I had an older couple check out and I discovered that one of them had wet the bed. I had a mattress pad on the bed but it was not water proof and it soaked into the foam mattress. I am washing the mattress cover and pad now but do not know if the mattress is ruined and will smell. Should I file a claim against the couple? What is the normal way to handle this situation.
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Message them and tell them what you found and ask for the mattress to be replaced.
No response- go through resolutions.
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Oh, they must have been be too embarrassed to mention it. Perhaps they didnāt even know it had happened. Iād feel heartless to mention it.
I would soak up as much urine as possible with towels. Dab, donāt rub. Rubbing sets the stain. Then spray with vinegar and leave for 30 minutes. Vinegar breaks down the bacteria and helps prevent odour. Dry with a fan or hairdryer. Cover it with baking soda and leave it overnight, then vacuum it up.
If that didnāt salvage the mattress completely, Iād replace it and consider the loss a cost of doing business.
And
Iād purchase a waterproof mattress cover.
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I have not tried this on human urine yet (thankfully), but I just discovered (Natureās Miracle Stain and Odor Remover when I was trying to clean up where one of our cats marked the sofa. It worked great in getting the smell out! They also have a citrus one that works well, too - I just donāt like the smell as much as the lavender one.
Might be worth a try to destroy the odor.
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I know itās an accident but Iād be pissed.
Is it up to you to take the measures to protect it though? Itās not an unusual or uncommon occurrence. Iād be interested to know what air would say if you filed a claim.
Everyone, everyone, needs to spend $35 USD or so and get a mattress encasement! Much cheaper than replacing the whole thing!
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you should be able to wash the foam mattress? or steam it? and you definitely need a waterproof protector!
I have used a cleaner designed to remove pet urine stains, it had a so so result, but it did completely remove the odour.
maybe if you mention it to the couple, just say āsorry. was there a spillage?ā
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Would you say something If the guest was in their 20s for example? I would say something.
OMG I just went out and bought waterproof mattress covers after reading this 
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I think you should say something. Obviously it was an accident and of course they would have been embarrassed, but people still need to take responsibility for themselves. Iām not good at finding words sometimes but hopefully you can find a way to say it without them being embarrassed further.
Maybe simple and to the point:
āPlease find below the amount required to replace the damaged mattress. Photos available on request.ā
Hopefully thatās enough to prompt them to be decent people. If it isnāt then be more specific about the damage
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Iām half of an āolder coupleā, and I agree with @Gardenhost . If it happened to me I wouldnāt dream of not telling the host and offering at least to pay for cleaning or replacement if it turned out to be necessary. Accidents like this are sadly, sometimes part of aging, but weāre not children and should have lived long enough not to be embarassed and to be responsible for our āaccidentsā!
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I want to thank everyone for their suggestions and advice. I decided to contact Airbnb and report that I may have a claim within the 24 hour time requirement. I have washed the mattress pad, and zip on mattress cover, but the mattress still has a big stain. This is a memory foam type mattress. I sprayed it with vinegar and covered with baking soda over night. This did not help the stain, but hopefully it will not smell. I have not been able to determine if it still smells because I had to rush off to work.
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I have a lot of people stay with dogs and bought a āgreen goblinā which sprays onto soiled surfaces, usually carpets. You put in a solution which contains an enzyme which breaks down urine so as not to leave a smell which other dogs might take as a sign that it is a good place to pee. Iāve also used it on human stains on mattresses and seems to work well. As well as a mattress protector. I have a section in my guest book called āSpillage!ā where I say that I understand humans and dogs have accidents (red wine and urine) and how to deal with them quickly and ask them to let me know so I can make sure they are dealt with before setting in. I just had some guests who told me their elderly dog had peed on the carpet and they had followed my instructions. i guess I donāt know the people who donāt though.
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This happened to us, but the couple admitted it had happened and apologized profusely, even sending me an email afterwords to say how sorry they were. I used cat urine odor eliminator and baking soda and towels. Meanwhile, I called Airbnb to see if theyād replace our mattress. They said I could file a claim but theyād be contacting the older couple. They said they could probably get me the $$ to replace the mattress. I couldnāt bear the idea of making this couple feel worse, so I let it go. Yes, thereās a stain but no odor and since I strip the bed after guests leave, the stain shouldnāt be noticed. I didnāt want a waterproof mattress cover since it feels funny, I think, kind of slippery and uncomfortable. Doesnāt it?
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Not buying a mattress cover after this incident tells me you have not learned from your experience.Buy a frickinā cover! No the are not slippery and uncomfortable; there are many out there to choose from. But if you donāt spend the $30 to avoid the staining, ruination, days of angst, may I suggest that you do NOT come here with this issue again? Not preparing for obvious problems like spills on a very expensive item that could be ruined is nuts lol. And nobody will commiserate with you after ignoring the advice here.
One other thing - saving $30 but spending $500 on a mattress, losing days of airbnb $$$s while the room is not bedded is not a wise decision.,
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For some reason this answer seems a bit hostile. Just trying to share my experience with others. Everyone will make their own decisions, of course, and usually things work out well, at least for us they do.
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No, the ones they have now are great. They are a soft knit polyester on one side and waterproof pvc on the other. You absolutely cannot tell they are on.
But Iām confused, sounds like the op had a zip on mattress protector?
I still think he would claim. These people ruined something nice and need to pay for it.
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I have one that was well rated on Amazon and on top of that I put a more traditional polyfill mattress pad. My mattress is a $1000 Nest mattress and Iāve gotten many dozens of compliments on it. Not one comment about it being uncomfortable.