The guests that checked out today left an awful fish odor in my house. They must have cooked and not used fans or opened windows. I have spent extra time trying to get rid of the stink and am going to have to wash all the bedding. Should I charge them an additional cleaning fee? I am strongly leaning towards doing so. Thanks!
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I think you should enlist a cleaning fee before guests check in and maybe put a despot up
I never know when you are having a laugh Billy or just being mean…
ha! I totally misread the thread … and yes @Billy_Bob_Merkowitz I know you just having a laugh!
aye… of course you need to wash all the bedding between guests @Lazlaboo ! or do you mean just the duvet ??
Yuck, I’ve noticed there really are some hosts (or rather, those collective management initiatives rather than individual hosts) that do not appear to change the sheets or do much at all in the way of housekeeping (I think I noticed once it was an Istanbul property lettings firm who’d turn their hand to short term rentals after realising it was about x3 more lucrative!) utterly unforgiveable, even if your prices are the lowest!!
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Billy, you are a huge douche bag. I meant washing comforters, quilts, throw pillow covers and all the things you don’t wash every time. Nice forum member!
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In a forum such as this, I would assume all of you fellow hosts would know that I wash the freaking sheets after every guest. This fish smell is in the curtains, carpet, couch, shower curtain. Everything! I have already spent an extra hour of cleaning to get it out. I have had 30 guests and all 5 star reviews so have fun with all your negativity everyone.
ah god that sounds terrible. maybe have a google to see what can counteract the fish smell - is there some sort of oil burner you can buy etc
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I am sorry that I have stooped down to Billy Bob’s level. Even the Ritz Carlton does not wash their down comforters after each guest. That is what duvet covers are for. All that washing would be bad for the comforters and decorative shams both on the beds and sofas. Anybody knows that.
I joined this forum to get some advice and I see that this is a forum filled with negativity and anger. I guess some people never learned the lovely qualities of grace and elegance.
If anyone wants to chime in on my original question, please do. I am having to spend a lot of extra cleaning time trying to get a terrible odor out of my 3 bedroom house as I have a quick turnaround. Should I charge extra cleaning? My fee is $50 which covers 2 hours. They otherwise left the place very nice. Thanks for any constructive advice and please leave the sass behind. I have enough drama in my life without senseless arguments on online forums with people I have never even met and don’t know me.
That definitely sucks but I think the only way you can charge an extra cleaning fee is if you had something noted in your house rules regarding strong cooking odors that permeate into all the fabric in the house. This is something that is always a concern of mine in the back of my head. My 5 hr. turn around window is so tight, I couldn’t imagine needing to also was shower curtains, window curtains, throw blankets, too.
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Wow $50 cleaning fee for a 3 bedroom? That seems really cheap.
I only wash my coverlets when I see a visible stain. I believe the majority of hosts do not wash their comforters/coverlets in between each and every guest. I sometimes get three sets of guests within the same week. I have one back up coverlet for each bed. So I can use that during a same day back to back cleaning. Then I can wash the coverlets on a vacant day.
The washer/dryer in the rental is not large and if I had to do two extra loads of laundry guests would need to check out at 9 a.m. instead of 11 a.m.
I figure most guests are aware that hotels do not wash everything in between guests. If I were to stay at a relative/friend’s house I would expect the sheets to be clean but I would never think they washed the comforter in between me and the last friend.
I hear you Billy. I do wash bath rugs in between each guest but def. not a shower curtain liner.
While it may be considered gross to some to not wash a comforter with each new reservation, guests could also have done the “nasty” right on the couch, or the living room rug. Those don’t get washed in between guests.
I’m sure plenty of my guests walk around barefoot and maybe they have bad Athlete’s foot and they are leaving traces all over the kitchen rugs, living and dining rugs, etc. but I just vacuum them. I also imagine many guests would sneeze right into their hand and continue to put clean dishes back into the cabinet. I don’t rewash all kitchen supplies unless I see a guest didn’t thoroughly wash pots, pans, pancake maker. But I do of course provide them with clean dish drying cloths and dish washing cloths.
At least in the U.S. I believe the “average” expectation is that all towels, bed sheets, duvets, and pillow cases are going to be laundered in between guests. But throw blankets and other things are going to be laundered only once in a while.
In two and a half years no one has ever asked if comforters are cleaned in between guests. I don’t think the reason they don’t ask is because it is assumed they are. I think they don’t ask because they kind of assume they are not, and if a germaphobe were to rent I believe he would inquire. If that were the case I would be sure to provide one freshly laundered.
I think if I started taking on the task of washing my coverlets up to 10 times a month, the only person who would know the difference would be me. I don’t feel like I am ripping my guests off or anything.
This is a very good reason NOT to use unprotected comforters, quilts, or decorative pillows. Just don’t.
Get a bed scarf as color and decor and to protect the bed ( like hotels do ).
Otherwise, if it touches the body of a guest then yes it should be washed. Use the “touch” concept as a guide.
A bed skirt does not touch a body. A shower curtain does not touch a body. A bath mat does touch a body. The insert of the Duvet does not touch a body. The Duvet cover does touch the body.
To get back to the question of Lazlaboo - no you can not charge extra.
If you allow guests to cook, and you don’t ban certain foods, then you need to just deal with the aftermath.
I had something similar happen with guests who lit a mosquito coil INSIDE the house. The smoky odor of that was on EVERYTHING… and multiple washings of all the bedding couldn’t get it out. I did confront the guest through Resolution Center and they denied lighting it inside the house (claimed it was lit right outside and wafted in–BS), they did agree to $100 for steam cleaning and a new bedspread. You have to do this within 48 hours however.
In most hotels, I can assure you the bedspreads are not washed between every guest.
After a day spent airing out, doing laundry, spraying fabreeze, boiling spices and lemons and scouring everything, my guests checked in and had no issues with the smell! I have been known to have an extremely sensitive sniffer and I am happy the new guests do not.
On an off-topic side note, I lived in hotels for half the year for the past 10 years. I accepted the FACT that the comforter may hardly ever be washed but definitely expected clean sheets, pillow cases and sparkling clean bathrooms and towels.
That Billy Bob is THAT GUY. The one who nobody likes. The know-it-all. The egotistical angry guy. The guy I want nothing to do with. So, I am off to another forum. Thanks to those who gave me helpful advice. And adios!
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Lazlaboo, that is why I stopped communicating on this forum. Unfortunately he had a helper that last time and boy was I chewed. I decided it was not worth it, I had better things to do, even do this is a place where we can come with creative answers and can support each other.
He truly hates the world, I agree!