What should I do about blood stained sheets?

[Alain311]

Hi everyone,  

So I had this female guests, staying a few days, she was an ok guest, a bit awkward but still nice and I have nothing to really complain about, she also left me a thank you note. I started cleaning the bedroom and noticed 2 big dried blood stain, some brown marks there and there too (dried blood rubbed around) and the white towels became orange (bronzer). I was able to remove the stains and got everything white again, thanks to baking soda a bit, of hydrogen peroxide and a good scrub, washed twice with cold water. 

I understand periods are a natural thing woman can't have so much control on, but since it’s the second time I have a guest leaving me this kind of little gift I'm just curious on how you guys would be dealing with this? Would you mention it the review or suck it up as it’s a natural thing, can happen and  my sheets are white again. I would tend to mention it tough. And for those of you who also are guests, what would you do if you have your periods? Would you just leave, say thank you and not think about the blood stain left? Aern't there ways for you girls to avoid to protect the sheets and avoid spills?

I prefer using white sheets, they look more neutral and give a more luxurious feeling, so I'm not planning to change them and since I'm able to remove stains, I'm ok to take the blood risk (I have a longer procedure than what I shortly mentionend before and the stains always go away) 

PS: I will be posting more stories in the next days, that month I only had awkward guests including my worst experience ever, making these blood stains my best airbnb hosting experience of the month. 

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Alain311 Afraid it's just a cost of doing business and you bear it.

Get a good range of stain removers and hey presto, it's no big deal.

I wouldn't expect my sister, mother, daughter to go to  a hotel reception on departure and tell them about period stains. It's part of day to day life. 

Good luck!

[Jenny1243]

They are trying to charge me £20 for slight blood wasn't intentional not happy. Airhub 

[Carmen1892]

There is a great stain remover called Fels-Naptha. It is like a bar of soap. Cost $2 tops. You can get it at any grocery or department store. Wet the bar and rub it on the stain, then use an old toothbrush to scrub a little. Let it set for 15 min and wash. 

[Clara116]

@Alain311 Sorry it is part of the experience of hosting...........it is embarrassing for most women and not intended at all.  And calling people out for this is not a good move.......Just make sure you have good mattress protection. 

I have built it in to cover such but once was so bad, with drug fueled and trashed comforter,duvet, sheets and towels - I did charge. The guests never responded and ABB paid my claim- The review I  wrote that they had an off weekend and left much damage and I had to replace several items and big cleanup. Said they would be better suited in a hotel.

Happy Hosting, Clara

[Erin5129]

It really is embarrassing and not intended at all. I just had a host shame me for this experience and trust me, it doesn’t feel good. It’s called an accident for a reason and to call out a guest for something clearly they didn’t mean to do and is a natural part of the human condition feels terrible. 

[Sarah977]

@Erin5129  I checked out that review she left and your response. The host just mentioned "stains", so she wasn't being embarrassingly specific.

In your response, you are the one who calls attention to it and mentions what exactly happened.

You also say you didn't know what to do about it, so you just changed the sheets. When a guest damages or stains something, or has an accident like that, you need to let the host know as soon as possible, and ask what they want you to do. There's no need to be embarrassed - as you say, it's a natural thing for half the population. If a guest is just open and forthcoming about things like that, hosts will likely not mention anything in a review. It's when the guest says nothing and walks away that hosts get irritated and feel disrespected. 

Blood stains are hard to remove if they are just left to dry. If you put the soiled article in cold water to soak right away, it comes right out. 

So if that ever happens again, just fill a pail or sink with cold water, put the sheet in to soak, and let the host know that you have done that.

[Erin5129]

So I hear what you are saying about the cold water and soaking, although I’d just as soon have been charged $20 for the sheet set. I’m not “embarrassed” over having my period. I feel “embarrassed”  that he left me a negative host review calling me “messy” and had left stains in reference to small period stains that could be bleached out. I’ve never had a bad review and leave the places I’m in in great condition. So to give me a negative review over an accident seems rude and impolite to me. 

[Sarah977]

@Erin5129  Yes, I wouldn't have mentioned it myself, I would have just sent you a private message, pointing out that it would have been appreciated if you had soaked the sheet or at least mentioned it.

But every host is different, just as every guest is. A host can have pages full of great reviews, and then an outlier from a hyper-critical guest.

You have otherwise great reviews, so try not to be overly fussed about it.

And if you would have preferred to pay for a sheet set, or at least the time it would take for the host to work on getting a stain out, then it would have been nice if you had offered that or left a note of apology and some payment. As I said, most hosts are forgiving of small things like that if the guest fesses up. Happened with one of my guests and she told me right away, so I could put it in a cold water wash.  (BTW, a sheet set costs a lot more than $20 but no need to buy a new set as long as it gets dealt with right away)

[Roberta2]

Hi Alain

May I suggest that you leave a cople of sanitary towels / tampons in a little box for your guests?

I undestand that sometimes it happens, periods arrive a little earlier than expected and maybe the guest did not have any protection with her? 

Be sure, she probably was mortified  and that is why she did not say anything 🙂

[Cathie19]

Hi @Alain311. Definitely a downer when it comes to laundering, but periods happen, and unless using the contraceptive pill, they are generally not scheduled. Also, travel can throw body cycles out, and periods can happen when sleeping.....

Sheets are washable and replaceable. Mattresses are expensive and longer drying time and can smell if not protected.

OPTIONS

- Use a terry cotton or bamboo waterproof mattress protector next to the mattress, then place a standard padded fibrefill mattress protector over it.

- Alongside your first aid kit, soaps etc, maybe place a couple of thin self-wrapped sanitary pads. Buy when on sale and this way, if a guest is caught out at night, they have something for protection till they can get to the shops!

 Hope this assists.

🙂

Cathie

[Lindi10]

Hiya,

So, happy to see this post and get some guidance from you all.

I mainly host women between 4-12 weeks and I have had stanined sheets so many times now. I have never been able to get the stains out and have had to abandoned the sheets, which means I can never use the sheets again.

I am now providing an addtitional sheet and towel for when they have their monthly's,  which it does not matter if it get messy.  Will also, start to provide pads and tampox.

Cheers,

Lindi Lu.

[Lynne88]

Shampoo works like a charm. Because it's a protein based cleanser. Also I always leave napkins and tampons along with other misc supplies . We use all white hotel sheets and towels see " vr supplies" and so stains are a problem for sure. Shampoo works on almost all body stains. Another must have in our laundry is OXY clean. Then what I like about vr supplies sheets is that they are hotel grade and not so expensive. So the idea is to retire them sooner then you would with expensive store bought sheets. My new dilemma is spray on tan residue on our white towels. The oxy is the best so far but need to spot wash.

[Lizzie]

This is a good tip about using shampoo, @Lynne88. 🙂

[Denis-And-Vidal0]

  I just had a male guest leave some blood stains on the bottom sheet... most unusual!   Not a lot of blood but enough to ruin the white sheet!   @Alain0,  Gonna try the baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.  Wish me luck!

aloha,

Denis