I’ve been hosting since late last year; my unit is a 1-bedroom apartment. I buy high-quality bedding and towels, generally in white. I usually place 2 bath towels, 1 face towel and 2 washcloths per guest, and the average stay is 4 days. I frequently drop off the bedding and towels at a laundromat where the stuff is washed, dried and folded, and I pick it up within 24 hours.I have various sets so I don’t have to worry about the dirty stuff when new guests are arriving.
Today I was shocked to find that 4-6 face towels were clean but stained; some of the towels I might have washed myself and some were from the laundromat. I think guests must be removing cosmetics with the face towels, or perhaps the stains are not from cosmetics (what then?) even though I leave washcloths. I don’t want to place a notice asking guests not to remove cosmetics with the towels, what do I do? Your thoughts are appreciated, thank you.
If you want to use white towels/facecloths, then be prepared to replace stained towels pretty frequently. I use white towels, and there is no magic solution for keeping things stain free. It’s a lot of work, and once a makeup stain is not removed in advance and then gets set in the dryer, kiss that towel goodbye. If you use a laundrymat, they will not inspect the towels and pre-treat. They will shove everything into a washer, and when the cycle is finished they’ll shove everything into the dryer.
What I do is have our cleaner check for stains as she’s stripping the bed and collecting the used towels. For linens with a stain I have her tie a knot in the sheet or pillowcase. Then I know that something with a knot can’t go direclty to laundry. For towels, she puts stained towels into a plastic bag and again it signals that they need treating.
There is nothing you can say that will stop some inconsiderate guest from using a white facecloth to remove their mascara. But you can take the temptation out of their way. Buy a bundle of cheap colored facecloths and have them in a basket labeled “makeup towels” in your bathroom. That might help.
I changed to brown face washers after a bunch of boys staying at ours used the white ones for makeup removing. That will teach them
Thank you for your guidance. I like how you identify the stained ones for laundering. Yes, I think you are right, they were washed and dried and the stains became permanent. When I buy the cheap towels, they snag and pull easily, so I prefer the expensive ones (on sale!), but if I have to discard them and replace them regularly, I will have to go with the cheapies…I have placed colored towels along with the white ones, but folks still use the white ones – not sure if it’s make-up, shoe cleaning, or other scary stains…
I have tried a lot of variations on stain removal and I find that a soak in a bucket with Tide Ultra with bleach is the best. If that doesn’t work I switch to a soak in Oxi. But most makeup comes out this way. If it’s blood then it requires first hydrogen peroxide if it’s just a small amount, then a soak. Bigger amounts of blood or other organic material need running cold water, a scrub with Tide and if possible a wash in a long setting. I have clothes lines which I use for drying what I’ve washed stains out of, as it lets me have a good look at the item to make sure the stain is gone before it goes into the dryer for a fluff
Thank you for your valuable guidance. I wish I had the time to do it but in addition to my airbnb property, I have a full time job…today I will go to the laundromat and show them the stained towels and determine if they can improve their service. Yesterday, as the clock was ticking for my guests to arrive, I was washing towels by hands in a bucket (the washing machine would take too long); it took a lot of elbow grease to get the stains out, and finally I put them in the drier; it took forever for them to dry!
We stayed in a place once and everything was white except one blue small towel. She asked that you used that for cleaning shoes, makeup, anything that stains. While some people thought this could just be gross (hiding stains) I thought it was a good idea.
Go to Costco and buy their facial wipes. They come in a box of several packages, and each package has a hard plastic cover for easy closing and keeping them fresh. Also, take a very small picture frame and place a note in the frame that says “Make-up remover. Please do not flush. Thanks, appreciate it”. The message in the frame is to the point, the frame is decorative, while neatly placed on the vanity, and your towels will be saved. I had the same problem, and this seems to have solved it.
I have mainly white - expensive - towels. But I also have two dark blue towels and I provide a gift basket of toiletries, including makeup removal wipes. I state in the house rules to use these instead of the white ones and it’s stopped all the staining. Before I did this, I had people using the white towels for applying spray tan and wiping off tonnes of makeup so the new rules work for us. I also state that if they use white towels for any form of stain removal then they will be charged for their replacement.
Yeah I provide a stack of dark blue towels and make up wipes as well I get more staining on the sheets.
So far, blood from a female accident, calamine, tiger balm and mascara.
Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions!
Never would I ever use white towels or sheets in my rental.
White towels denote cleanliness, most guests expect it. Do you disagree?
I do. We use a color called linen. White towels and sheets wouldn’t mesh with the granite, tile, and paint colors.
We have hosted some pretty unique guests, including a TV crew from one of these home decorating television shows and they loved them and complimented them extensively.
My guests get cranberry and green colored towels that match my shower curtain. My mother sent me the shower curtain and towels from Florida where she lives, but the curtain and towels are 20 years old! I’ve actually gotten compliments on the towels, and I’m like “yeah ok, thanks” 
Guests may expect white towels in a luxury apartment, but I’m a humble older home in the adirondacks offering a spare room and bathroom for $40-70 bucks/night depending on season. They are not getting white towels from me. Plus, i have a septic system so I use bleach very minimally.
I agree. While white looks crisp when new, but it shows stains too readily. Something can be clean, even with an non-visible stain 
My guest bathrooms are both grey and black, so I use various shades of grey towels. However, I did have one set of light grey towels ruined by spray tan! I also use colored sheets (to match the rooms – green, grey, and brown blending with each of my three rooms. The dark toned sheets are less prone to showing stains. I do like the look of the dark sheets, too.
Happy Hosting – Lia
I planing on putting in a grey water system for reuse of laundry water in the garden, so I agree with the limited use of bleach … colored linens and towels for me too.
Happy Hosting – Lia
I have white towels and sheets and have no problem keeping them clean. They look crisp and match my decor (mostly white with black accents).
I do occasionally find make-up stains on towels, I pretreat the stains and put a tab of Hydrogen peroxide in the washing machine drum and they always come out brand new.
Hydrogen peroxide is eco-friendly as it degrades to water and oxygen within a couple of hours.
Thank you for your valuable tip; I’m doing my laundry today and hoping i will get good results. I would hate to having to switch from white to darker colors…
I use all white bedding and towels. This is my second year of Air and I have never had a problem getting stains of out my sheets or towels. I actually had guest that I felt terrible for as she took me aside to show me she gotten her period and there was blood on my sheets and one of the dressing gowns I supply. Nothing some bleach and a long hot wash will not remove. If I had been using coloured items I would have had a much harder problem getting them out as obviously you cannot bleach coloureds. I have gotten make up and even hair dye out of towels, not sure why people are having a problem with this? Regarding stains not showing up on non white bedding, people WILL find them and assume that the sheets are not clean. I could not imagine using non whites, I don’t even like them when I go travelling. I like to be able to SEE what I am sleeping in/on!
There are organic biological products available in the UK that will get bad stains out without the need for bleach, and I have had some success with them. But you do have to wash the items immediately for the full effect.