotels, as a family ,we’ve always been clean and tidy.

[Irene583]

I definitely don’t clean the bathtub and sink with product every time I use it. Both were eye clean if that’s what you mean (no food bits or hair in bathtub. The bath tub had missing enamel so even when cleaned it would not have been beautiful.

[Nancy665]

After I , my husband and our daughter stayed 4 nights and the host sent me the email that I have to pay $80 because we used 3 foot mats ( he said usually guest use only one ) and the toilet was smelly ( it was like that before) . When I just came into his apartment I had to clean everything by myself, washed the dishes and mopped the floor but I didn’t complain about that and I cleaned everything before we checked out ( cleared the bin , folded the blankets , cleaned the kitchen..)  I didn’t complain anything about that and rated him 5* with a good review , 5 days after that he sent me an email and complain that we made a lots of mess and sent me a bad review back . How much clean do the host want guest to do for you after we paid nearly 700$ for 4 nights ?

[Sab5]

I will ask my guests to follow the house rule and house manual before their departure.   I don't expect them mob the floor ...etc but they have to make the recycle correctly, take the food scrape that they did not eat. put the towels in the washer (no need to turn it on), leave all the liens on the bed.  I do not charge for any cleaning fee so I would like the guests to leave the room the way they have found it.  I can do the light cleaning for next guests

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@Nancy665 wrote:

After I , my husband and our daughter stayed 4 nights and the host sent me the email that I have to pay $80 because we used 3 foot mats ( he said usually guest use only one ) and the toilet was smelly ( it was like that before) . When I just came into his apartment I had to clean everything by myself, washed the dishes and mopped the floor but I didn’t complain about that and I cleaned everything before we checked out ( cleared the bin , folded the blankets , cleaned the kitchen..)  I didn’t complain anything about that and rated him 5* with a good review , 5 days after that he sent me an email and complain that we made a lots of mess and sent me a bad review back . How much clean do the host want guest to do for you after we paid nearly 700$ for 4 nights ?

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[John1080]

@Nancy665, what do you mean by 'foot mat'? The mats one steps onto after getting out of the shower? If so, that host is ridiculous. It sounds like you left the place in great shape. He is responsible for the cleaning and as long as you left the place tidy, has no reason to complain. 

[Nancy665]

Hi John ,

That’s what I don’t really know because it was only one in the bathroom ( we used 4 towels/3people ) and the most ridiculous is he asked me to pay $80 for the door handle to fix ( He said that easy to cut people hand ?!) and dirty things . I told him that we didn’t do anything and not gonna pay and one day after that he discounted from $80 to $60 to fix that handle 🙄. It was my first time with Airbnb also my last time , apartment hotels are still better than this at least you don’t have to deal with the host about crazy stuffs. 

[Victoria567]

Hi @Everyone

As a guest anywhere I stay from hotel to air bnb, I leave the place as I find it.....clean and tidy.

As a host on air bnb I expect to find the place as the guest found it, clean and tidy.

So far so good