I know when I travel with my family to a whole house rental, we will use the washer/dryer a few times during our stay. Especially if we have kids with us. But I am probably a bit odd in that I like to do laundry and don’t mind getting a load done to make sure kids have clean stuff, or that beach towels aren’t smelly and gross LOL.
So in my renovation I’m trying to decide on where to put a W/D for guests. For context, I live in the detached guest house on the property and have a full sized laundry room there for me to do the bulk of the laundry when guests check out. The set in the rental cabin will be for guests to use while there and to maybe start a load of towels at checkout. The cabin is 3 levels, basement with bunkroom, main level with 1 guest room, and upper floor with 2 guest rooms. I can put a stacked unit in the powder room on the main floor, a convenient spot but in a closet in the powder room. Or I can put a unit upstairs between the 2 king bedrooms. It will be a roomier spot, but not as convenient and also close to the 2 main sleeping areas. I am buying a new unit, so hopefully it will be a pretty quiet set. Last option (and my personal least favorite) is in the garage in the basement. I can build a little closet and it will be neat and tidy, but in a basement regardless.
Thanks in advance for all your help, you guys are so giving to this community!
Annette
On a side note, do you leave supplies for the laundry? I always travel with a small supply of my favorite laundry stuff, so once again I’m a bad one to judge what people may want in this case.
We have a coin-operated washer and drier in an outbuilding - so not in the rentals. However the average stay here is about four days so the laundry facilities are only used by probably 15 - 20% of guests.
I leave 'laundry packs in the apartments. That’s a plastic bag with eight quarters and a sachet of laundry liquid - enough for one load of washing and drying.
Personally I wouldn’t encourage guests to launder my bedding, towels, etc., because I don’t trust guests to do it properly.
That being said, when I’m on a road trip I deliberately look for at least one place per trip that has laundry facilities so that I can travel light without having to spend time looking for launderettes.
The house I grew up in had the laundry in a basement and I never thought twice about it. Most apartments have either laundry in the complex, in the building, or laundry places nearby.
I would put it in the basement mainly because I don’t like stacked sets. However, if you decide to do it in the house and don’t want guests doing sheets and blankets in the cottage, go for the powder room option.
How long do people usually stay? I get 1-2 nights or longer stays. For shorter stays, I don’t offer any supplies. For longer stays, I offer detergent, etc for 1 load and then tell them to get their own supplies (I’m more diplomatic than that).
Every house I ever lived in that had a basement had the laundry machines in the basement. Same with friends’ and relatives’ homes.
One advantage is that if someone manages to flood the area or the machine starts leaking, it won’t damage the other floors of the house.
In my first home I had the laundry room in the basement. I think the basement would be a good option.
My two cents:
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Basement – and if the rest of the basement is unsightly, get some free-standing room dividers/shoji screens. This location less likely to be inconvenient or disruptive
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Our minimum stay is 7 days, median stay about three weeks and many stay a month or more… so laundry use is quite common. They do their own sheets and towels during the stay, we do everything at the end. Our offer is “The machines are free; you are welcome to buy your own detergent as long as it has the High Efficiency logo on the package; if you want to use our detergent please leave 50 cents per load in the jar (honour system) beside the drier” (We also have a little graphic showing what 50 cents looks like in local currency, and leave enough in the jar to make change for bills.
My first thought is where/ how/ cost of running the plumbing to the possible sites? I also like a laundry tub for soaking.
Didn’t have a guest laundry unit in either STR. The first one people would often stay a week and there was a laundry in the tiny town, blocks away. My second one most were there 2-3 days so, no laundry.
Because of the way I’ve traveled for long trips, hand washing things and going to the occasional laundry, I just didn’t see the necessity for less than one week stay. Never looked at any Airs based on having a laundry and I’m staying at one now that allows you to use the washer once if here for less than a week. I’m here for less than a week, but I’m covered.
Although I only offer a room in my home, I’ve found guests super-grateful to have laundry available. I supply products.
