Extra Sets Anyone? cutlery, dishes, glassware, remote controls, etc? (Cleaning Related)?

1

We will probably re-open soon and are thinking about how to make things easier RE cleaning with extras of various things. This way, we can simply rotate them out between guests for X hours (probably 72 but whatever).

We have always had multiple sets of bedding, towels, etc. But, we do not expect all this to go away until months after a vaccine - and that could be a long time.

So, both to reduce the risk to ourselves, our guests, and extra cleaning, it is our thought that it would be pretty do-able to have 2-3 ā€œsetsā€ of tv remotes, kitchen stuff, etc. Anything that people would regularly touch and would be time consuming to thoroughly clean every-single-time.

Is anyone doing this? Thoughts? Feedback?

1 Like
2

Where will you store (and organize) it all? When I think of my listing, even just the items that people would regularly touch is a lot of items. I did keep spare TV remotes and some spare kitchen items (cutlery/silverware/utensils) in case they were lost or broken.

I have to wonder if the time to swap out many of these items is actually significantly less than the time to clean them. I also have to wonder if the risk to you is any lower from swapping them out vs. just cleaning them in-place. I also believe you are actually increasing your workload when you consider that you still have to clean all items and you also have to take time to swap items out.

On the plus side, it should increase protection for guests and allow you to do some of the cleaning during a reservation instead of between reservations.

I kinda like the idea, but I donā€™t think itā€™s very practical.

3 Likes
3

Seems very do-able, I already have a ā€œpartsā€ shelf ā€“ extra cutlery set (teaspoons tend to disappear), back up wall hung hair dryer, etc.
But Iā€™m not so worried about anything that can go in the washing machine or dishwasher.
Iā€™ve often joked that anything that lives in our house has to be able to go into one of those two appliances. No dry clean only clothes, etc. And Iā€™ve washed all kinds of non-eating related things in the dishwasher.
And as an extra special bonus after the pandemic you can keep kosher!

3 Likes
4

I wondered that too. Everything in the rentals is cleaned after every guest anyway and as you say, storage is an issue too. It would be for me anyway. I have lockable cupboards in both apartments but they are full most of the time.

5

I have extras of some things but no more than usual. I wouldnā€™t have a secure place to store it all, anyway. With the increased time between booking I have been doing a leisurely cleaning schedule anyway.

  • Check-out day: go to house to make sure it is intact and not trashed. Start laundry and do yardwork.

  • Day 2: clean house and run ozone generator when I leave.

  • Day 3 (check-in day for new guests): remove ozone generator and do final touches.

6

I have a whole room to store stuff so itā€™s not a problem for me. It is faster to switch out some stuff instead of doing it in place. There are some things that we have always just switched out when we change over, not new to the covid situation. We have the storage space and sometimes had 3 apts to turnover in one day and found some ways to make it easier and faster.

Our throw pillows have removable covers that we wash. But we have 2 sets so that we can wash and change the covers at a more leisurely pace - we switch out the ones just used for the spare set whose covers have already been washed. We do the same thing for bed pillows so that we can wash the pillow covers not just the pillowcases. It also allows us to be able to have the pillows ready to go with fresh pillowcases for the next guest before the current guests even leave.

We have extra snack baskets too, so that I can have a new filled snack basket to drop in the apt when we clean. Any left over snacks from the previous guests have time to be wiped down and sit and de-covidize. It will be filled out with snacks for the next turnover. We did this prior just for quickness. Also, extra canisters of tea bags, coffee etc, so we can just switch them out instead of cleaning and stocking in place.

This isnā€™t related to covid and isnā€™t as much an issue anymore because we are only doing our Studio on Airbnb currently and it doesnā€™t get too many lengthy stays with only a kitchenette. But when people stay for even a week, the plants get a little sad looking. My husband has a potting bench with plant lights that he calls ā€œPlant Rehabā€. He always had a few extra plants ready to go into the apts in case the ones in there needed to go for ā€œrehabā€. Personally, I donā€™t think thereā€™s anything that makes a place look sad faster than a sad looking plant.

We also have extra hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion so that they can be filled (we fill from gallon pump containers) and ready to go. We just pull the others out, clean them up and refill for the next turnover.

Of course, we have multiples of all linen including duvets, duvet covers (hate to bring it up :wink:), bathmats, shower curtains, dish towels, oven mitts, etc, etc. We even have extra rugs and rug pads. And that has saved our butts more than once - someone got it soaked in the bathroom, a doggie accident, kitchen spill, etc

That was all in place prior because we had to flip so efficiently. But for Covid, we have started using packets of sugar instead of filling a sugar bowl, using individually wrapped makeup removers, sunscreen, insect repellant and aspirin instead of providing larger multi-use packaging. A lot of other stuff was already individually wrapped like the deodorant, earplugs and face masks. We did leave a few things that are multi-use but only because they have pump dispensers and can be disinfected between guests.

We do get a bag together the night before we clean that has all of the replacements in it so that we donā€™t have spend time getting the linen and such together the day of. I do recommend doing anything ahead of time that is possible to do ahead of time. It makes turnover so much less stressful - it also prevents you finding out that youā€™re missing something the last minute too.

2 Likes
7

Really good questions, for sure. This is why we would really appreciate thoughts and feedback.

We wonā€™t have all that much stuff in the kitchenette, so we think it would be do-able to have everything in 2-3 trays or baskets that simply get swapped out? We could literally store the extras just on the other side of the adjacent door, and thereā€™s room for us to do so.

Perhaps I should have better detailed the new space? It is akin to a ā€œsuper studioā€ concept. Total area is about 18 by 21, plus private elevated deck with waterfront views.

