This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
I leave stain remover and liquid detergent. I also leave all the cleaning supplies and hide the extra toilet paper in the very back of the cupboard where they have to get on their hands and knees to see it.
The amount of toilet paper usage is shocking though. I don’t understand how two people need more than 2 rolls over a three day period.
Hmmm, this probably comes under the heading of TMI…but 2 rolls for 3 days wouldn’t do for my husband and me. Perhaps you have been blessed not to have GI issues of any sort but we both have had at times and so that amount quite possibly wouldn’t be adequate for us.
His son has Crohn’s disease and my son has serious GI issues too. So I think you are assuming your guests have have healthy digestive systems if you think 2 rolls for 2 people for 3 days is going to be adequate.
Quite frankly, I would rather have a few rolls taken by guests than to have a guest who was caught short by an inadequate supply.
Yes, I provide laundry detergent at no added expenses. I think it’s appreciated. I don’t buy expensive detergent. I wait for a good sale or buy at the dollar store.
I provide a ;‘laundry pack’ in a ziplock bag. Our laundry facilities are shared so in the bag I leave one sachet of Tide (or whatever is cheapest when I shop - sometimes a couple of pods) and eight quarters (enough for one wash and one dry). I also let the guests know that we have an outdoor washing line (which is at the back of the building so they aren’t aware of it) and that if they need pegs to ask me.
Each laundry pack usually just stays in the apartments for months. Hardly anyone does laundry.
I read somewhere that dryer sheets are the work of the devil environmentally-speaking so if guests want them, they buy their own.
Yep they can help themselves to the same detergent and conditioner I use included with the “full access to kitchen”. No problems, and the washing machine is very rarely used by guests anyway.
I’ve read the same recently and in addition that they aren’t not good for your clothes, so I’ve started to cut back and use them intermittently. … Costco Bulk means I’m going for a while before I can cold turkey it.
I’ve also heard that they are very good for dusting - especially things like TV screen or computer monitors that might be subject to static.
I advertise the ventless washer/dryer in my listing, so I leave a limited number of pods with instructions not to use any other type of detergent – the machine requires HE detergent.
My front load washer requires HE detergent and I’m allergic to perfumes so I have a bag of unscented detergent pods and ask guests to use them, and to NOT use fabric softener sheets in the dryer.
My stackable ASKO washer and dryer have been great when the upstairs was a 2 BR apartment, and worked well last year for the occasional guest that needed to wash clothes. I use them when I’m only turning one room around, but most of my linens go to my grandmother’s 1968 Maytag washer & dryer in the basement (the kind where the repairman never gets called, they are real workhorses!).
Unfortunately, the switch panel on the dryer seems to have failed yesterday. And my go-to online appliance parts supplier can no longer carry ASKO parts. Is there anyone here from Sweden who might be able to find & mail me ASKO parts?
When my wife and I purchased a vacation condo two years years ago, it was used as an Airbnb-style vacation rental.
The previous condo owners did not provided their weekend renters with dishwashing machine soap and laundry machine soap. But they did have plastic bottles of Dawn liquid soap for washing dishes by hand, which the weekend condo renters used in the laundry and dishwashing machines.
We had to pay a plumber to unclog both machines from the built-up liquid dish soap used.
So, don’t skimp on providing the proper laundry and dishwashing machine soaps. Or, you will end-up paying far more for a plumber to fix them later.
You’re absolutely correct, I didn’t even think of people with GI issues!
Totally off-topic, but the misuse of dish soap reminded me. When my kids were young, one evening they said they would do the dishes. I was totally impressed with this demonstration of work ethic, until the kitchen began filling up with suds spewing out of the dishwasher. They had used liquid dish soap instead of dishwasher detergent. The kids were jumping up and down screaming in panic, my spouse was yelling, this mountain of suds was pouring out across the kitchen, and I was just laughing hysterically. It looked like a scene from “I Love Lucy,” when Lucy and Ethel screw up some task. As a bonus, the floor was really clean after we mopped it all up.
And anyone traveling can have an illness come on. The last thing I want to do is contact my host for more TP if I’m spending the night on the bathroom floor.
I have dryer sheets that are at least 10 years old. I can’t bear to toss them and there’s still a quarter of a box left.
I actually had one guest that used the liquid dish soap in the machine instead of the automatic dishwashing detergent. It did the opposite. No suds and didn’t even get the dishes clean. I’m pretty sure the brand was Ajax.
Ours is a whole house rental with a laundry room. We provide powdered detergent and dryer sheets. No liquids, because that gets messy.
We provide Tide Free and Gentle liquid for our washer that requires HE detergent. We use it for the rental’s bedding and towels because we want to make sure that if we have guests who have fragrance sensitivities, they won’t be bothered by lingering scents. We don’t want other detergents to be used in the washer, that’s why we supply it.
We do not use dryer sheets because of the fragrance and they are not good for dryers, either. I discovered wool dryer balls and have found them to work great. They are available for our guests to use and we ask that they do not use dryer sheets for the reasons mentioned.
We have found that very few use the washer or dryer, but those who do tend to have children.
I used to because the washer is in the AirBnB flat but after one guest seemed to be washing everything in the flat 3 times a day even though the machine was broken and then caused the septic tank to back up costing about $1000 all up to replace/fix. So now I unplug and drop the plug behind the machine so it is obvious it isn’t there for guest use. If someone asked I would show them how to use it.
I posted here a few weeks ago about a woman who pulled back the drape, took the cover off the window AC, unwrapped the plug from around the unit and plugged it in. I was annoyed that she didn’t just ask because there was an outside cover on as well. Luckily I heard the compressor kick on so I went out and took the exterior cover off. I thought it was “obvious” that the AC wasn’t in service but the opinion here was that obviously I was wrong and I should expect people to use the AC if it’s in the window. And I should put a sign on it.
My suggestion to you would be to do more than just unplug it, you should put a sign on it. So they have to move the sign to plug it in and use it anyway. 
I grabbed what I thought was Costco’s dishwasher detergent, didn’t read the label except that it was eco-friendly. The foam coming out of the dishwasher saved me the trouble of stripping the wax off the kitchen floor that was on my chore list!
Almost everything I provide or do, in our rental, is because of my own experience elsewhere. Look at it as if you are the guest. I used to hate it when I was staying for a few days and had to buy a big bottle of detergent (or ketchup). Goodwill is worth something, even though it can’t be measured. Just think of what you would like to see if you were staying in your place. What would you find to be reasonable and helpful? That has been my “go to” phrase. If you can afford it and if it is reasonable, then “why not”? I do have language in my House Rules prohibiting the overuse or abuse of laundry facilities. It’s never been a problem.
