I posted about this on my Facebook wall, first, but I was curious what hosts would say since my friends are, um, not objective. And also lean socialist/ communal/ neurotic.
I know some hosts revel in fresh flowers in the bedroom, some donāt. But I think hosts who share space with their guests all are firm believers in keeping shared spaces sparkly clean. And, theoretically, I agree.
Certainly in a hotel, you expect cleaners to come in every day and wipe everything down with Clorox. But weāre not hotels. Iām very very clear in my listing that we offer a clean bedroom and access to shared bathroom and Wi-Fi. Weāre phasing out access to the kitchen because of liability and horror stories from other hosts where the guests donāt clean up after themselves.
So that got me thinking (especially with the current round of āwhy donāt male partners do as much housework as femaleā think pieces sweeping my wall)ā¦ we literally had guests say, as they were leaving the house, āweāre going to get breakfast while you clean the bathroomā ā¦ and at the time I was mortified and angry. (Note: this was over 2 years ago. My current guests are fine. So far)
I was upset that my bathroom wasnāt clean enough for others. Some shame. But I think the anger was because they were treating us like servants - but aside from some āIām not your servantā reflex, Iām not sure what made it so ā¦insulting? I donāt have the scholarly words to explain why it felt Different from anything Iād experienced before. I know it poked my pride/honor and Iām not sure if I should have accepted it more humbly (they were paying to live in my house, hospitality, the customer is always right, yadda yadda) or if my righteous anger was justified (donāt tell me what to do and when to do it in my own house. Clean up your own damn mess).
Note: the bathroom - that particular time - did not have excessive child pee. The guests had very very long hair which shed like crazy. After they left I swept up a ball of hair, hair pins, and fake eyelashes the size of a guinea pig from their room. The bathroom mess was (almost) all them.
ā¦ other peopleās body sheddings are kinda gross. I get that. But in a shared space, whose responsibility is it to clean up the mess of others? As a mom, I spend a lot of time cleaning up other peopleās messes - and at the same time, teaching them how to clean up after themselves. (My 13 year old does the laundry, takes out the compost, and does landscaping for the neighbors. My 9 year old sweeps inside and out, helps prep the guest room, and hand washes the non breakable dishes) #mombrag
When people pay to sleep in my home, are they also paying for me to clean up the kitchen after they cook a big meal? After they clog up the drain? After they puke in the hall?
I am fascinated that I have an instinctive answer to each question, and Iām not sure why. Would it be a different answer if the guests had en suite everything? If they were staying for free? If guests stayed for longer than 2 weeks?
(Gotta say, folks who have stayed for free have never volunteered to clean the bathroom, though occasionally theyāll offer to cook a meal - but not to clean up after, which is why I always decline the offer)
Are hosts who donāt share their personal space less offended by guest requests/ complaints?
ā¦ or is that a whole nother topic?