We’ve had many guests use the washer and dryer for a single pair of jeans and/or after one night. We are considering charging a fee. Are there any of you with the same problem? What do you charge for a load of wash and how has the reaction been from guests?
If you want to charge for washing/drying you can include this in your house rules and put in the charge you want to make.
I wouldn’t (and don’t) charge a fee to use the washer and dryer. Either offer it as an amenity or don’t, but don’t charge for it if you do. Guests will tend to see it as nickel and dime tactic.
Though I understand how annoying it can be to see people wasting resources, especially ones you happen to be footing the bill for, it probably doesn’t cost as much as you think it does to run the washer & dryer.
Personally I only make my washing machine available for those staying five nights or more at no charge. I don’t include it as a facility in my listing, but offer it to longer term guests.
I don’t think it’s an issue charging for it if you want.
Like Helsi, we only allow w/d use after a 5 days or a week.
Unless you feel that it is helping you get reservations don’t offer it in the listing. Then only offer if someone asks and make sure they have their own detergent. If you feel you must offer it then just raise your price $1 a night. My utilities have increased along with occupancy rate about $40 a month. I added $3 to my nightly price and I’m booked at least half of every month so it’s more than covered it.
Whether they’re washing one pair of jeans or a full load is probably irrelevant (although my fairly new washer is supposed to “sense” load size and reduce the water volume of course I have no idea if it really does that!). Your concern if I understand it is loads per week/utilities cost. I think easier to just up your rates for everyone to cover or don’t offer at all. What if someone stays 4 nights and begs? ugh, let the negotiations begin.
If not offering, maybe make sure they can’t even see the washer/dryer! I’m a frequent airbnb guest, and once when I stayed in a whole house airbnb and there was a big sign that guests were not allowed to use the washer & dryer, I felt vaguely resentful as well as a sudden urge to do laundry!
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That made me LOL. In my small ensuite at $42 a night someone doing laundry for “free” is significant. But if I offered my whole house for what I assume is at least $100 a night, it does seem petty to say no laundry use.
Yana tells that funny tale of people who booked her place JUST TO DO LAUNDRY!!! She realized (at the time,) guests discovered that staying in her place overnight and doing load after load was cheaper than taking a bunch of laundry to the launderette!!!
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That’s more or less what I was going to say 
I don’t have that problem because we have a shared laundry room where the washer and the dryer are coin operated and each need 4 quarters. So it can’t be very expensive to run them?
If it’s a recurring problem, I’d add a fiver to the cleaning fee.
I offer free washer and free use of the clothes line.
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I feel you because that happened to me during my first year as a host. So I don’t offer it anymore on my listing.
But if a guest asks me I say you can use it if you have a full load. And sometimes I do offer it for guests staying over 5 days and I know they’re continuing their travels and not just going back home.
I also tell my guests not to mention it on the review.
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This is my first use of the host forum. Thank you all for your helpful suggestions.
Back in May I raised the issue of charging for laundry. In our case our own washer and dryer is in the airbnb allocated space so we can’t avoid the issue. What has worked very well is to put a simple, friendly note on the washing machine that a load costs €5. Problem solved. No one has used it since. It’s clearly not something our guests value. It’s reasonable to charge for laundry given the cost and it has not once been mentioned in reviews or in conversations with guests.
It’s actually costs quite a bit , especially dryer. And what’s “not that much” for us, can be a lot for other people depending on their budget. Also some guests are very wasteful and careless. To wash one pair of jeans is a waste.
People don’t mind paying for laundry unless they rent a higher end accommodation. It’s normal and totally acceptable to charge for laundry if a person stays for example
Less than 3 days.
Exactly . So no one really needs to use laundry when it’s a short stay, and if it comes with a cost no one will use it. But when it’s free why not use it and abuse it. Human nature
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Exactly Yana. It also is human nature to understand when a fee is charged as long as it’s reasonable. Thanks for your reply.
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