I am a host for 4 years. I am Chemically Sensitive. I use all Fragrance Free/least toxic products at my listings so O can work there.
I just stayed as a guest in a cute place in Nashville that was fragrant (from the laundry products) and it gave me cough, headache & my daughter hives. We made it through.
My husband and I are headed to CA for a week stay at 2 different Airbnb’s. The cabin in the woods does not worry me for the first 3 days but the unit in San Francisco that uses laundry pods worries me and we will be there 5 nights.
How would you hosts feel if an upcoming guest asked for some accommodation? I was thinking to ask that sheets washed for us be cleaned with hot water only. I always travel w my own Turkish Towel, a flat sheet and pillowcases.
I do not want to upset my host in advance but wanted to check general feeling about this.
PS-Fragrance Free accommodations are hard to come by without going to a hotel.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts/advice.
I was asked by a guest about this a couple of years ago. I use fragrance free detergent and usually clean with just vinegar, water, magic eraser and microfiber. I do have a few products like bathroom cleaners that have fragrance and if someone asked about fragrance free I would be sure not to use those products in prepping the room. It’s not a burden for me but I can see that it might be with some places and asking a host to make a bunch of changes like washing everything again prior to my arrival without detergent would be annoying.
Just communicate honestly and if a host isn’t interested in accomodating, move on. Or offer an extra payment for extra service.
Maybe it’s just me, but I wouldn’t want responsibility for your being ok so I’d ask you to cancel fearing a bad experience for you. You should stay at a ff hotel that can guarantee your comfort.
I would be happy to do the laundry without using any perfumed products and I NEVER use those dryer sheet thingies - they smell revolting.
However, I’d like to ask about two things. I am like @KKC and use natural products such as vinegar but there are two commercial products I use. The first is glass cleaner (usually Windex) to get the ‘sparkling clean’ effect. And although I’ve tried not to, I use bleach in the loo to ensure hygiene for the guests… So if a guest was perfume sensitive, I’d have to ask them if bleach would be okay in the loo - I could abandon the Windex easily though.
I had this sort of enquiry once and said they were best to look elsewhere, some business is simply not worth having.
I have come across a few AirBnb listing who do offer this, would not have thought it was normal, there are Hotels etc that offer this but they are usually a premium product.
@jaquo The bleach and winded are problematic but only in the short term. The fragrance products permeate everything like smoking indoors would. I am not seeking complete FF stay just trying to lessen the burden. In order of most awful: plugins and other cover ups, laundry, cleaning products. Being able to exchange fresh air is my solution. This listing does have vents that deliver fresh air into the unit so I am probably okay.
BTW, when I go clean/flip my own listings I get toxed all the time from guests fragrance used in the unit and their toxic clothing from sleeping in my sheets. So hard to get out. I am with @KKC on the vinegar. Plus baking soda to remove those perfumes from my laundry. I have a few repeat guests that are also sensitive and I appreciate them (They don’t stink up my place) as much as they appreciate my less toxic home.
As you know you have special requirements, surely this is something you ask before you book an Airbnb to see if the host could accommodate. Not after you have booked?
I wouldn’t be able to accommodate your request and would much rather you had asked before confirming your booking.
Is there a reason that you didn’t do this?
@RootsEatery – Surely these are things you asked in an Inquiry to the hosts before booking places?? If not, why not? You’ve been a Host for 4 years… that’s what Inquiries are for – to ask questions like “Can you accommodate my chemical sensitivity?”.
It’s not too late to ask for accommodation, but the asking should have been done before booking, not after.
I’d worry you be a fussy nitpicking guest in other ways and would decline you. That’s just me. But that being said, I have had FF guests in the past. I washed their stuff in FF detergent but still used bleach and stuff while cleaning. No issues.
I’ve only been asked this once, and I happened to be at the condo for spring break so I grabbed a few all natural products. I knew the $25 plus a little effort would guarantee me a 5 star review (& it was a $1200 reservation.)
Good point. I have mostly one night guests and can accomodate easily anyway. But for $1200…shoot, I’d definitely accomodate.
$1200 and the issues are different.
To all who asked, I did not ask in advance of booking for a couple reasons. First, I so naturally practice avoidance that I actually forget I have a problem and I just do not want to be this way. Second, as you can see here, hosts can get all negative and freak out a bit. I booked this 6 months ago and it wasn’t until my Nashville stay last week that I realized I could have trouble.
My illness was brought in by three pesticide poisonings in a short period of time. I am left with non-traumatic brain injury (cognitive issues) and these physical reactions to low level toxins. I have long time friends that do not even know about this. It is purposely not my lead story.
So yes, I forgot 
I also try to please guests even if it costs me a few bucks. I had a family come for one week @ $1,000 during Thanksgiving. He wanted to make pies. So I bought a mixer, pie plates and a rolling pin. Now they live at the apartment. Easy peasy.
Also-I have decided that asking the host is not worth the risk. I will bring my linens and all will be well. If it’s horrible, we can move to a hotel at great expense. I take responsibility for my self care but just was curious if asking could cause a stir. Yup.
I am not being negative. Nor am I ‘freaking out’. @RootsEatery
Like most hosts, probably including yourself . If a guest has special needs I would prefer to know in advance - so I know whether I can accommodate them.
Rather than have a guest tell me about it at the last minute leading to unnecessary stress and inconvenience for us both.
Why ask if you weren’t prepared to listen to the answers given?
I recently had a FF sensitive guest who did not disclose sensitivities ahead of time. It turned out to be an uncomfortable situation for both of us - the guest was complaining about the scent (even though I do use natural product) and there was nothing I could do short of buying new sheets (as all the spare sheets were washed the same way).
Have I known about the sensitivities ahead of time I could accommodate the FF request, and probably would for a longer stay.
However, with most of my stays being 1-2 days, I don’t think I would , honestly.
I think it is generally a good idea to tell the host about any concerns ahead of time. Ask if they can use less harsh chemicals for cleaning if that is possible, or air the room really well, and bring your own linens.
Thank you to all who replied honestly. It’s good to get the wisdom of the crowd.
I think that what we’ve discovered here is ask! Communicate! I would be happy to host people who want no fragrances so I’d ask them if my Windex and bleach habit is okay. If they said no, then fine. I can do that. As a guest, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking a potential host. In fact, their willingness (or otherwise) to help the guest could be indicative of what they’ll be like during the stay. 
As a host, i have no wish to traumatize you or ‘freak out a little bit’. However, you are responsible for your condition. This is particularly true if it is serious, which you have indicated.
The superior hotels that i have observed go to great lengths to reduce allergens, but even they don’t guarantee a fragrance free experience.
As an Airbnb host, being responsible for a guest with a potentially serious condition is too much responsibility. My insurance would not cover it, and I would be terrified of potentially being the cause of harm to you.
i suggest you invest more time in places specifically designed for highly sensitive people.
I was never looking for a guaranteed FF place. None exists. I was just wondering what a host would think if I asked for a no soap wash of linens prior to arrival. No biggie. We can just do it if it needs doing when we get there.