Seeking suggestions for mattress stains

[Mike1034]

Dear Hosts:

I have hosted a few interns from college in summer time. They are all very young. Young is good but there are issues with it as well.

I have at least two young adults who stained my mattress with urine. I think that it is very embarrassing to ask or check when they check out. Then I found that mattress was stained with urine after they left. They were all nice guests who were fine in other aspects. But it did require extra good cleaning efforts to remove the stains. Three questions I need your inputs

(1) Should I write private messages to them about it after they check out? If I write it, I am afraid that I may end up getting a bad review.

(2) Should I request for the extra cleaning fee incurred in the resolution center?

(3) Should I mention the stain in the public review without mention what caused it because I don't want to embarrass them.

Thanks for reading it and providing your inputs.

Mike

[Sarah977]

@Mike1034  I honestly don't understand what is going on these days. People are old enough to open an Airbnb account and book stays when they apparently still should be sleeping in diapers? Since when do adults pee the bed? I'm gobsmacked.

You can message any past guest for any length of time by just going to the message stream with them. So sending them a private message about this could be done after the review period is over.

You could certainly ask for increased cleaning fee but be aware that will likely lead to a bad review.

Yes, as a fellow host, I would want to know if guests stained the mattress. I would also want to know that the guests failed to mention it. (Sorry, but mature people swallow their embarrassment and do the right thing- I've had guests have "accidents" on the bedding and although they were obviously mortified, they told me right away) Details of stain immaterial.

[Mike1034]

@Sarah977These young college students were still teens (under 20 or around 20). I believe that it was really embarrassing for them to tell me about the accident when it occurred.

I will take your suggestion and mention the stain if this hapens again from other guests. But I may not want to disclose the nature of the stain. Otherwise, it may hurt them.

[Sarah977]

@Mike1034  I still think it's bizarre for people who are no longer children to pee the bed. I raised 3 girls- they were all out of diapers by the age of 2 and never peed a bed after that.

[Beth80]

@Mike1034 

I certainly wouldn't put it in their review. I might private message them after the review period is over so that they don't use it against you in their review, explaining that they need to tell the host about any mishaps such as this and how even though you didn't charge them the next host might not be so forgiving. 

And as a host dealing with young people who have accidents invest in waterproof mattress pads!!

[Mike1034]

@Beth80Yes, that is what I am planning to do to put waterproof mattress pad. But the only issue with that is that all other guests may not feel as comfortable to sleep on a mattress with waterproof cover.

[Beth80]

I actually have two mattress covers on the bed. I waterproof one that has a bit of a crinkle to it so I have a very nice, hotel quality matress pad over it. No complaints about the plastic, crinkle sounds and no worries for me.  :). Although the top matress pad is a pain to wash as it's so thick and fluffy! 

[Yvonne191]

@Mike1034 Sorry about your guest's mishap but there are lots of really good and comfortable mattress and pillow protectors and I use them without complaints. Some guests, more than I expected,  have told me they were very happy to see that I had the protectors. 

[Anonymous]

@Mike1034  I think @Beth80  has some great suggestions there. I use waterproof mattress pads that basically have two layers - the waterproof one on the bottom, and the soft, fuzzy one on top. If you don't mind spending more, you can get a thicker pad with a quilted top, but these are harder to wash and don't hold their shape so well over time. Either way, the waterproof cover doesn't really change the way the mattress feels, as long as you have a good fitted sheet on top of it.

I don't know what's up with kids these days and their incontinence. But ok, if you're having Silicon Valley interns as guests, maybe their working conditions are so bad that it screws up their bladder health. Or maybe they're experiencing alcohol or drugs for the first time. At any rate, I don't think it's worth mentioning  in a public way unless you have good reason to believe the guests actually intended to wet your bed. You can request payment in the Resolution Center, as long as you have solid documentation of the costs, and can countenance whatever reaction the guest has to the embarrassment.  

If you do choose to seek compensation, that would be the only reason to send a private message about the stains. Perhaps the angle would be to ask if there were any issues obstructing their access or comfort in the bathroom facilities. Personally though, I'd find that much too awkward. Best way forward is just to make those beds as guest-proof and bodily-fluid proof as possible.

[Pete69]

Not having a mattress protector is just plain gross, not to mention vulnerable to bed bugs if a guest brings in one of those. Then you're looking at much more than just a cleaning and days of down time. Waterproof mattress protector on one side but with absorbent cotton terry on the outside. Wash after each guest.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FDVR4JJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Rachel177]

@Mike1034 I would be mentioning in your review of them that it required more cleaning than usual after they departed and mark them down to 1-2 stars on cleanliness (no need to mention what the stains were or what the extra cleaning was for). And maybe private message them as @Beth80 says.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Mike1034 

Take a photo of the mattress, stained sheets, etc...

Then call a deep cleaning service to clean the mattress. They will come with a machine, will spray the detergent/water on the mattress, rub it with a sponge and then vacuum the liquid. Your mattress has to dry for about 24 h minimum after the process.

You should call them immediately, before the urine dries or the stain will remain forever.

Then use the receipt you paid and submit a damage claim.

[Mike1034]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 Thanks for the detailed steps. Unfortunately the stain probably has been there for days since the intern normally books 2-3 months stay. I have no idea when the incident happened. I only saw the stain after the guest checked out.