What colour sheets and towels should I use?

[Patricia844]

I'm new to hosting. Any suggestions on the color for bed sheets and towels? Thanks!

[Barbara1498]

Hi, everyone, I am also new to hosting. Thanks for starting this thread! What brand sheets have you found to be good quality? Is it worth investing in hotel quality?

[Stephanie · Accepted solution]

Hi there @Barbara1498 

Thanks for being a part of the CC! There's a great thread with tons of recommendations and contributors on this subject here: All about linen and bedding  which should prove very useful.

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Lisa-and-Ben0]

We tried using all white linens for 1 season and it was a disaster, our condo is located in a  beachy tropical location and the suntan lotion stained the sheets terribly they ended up getting yellowish, even bleach didn’t help. Same for the white towels. ( add mascara and makeup to the mix)

So we switched to light grey and blue sheets , light teal, grey and navy towels, we use top brand detergents and hot cycles to get them all spik and span.

We upped the quality to 100% cotton , high thread count but got more manageable colors eventhough everything I have read points to white sheets being the ‘gold standard’ in hospitality. I could probably drop white sheets and towels to professional launderers but that would up my cleaning fee and be less manageable for me. All the listing photos show the sheets as they are, so people can choose for themselves. In 2 years of hosting I have never had any comments or negative feedback about the sheets not being white.

[Elle64]

I had no idea about the 'gold standard' of white sheets! But we just received feedback today that the guest would have preferred white sheets to see the "cleanliness" of the sheets. What's funny, though, is that these gray sheets were brand new, one time washed! haha There's no pleasing everyone, but I totally agree with you that people can choose for themselves based on the photos posted.

[Allan-C-0]

@Patricia844, in addition to Costco you may also look into walmart. We purchased some good quality white and tan towels in a bundle for about $10 bucks-they came 4 to a bundle.   Me personally, I dont like white towels and or sheets but for the guest I do use them because it becomes easier to sanitize for the next guest. 

[Patricia844]

Thanks, Allan for the suggestion. I'll make sure to check out Costco.

[Rose-And-Jeremy0]

We had silver and grey linen when we started hosting, 3 months into it some of them were stained horribly and needed replacement and one guest stole a bath towel.  To date we have 4 sets of linen for each bed.  The twin beds get sky blue and navy sheets, master bedroom gets dark grey sheets.   We are thinking of sticking to the dark grey and navy.  The bed-covers are white and light grey.   We do get stained pillow cases and towels from time to time and have to replace them.   There have been no complaints from  our guests.

[Patricia844]

Thanks, Robin. This is great advice. What do you use to clean your sheets?

[Robin4]

@Patricia844....It depends on what the stain is Pat! 

Most all countries has a 'wonder soap' liquid that comes in a pump spray container that gets on top of easy to remove stains....make-up, blood, wine, urine, food......We have one in Australia called 'Sards' and this product does a good job but, can require a bit of 'elbow grease' at times which is not beneficial to linens.

But every now and then someone will manage to inflict your linens with an oil based or dye based product, and these pose a definite challenge.

I have formed a good relationship with my local Dry Cleaner, I recommend all my guests take their clothing cleaning needs there, and they in return have given me a couple of formulas that work well on serious stains. I cannot tell you what the products are...businesses do tend to protect their 'Interlectual property'...they fall into the 'brown paper bag' variety, but I have not had a stain I could not remove to the point where it will be undetectable on coloured linens!

Pat I would suggest you do the same and seek out the co-operation of a local professional, it can be a **bleep** side cheaper than replacing expensive sheets.

Also Pat, I do the same with towels and as much as possible I do tend to colour match. I would never provide white towels and only two guests ever gave me a 4 star for 'cleanliness'!

But they were guests who never give 5 stars for anything so I don't think that says anything about me!

Good luck Pat, I hope your hosting career turns out to be as good for you as mine has been for me!

Cheers.....Rob

[Robin4]

@Patricia844

Patricia when I started hosting I felt the only colour to use for bed linens was white....white looks clean! And yeah it does until the first person pours a glass of red wine on them, or drags their battered old suitcase across them, or uses this iodine/Eucalyptus oil ointment to get rid of some stain or other. 

