Cleaning Service

21

That’s strike two against these cleaners. Do they wash blankets and duvet covers?

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  1. You’re paying them. You’re the boss. The cleaning company needs to follow you’re incleaning company should follow your instrctions or find someone else.
  2. Typical? that’s absolute baloney.
  3. Decorative pillows are neither essential, functional or desirable. I’d eliminate them.
  4. Think about the last time you checked into to a first rate expensive hotel. What’s on the beds? - Answer, pillows in pillowcases!
23

This is interesting. I asked one guest who loved the show pillows and said to remove them would destroy the aesthetic. Two European ones at the back and one decorative one in front of the “sleeping pillows”. It is a lot of pillows though in a small space !

On the topic of pillows to sleep with, I think they need to be on the bed and ready. Maybe the cleaners are just trying to make their lives easier by putting them in a cupboard.

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24

Exactly. Cleaners are supposed to make our lives easier. Train your cleaners, puppies, kitties, and children. :wink:

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25

Thank you to everyone who has replied here. So, I am NOT crazy! Not one person responding thought this was a sound or “standard” idea. It does sound to me that it is the easier thing for the cleaners, but I have stayed in many hotels and airbnb and never have I seen this done. When I arrive someplace, I love to just plop down into the comfort of the bed…not have to go looking for pillows and pillowcases.

The discussion on the decorative pillows was interesting as well…They look nice, but I am sure they often get used and may consider removing them altogether.

Thanks for this forum!! Kelly

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26

Fixed that for yah :wink:

JF

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27

Can’t breathe. Can’t stop laughing.

Thanks, you’re such a giver! :rofl:

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29

@kbess Kelly, the cleaning service is trying to cut corners; I understand their rationale but don’t agree that it’s the right approach at all. So, to avoid washing unused pillowcases, the cleaners prefer to inconvenience guests and create this bizarre idea. Tell them what YOU expect and not what they want to do.

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31

I’ve been thinking about this…cleaners not wanting to place pillows & cases.

I’m guessing it is for one of two reasons or a combination.

Guest sleep on, breathe into pillows. Germs can pass through a cotton pillow case. Maybe they are concerned about germs? Soln: Gloves, masks & if can’t wash pillows spray with something like Lysol.

Fat, full, cushy pillows can be difficult to mash into a pillowcase & can take significant time.

Just food for thought:
In hospitals shaking pillows into pillowcases is not correct.

To reduce potential germ exposure, envision clean gloves, rolling down a pillowcase like a sock, grab the far (distal) end of the pillow in one hand, place it in the rolled case (like toes in a sock), while pulling the pillowcase up, pull the bottom of the pillow deep into the case. This minimizes airborne germs plus compresses the pillow with your arm so easier to get in case.

Safer& Quicker than shaking the pillow into the case. —-maybe they don’t know. I’m shocked at the people who don’t know how to fold sheets

32

I can’t stand when cleaners don’t complete the checklists I have laid out for them on the app for hosts and cleaners that we use to manage these exact issues. I understand the spread of germs may deter them in recent months but to me it spells laziness. I think that bedding is one of the most important parts about listings in terms of cleanliness, professionalism, and comfortable ambiance so this is a step that shouldn’t be looked over. I had to find a new cleaning team about a year ago and since then I’ve been 100% satisfied with this new crew.

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I totally agree Sam. How hard is it to check the checklist before you leave to make sure you did not forget anything.

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Actually it’s greed. Time is money. Short cut here. Short cut there. Less time which translates to a higher pay rate per hour and can do another unit or two that day.

Sloth & greed -2 of the seven deadly sins…

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35

I have an extra luggage rack in the corner of the room with a laminated sign that says “place unused pillows here”. It works like a charm. Sometimes three of the four pillows and the two decorative pillows are there. Cuts way down on laundry.

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Interesting idea. I will speak with the cleaners about this idea. Thank you. Kelly

37

Just because they are there when you arrive to clean doesn’t mean they were there during the entire stay.

38

That’s a good point. I wouldn’t believe it, either.

39

I’m sure you love your decorative pillows but the consensus is that they are just in the way. Are you washing the covers between every guest? No.The consensus here is that’s icky.

When I first arrived here on this forum in 2015 I had a thick, American style “comforter” that I didn’t wash between every guest. I washed it about once every 5 stays or if I say any stain on it. Back then I worked full time and only hosted a few stays each month. After several months, many posts, and some colorful descriptions I became convinced that I needed to wash everything that any wet, naked, oozing, ill, gross, accident prone, oily, smelly, etc., body part could have logically touched.

Now I used layers of light layers and a duvet in a duvet cover in cold weather and wash it all. No more throw pillows. No more shams, only pillow cases. Also I allow dogs so no drapes, no bedskirts. I only put a throw rug in the winter and with non pet having guests. FYI, I have a small one room rental with ensuite so it’s easy to wash everything. If you have fabric covered chairs and sofas then that’s impossible.

In any case, I no longer look to cut back on laundry. I focus on making my rental as clean as possible.

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40

Standard practice in military boot camps and monasteries worldwide

41

Sounds strange to me. Not at all common in the US, I would think. The minor benefit might be that guests get more explicit assurance that their pillow covers are fresh, but as a guest, I’d trust the host to provide freshly laundered body-touching whites and would dislike spending the two extra minutes to find and put on the covers. And as others have pointed out, most people appear clueless about bedding, so you might be forced to wash the decorative covers or the coverless entire pillows more often than once every several visits or as needed.