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I only say that I clicked on “not suitable for animals”. In the house rules. It is a binary click option that allows you to exclude from instant booking, people coming with 3 german shepherds to your apartment.
This is NOT a guarantee that the listing is allergen and animal free.
Look yourself on Airbnb - they clearly state you must accept support animals! So I don’t take animals but a blind person comes the week (or month) before you , guess what, there will be animal hair in my apartment.
I will accept a true trained assistance animal as defined by US Federal law, even though my allergies will be activated and could be life threatening, but only if the guest won’t cancel after explaining that. I will NOT accept “emotional support” animals. If AirBnB tries to force me to do so after explaining the danger it places me in, I’ll just have to start trying to find some other way to market my rooms.
I suggest not doing so. Airbnb protects you as a shared home host and even if you are not live in (I can’t remember, I’m sorry) I would indicate this in your listing based on your health reasons.
However, that said, since you are WILLING to accept health problems for a service animal I am inclined to believe that your health concern related to the guest’s animals is not severe enough to warrant the restriction. My two cents worth…
I just had a guest who had messaged me beforehand about a severe dust allergy. She asked me about protection on the mattress and pillow cases and if I would be willing to wash all the Linens in hot water. I said I would and I spent a fair bit of time stripping and washing pretty much anything that was soft and would fit in the laundry in hot water. It wasn’t until she left and I saw her review did I saw how truly nitpicky she was. She gave me 5 stars in all categories but a four-star overall and wrote the suggestion that I use fragrance-free laundry detergent. At no point in time did she ever mention a fragrance or chemical allergy, only dust. But to Mark me down for it even though it was never brought to my attention? That is silly. I would have absolutely went and purchased the appropriate detergent for her since I was already going through and washing everything specifically for her
I was a little nervous but I am very prudent in my cleaning and didnt really see as the hot water thing was a big deal. Yes- I checked her other reviews (as I do with almost every guest) and nothing seemed suspect. No mentions of scent/ chemical sensitivity etc. Perhaps those hosts just used the non scented detergents anyways…
Wasn’t much you could have done then. That said, I’d still have rejected it. Someone mentions an allergy to something that essentially is outside my control, i.e. dust, then from a personal perspective no way could I guarantee a dust free environment - unless of course they didn’t open any windows, doors etc.
In this situation you can’t guarantee that your place is going to suit their needs, so you have done the right thing in putting the onus back on your potential guest to decide whether or not to book.
I think you’ve done the right thing by explaining you can’t give any assurances!
I started using scent free detergent years ago due to various friends having scentsitivity. You really can’t go wrong using it. It’s hard to imagine a host getting marked down for not having enough scent in a rental. Most scents don’t freshen anything, they just cover. Same with scented cleaners. Increasingly I just use vinegar, magic eraser, microfiber cloth.
Yes, I don’t understand why hosts don’t do this. And to be honest, a guest who requested all linens be washed in hot water due to a ‘severe dust allergy’ was pretty likely to also require scent-free detergent. It’s not a huge leap, really. Mind you, I wouldn’t have complied with the hot water request - I don’t really understand how that alleviates a severe dust allergy anyway?
I think the consensus is that for things like sheets and towels that you want to sanitize, hot water is best. I don’t see any way a guest would know the difference but I know why someone would say that.
Yes, other hosts here have embarrassed me by saying that they always use hot water to sanitise linens. I never do, as you know, and apart from being a total cheapskate (and clean-freak) there’s another reason. Our shared laundry had a hot water heater that broke down ages ago and it never got fixed.
So if a guest asked me to wash their bedding in hot water, I would decline.
It isn’t only the detergent but the fabric softener/sheets that are scented…I don’t use scent free soap but I do use scent free softeners. I also double rinse all my beddings so that alleviates a lot of the soap build up and scents from the laundry.
I make my own all purpose cleaner, about 20% rubbing alcohol in a sprayer topped off with water and a couple drops of dawn dish soap. Works on everything from windows to granite and it is super cheap.
Moral of story, my instinct was correct. The only possible answer you can give to someone who mentions allergies when booking is: while my property is professionally cleaned between guests, I cannot guarantee an allergen free environment. I apologise I hope you will find a place that will better suit your needs.”