I found that all I could expect before that pristine clean look tarnished was about ten linen changes!

So I went to pastel coloured linens and they are a winner. I have removed everything known to mankind from my linens and now find I can easily get 40 bed changes before they loose that 'welcoming' look!

Sheets must look like this is the first time anyone has ever slept on them. 

All my linens are now light pastel colours, Blue, Grey, Yellow, Green.....they look warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer but most importantly they stay looking good for much longer than white.

Patricia, my bed is the hero of my accommodation, I chose to make a statement with the bed and everything else revolves around that bed, so it has to be a step above the ordinary. Every one of my guests gets new pillow protectors. I never expect a guest to put their head on someone elses snore time dribble! Every crease must be just right. When the bed is made I run the iron across it before the guest arrives. The bed looks a bit outrageous because it is so long (over 2.4 metres) but I am glad I had it built that way! There are six motors in it to set just the right angle, or degree of neck or back massage.. Almost all my guests comment on the bed and many of my stays come about as a result of that bed....it really is money in the bank!

Patricia provide the best looking, the most comfortable bed that you possibly can. If a guest has a good nights sleep in a really comfortable bed they will excuse just about everything else....if they roll around on an uncomfortable piece of rubbish all night there is no way you will get a good review out of them.

Don't compromise with your bed, we are dealing with people, don't throw them something you bought at the op shop for the spare room. Give them something you would like to sleep on yourself.....and use pastel coloured linens, you won't regret it!

Cheers.....Rob

[Allan-C-0]

That is a great idea, pastel colors, especially for the summer.  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Patricia844

at first we bought all white towels. But stains are visible and had to be bleached often. So I thought darker colors would be better and bought darker . But now are distroyed , as @Susie5 said - acne products will bleach the color.

So I stay at whites. As most hotels do. 

but, the best solution is....   😄 😄 ....

[Linda108]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  So cute!!

[Susie5]

@Patricia844, if you're near a Costco, they have good quality white towels in a bundle at a reasonable price. I use white towels and have gotten good at using detergent to get out things like make up.... I think colored towels will get destroyed by the facial products (for acne it seems) people use which bleach the colors. I lost a good set of Ralph Lauren sheets this way ( from Marshalls, but still!!).  I use decent quality microfiber sheets which don't seem as prone to discoloration as cotton.  

[Alana114]

Yes we have brown towels that match the bathroom and over time they all developed peach-colored bleach spots from people’s skincare products.   White towels would unfortunately become dingy from our mineral-rich well water so not an option.  

[Robin4]

@Alana114 

Alana, just a little tip.....you will notice that this post and its responses where from 2018!

I had a head of hair when that post appeared here!!!

Brittany who you were responding to has probably had 2 children, achieved a masters degree in archaeology, has long left Airbnb and has moved to another country since she made that post. What I am saying is, it is no longer relevant!

We want as many current questions to remain active as long as possible before they slip down the thread pages into obscurity, and reactivating these old threads confuses the available current discussion space.

It's an idea to check when the post was made before responding!

Cheers.......Rob   

[Helena766]

Why do you ramble so much? Also, im here in 2023 reading this thread. I'm sure alot of other people read the thread a long time later. Its beneficial for all to have updated responses. If someone replies to this thread in 2056 when you're long gone nd unable to ramble and be sarcastic and patronize someone who's only trying to help, their comment will still be beneficial. So be quiet, stop bullying and people can and should reply as much and whenever they want. 

[Brittany118]

What type of detergent do you use and do you have a special technique to remove the make-up stains? I have been having the hardest time removing make-up stains. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Patricia844

I use different shades of grey and navy for guest sheets and towels. I don't like using bleach and my personal experience using white sheets/towels is they require more frequent changes which would be more work for me because I host a lot of long-term guests. I haven't had any problems or complaints yet 🙂 

[Andrea9]

@Patricia844

Also multitudes of hosts who swear darker colors are the best  🙂