Use is mostly in the summer when I host many European camping tourists.
The only problems I’ve had have been with Chinese tourists, who tend to want to wash tiny loads almost daily. One gentleman, for example washed his underwear EVERY day- and draped it over furniture in the common dining room to dry!
It was okay, especially as communication was very difficult. It’s only me, and I don’t often use the dining room, so I just gritted my teeth for the 5 day stay!
…incidentally, my laundry room is downstairs- and outdoors😁
Yes, guests often use our washer/dryer. Fly-to location and guests do lots of outdoor activities while they are with us. Avg length of stay is a week. We leave some powdered laundry detergent.
We have washing machines in all our units; it a must-have here, but I have got to the point of telling the guest do not not do our laundry, bedding or towels for your clothes only, This year, I had a couple of guest put all the towels in the machine, so we ended up with all pink towels.
As for detergent, we don’t leave any more. We had a guest complain to AirBnB and leave a review. She was allergic to the detergent we supplied, and she wanted a refund. she didn’t get one bye the way.
I have washer and drier in unit. I leave Costco jug of laundry detergent and drier sheets for guest convenience. I ask that guest do not do laundry our laundry unless they need to.
I alway plan to do some laundry when I travel. So I look for at least a washer in homes that I book.
I have a stacked unit in my rental apartment and the capacity is so small it’s problematic. There are larger stacked units, but definitely check what you can fit with your height constraints before going that route. It also mean when one fails, I have to replace the whole thing. Wouldn’t recommend.
I don’t think it really matters to the guests where the laundry is, whatever makes more sense for your space. Personally I’d put it in the basement so you don’t have issues with laundry on the second floor and you can get larger and separate units.
I’d also look for an easy to clean lint filter. STR guests are terrible about cleaning the lint filter. Fine if you turned we every few days but a problem with longer stays. In 5 years with this unit I’ve had one dryer fire and replaced the unit twice (I rent by the month). Now I go over the rules with them including CLEAN THE LINT FILTER SO IT DOESN’T CATCH FIRE. Also, no ‘Unscentables’ and no scented detergents or softeners with unit linens. Longer stays people buy their preferred cleaning products, some of which are really aggravating to people with respiratory conditions.
Put it where it is most convenient for you. It doesn’t matter to the guests if they have to walk up or downstairs to do a load of wash. We have a tiny laundry room so we have stacked our full-sized, large capacity washer and dryer. We do make it available to guests and I provide 10-12 detergent “pods” to make it less likely that guests will use too much detergent. Our typical stay is 3-6 days and most guests don’t do laundry. I’ve never had a problem with them washing the towels or bedding but we leave at least 2 sets of towels per person. (we have up to 9 guests). In our area laundry is a must have as there are no laundromats. If I were you I’d check the other listings in your area and see what they provide for laundry. If they all do then you must too. If they don’t, maybe it’s a way to differentiate your place and get more reservations. When I travel I always look for laundry facilities because I travel light and hate washing by hand. You can provide a folding dryer rack to avoid the problem rubychix had with the gentleman draping his undies in the dining room.
I’m a live in host. I have a wasning machine guest’s are welcome to use but no drier. I offer them a clothes horse they can use to dry their clothes on. I done charge any extra for guest’s to use my washing machine but it doesn’t always work with short stay guests as the clothes airdry. They don’t always stay long enough for the clothes to dry.
I don’t subscribe to that idea. Most listings in my area have AC, but mine doesn’t. Most listings in my area have a mimimum guest count of two, but I only host 1 guest at a time. Many listings in my area have pools, but I don’t. It doesn’t stop me from getting bookings, nor have I ever had complaints. And I am priced accordingly. If I had to maintain a pool or pay for use of AC, or hosted couples, I would be charging more.
However, if all the other listings in an area provide such and such and you don’t, it’s a good idea to make that clear in the listing info, so guests don’t make assumptions.