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:)

[Graham200]

The early checkout is a good point. Also, many places don't even have cleaning supplies available to the guests.

[Sarah977]

@Graham200   I find not leaving cleaning supplies available to be bizarre. I was doing an upholstery job at a fancy beach rental condo and needed to sweep off the dusty bench where the cushions were to go. I couldn't find a broom or a dustpan anywhere. When I asked the property manager, he said those things were locked up in a closet in the main hallway outside the unit. I asked him what would happen if a guest broke a glass at 2AM and there were glass shards all over the tile floor- the guests would either have to call and wake him up at 2AM asking where a broom was, or wait until morning, possibly cutting their feet on the glass. He just shrugged.

[Helen609]

To be honest I think you are expecting too much to have the house left as they found it. That is actually cleaning the place!

I am always delighted if people do clean however. Some people have clearly dusted and hoovered, which I wouldn't do on holiday and certainly not before 10am in the morning.

It doesn't sound like the place was trashed, just left dirty. 

People have hugely different standards. After a spate of breakages, bleach spilt on the carpet and a ruined £85 Brabantia bin I see it as a win not to have a trail of destruction. 

[Basil17]

I think the occasional messy group is just apart of renting your space. I’m a host and a renter and I’ve rented a few places that were disgusting. I had to leave one because of mold and I got sick. For all involved : the renter and the host it’s a gamble. When it comes to someone not cleaning up after themselves that’s on you. The room has to be cleaned anyway. 

[Robin4]

@Basil17 

Yeah, that's a good attitude Basil, the listing has to be cleaned anyway.

There is an expectation that guests clean up things they use and I would say probably 80% of mine do.

I don't get stressed about the 20% who don't....cleaning the toilet has to be done anyway, wiping benchtops, I personally check every utensil that might have been used, even when they have washed them because they will invariably be in a hurry to get away and will not wash what they have used properly.

Going back to the original post, Jill's guest did have a point, he paid to come into a properly cleaned property, somebody had to do that....and it wouldn't have been the previous guest!

Cheers......Rob

[Des3]

I totally agree.

You can’t rely on guests to maintain a professional level of cleanliness. As a host, it’s your responsibility to ensure that the property is perfect for the next guests.

I always check everything, and would rather just clean everything again and rely on my own level on cleanliness, ensuring happy guests, and a good reputation.

[Jackie378]

I have in my listing to please wash all the dishes and take out the trash when you leave or cleaning fees will be applied. I rewash everything anyway, but it stops having stuff piled up and food glued on. 

Im still very new, but so far so good. If a guest left my home the way you described I would not leave a favorable review. 

[Robin4]

@Jackie378 

Hi Jackie, I actually prefer that guests just leave everything and walk out. I would prefer it if they left the bed linens in a pile on the bed or the floor. I don't want them half doing dishes that the next guest will complain about because they were not suitable clean.

I have a standard....and it is not the previous guests standard........ it is my standard. 

I want the wine glasses to absolutely gleam, and it requires a dishwasher to do that.

I don't want to have to strip a half made bed with hair and god knows what in it! I want to find the sheets in a pile and do it myself, wash the mattress protector and the pillow protectors for each new guest.

I don't want  the thrash taken out because it is no doubt full of recyclables that we get paid for.

I would rather do the lot myself than cope with some half arsed attempt by a guest who was in a hurry to make it look OK! 

Cheers......Rob

[Jackie378]

Everyone has their own preferences I guess. 

[Graham200]

Although I can understand your disappointment with these very messy guests, I agree with the guests that they are not obligated to clean the place at all, much like a hotel room. AirBnB is competing with hotel rooms, after all, not long-term rentals.

[Sarah977]

@Graham200  No, I am not competing with hotel rooms. People book my place because of what I offer, the location, etc. They want a private room in a home, not a hotel room.

Airbnb's are cheaper than hotel rooms, in part, because we don't offer daily maid service- so no, guests should not expect to pay for an Airbnb and have the same expectations as if they booked a hotel.

[Nicky114]

Well I would say that is your fault. You should charge enough to clean the room yourself. They are still paying for a service and not working for their room. I can understand you being upset if they leave something they should not. Not a present in the toilet or a stain on linen or the carpet. I cannot understand your thinking though.

[Liz-And-Robert0]

I have been hosting for 8 years, and I offer to waive my cleaning fee if the apartment is left clean and state in the listing and in the house rules  "clean and as you found it".  Then I go on to list the cleaning items I expect, like dishes washed, trash removed, clean up spills and messes, surfaces wiped.   Clear expectations are key.  Not everyone has the same level of courtsey.   I have only needed to charge 3 guests a cleaning fee, so it seems to be working.

[Nicki54]

I am a guest, not a host, and have been staying at Airbnb’s for the last 10 months straight as we travel around the world. I just got a review saying I didn’t take out the trash or wash the dishes. This is true, but let me explain...  When we leave an Airbnb we leave it basically as we found it. I will take out the trash, if the host leaves information on where to take it. The trash is always in the provided bins/area - we never leave it strewn about. We also do our dishes, with the exception of sometimes leaving a couple breakfast dishes if we are in a rush leaving.  We don’t mop or sweep, generally, but if we spill or make any sort of mess, we clean it up. I paid a $40 cleaning fee in this situation, and the host greeted us. She did not mention any cleaning expectations, nor did she leave any sort of written documentation. On another note, the amenities listed were not provided, and when I messaged her to ask about it, she never responded.  

Threads like this make me twitch.  Being respectful is extremely important to me, and to be told I was messy on my review really rubbed me the wrong way. I went looking for guidance on the Airbnb site so I know generally what is expected - I thought maybe I missed something. Nothing there. Then I find this thread. One host says cleaning isn’t expected, one says it is, one says take out the trash, the other says leave it, etc. I think it would be really helpful and solve a lot of problems if Airbnb posted some basic guidance, and if hosts would take time to lay out expectations either via the app or by leaving instructions in the home. Yes, I get you use common sense, but to get knocked in a review for something 40 other hosts thought was acceptable is frustrating. If you have specific expectations for your guests, spell it out. If not, don’t review them negatively for it!  

[Sarah977]

@Nicki54  I'm a host and have never been a guest. I absolutely agree with you on all points. What you say you do before leaving would be fine with me. I totally understand if guests are in a rush to check-out on time, especially if they have children to dress and feed and need to get on the road or catch a plane, that there might be a few breakfast dishes left in the sink. As opposed to a breakfast table full of dirty dishes and food with jam smeared all over, filthy countertops, stovetop swimming in grease. I think a host has reason to be offended by that type of mess. 

But guests who don't trash a place and clean up their personal messes and don't cause damage shouldn't be marked down or given a bad review because they left a days worth of trash in the bin or few dirty coffee cups unless it is stated in the listing desciption that the host expects more. Most responsible adults understand what cleaning up after yourself means. If a host expects guests to take every bit of garbage out to dumpster, strip the beds, gather up all the towels and start a load of wash, that should be made very clear, so the guest can decide if they want to book the place with those requirements or not. 

My son-in-law travels a lot on business- he's not a messy guy, my daughter has him well-trained 🙂 Not someone who leaves his wet towels wadded up on the floor, or a pile of dirty dishes and take-out containers lying around. He uses Airbnbs a lot. He told me he resents being expected to strip the bed, start the wash, take the trash out to the dumpster- he's only stayed one night, paid a cleaning fee and has meetings to go to, planes to catch, etc.

 I'm sorry you encountered a host who expects things from guests that she doesn't state up front- she has no right to give you a bad review if she doesn't make her expectations clear before a guest books, and doesn't even have that info in a house manual. 

However, $40 isn't a huge cleaning fee for an entire place if you are paying your cleaner a living wage. At this point, I just rent a private room/bath for 1 guest in my home, they share my kitchen with me. It takes me about an hour and a half to clean the guest space each time- I'm into making sure every nook and cranny is immaculate. Then there's the laundry to do. So if hosts or their cleaners are only charging $40 cleaning fee for an entire place that sleeps a family or several guests, I think they should either raise the cleaning fee, raise the base price of the rental, or make it crystal clear to guests what they expect in terms of cleaning.