So, one main shared area with queen bed. Separate bathroom and open kitchenette.

image
image441Ɨ538 50.3 KB

1 Like
8

LOL! Thank goodness my parents are very reformed. No limitations but spoiled for good deli. Itā€™s hard to find a proper pastrami or corned beef without a serious road trip.

1 Like
9

Really? Weā€™ve never stayed in a place that had either or would expect it. Thatā€™s pretty nice of you. We would be concerned about liability.

1 Like
10

I see, what youā€™re floor plan shows doesnā€™t seem like there would be much extra to swap out.

BTW, what is a ā€œsuper studioā€? Google didnā€™t help. That floor plan looks like what Iā€™d call an efficiency studio.

2 Likes
11

Hi @Jefferson

Without a Dishwasher, I understand your approach to having multiples of dishes / glasses. I keep extras but only to replace when something breaks or goes missing. My listing is fortunate to have a DW so that gets run after guests leave and that provides assurance that those are sanitary.

I also align my silverware and dishware in an OCD fashion (that I recognize) which allows me to assess if they have been touched. If so, they go in the DW.

I use a disinfectant (approved for Covid19) on high touch items like remotes, light switches, door levers, cabinet pulls.

After a guest leaves, I go in and vacuum all the floors, and hard surfaces then I do a spray let it dry. After it has dried I then go in and clean. I do another spray / wipe of the high use items prior to the guest arriving.

The thing that gives me the most concern is my fabric furniture; My process for the sofa, chairs and bed headboard is to thoroughly vacuum them but I still question if thatā€™s enough. I will eventually replace the sofa and headboard with leather or something more washable.

The 24 hour minimum between guests gives me the time to carry all this out; if they were back to back, Iā€™d have more concerns.

Also, Iā€™ve removed the decorative pillows and ā€œtchotchkesā€ that AirBNB Plus insisted I add. In the Age of Covid, there is something to say about minimalism; as it limits the # of things to clean.

1 Like
12

Thatā€™s what Iā€™ve always done, too. But it occurred to me that guests might use the throw pillow under their face to sleep on- they could drool on it, or just breathing on it might pose a risk if they were infected, even with a freshly washed cover on it.

13

I canā€™t imagine the logistics of a whole kitchen duplication. I am duplicating my house manual and will rotate it w/ each stay. Our house is a 1912 home w/ a lot of quirks, so I think our house manual is important.

Iā€™ve ordered these for our remotes:

Iā€™m following a cleaning process similar to @JJD. Plus, weā€™re blocking 3 days between stays. @HH_AZ Iā€˜ve decided not to fret so much about my upholstery pieces, but when they need to be replaced Iā€™ll switch to leather.

2 Likes
14

Yeah, exactly. There would also be a folding cot in the alcove by the window (tucked away), in case someone has a 3rd person or kid. It has come in handy.

The kitchenette area would have only a limited set of dishware, mugs, glasses, etc. We will have a coffee maker, electric hot water kettle and microwave but no actual cooking induction plate.

We think it might be pretty easy to have maybe 3 sets of cutlery, etc and swap the entire organizer out. Even after double-washing anything that was used, we can give anything that was touched a full 72 hours and swap things with gloves on (and keep them on while cleaning). From what we have read, 3 full days seems to be the ā€œsafe timeā€ for hard substances.

Sorry as to ā€œsuper studioā€. You are absolutely correct - efficiency apt seems a more accurate and better description.

The couch will be leather, so not too bad for wiping it all down. There will certainly be some kind of small desk area, leather chair and coffee table (not depicted). No more fabric sofa for us - they are a magnet for tiny bits of gosh-knows and the lint brush picked up shocking amounts of little bits regardless of how clean our guests usually have been.

15

Often (not always) eBay has great prices on remotes, usually about $5-7 each. We have a parrot and conure that love to chew those buttons and are rather clever about waiting until we are distracted ā€¦

So, for us anyway, it seems easy to just have a bunch on hand - but your post makes a good point - and we should have some additional verbiage in our guest manual to note all the extra care for guests to feel safe and know that we have taken many steps for their safety - thank you for the idea.

16

FYI Hoover makes a fantastic hard floor cleaner (wet / vacuum combo). Even on floors that ā€œlook really cleanā€, this thing picks up a lot more stuff that mopping somehow leaves behind.

1 Like
17

@Jefferson, youā€™re very welcome.

Iā€™ve also toyed w/ the idea of leaving a checklist for the guest, noting the date of exit for the last guest and a check off on the cleaning done for their stay. Not sure, still mulling it around, but at least it would be something to indicate the house had not had guests for a certain period of time. If I were a guest, it would give me a bit of comfort.

So far Iā€™ve only had one guest ask about our cleaning process for the virus.

1 Like
18

We use a similar machine, itā€™s the Bissell Crosswave:

https://www.bissell.com/bissell-crosswave-all-in-one-multi-surface-wet-dry-vac-1785A.html

It has cut our cleaning time dramatically, as all 1850 sq ft of our home is hardwood or tile. Iā€™ve gifted one to each of my cleaners who have been so impressed with it and now have one at my home as well.

1 Like
19

The pillows are themselves switched out as well. Theyā€™ll sit airing out for however many days between change overs, 3-5 days, before they go back into the unit.

We do this because itā€™s faster and easier for us. However, even if a guest drooled through the pillow cover and into the feathers and then you put a fresh cover on it and another guest sat on the couch with it a few hours later, thereā€™s no chance of the new guest getting covid from someoneā€™s spittle in the feathers beyond at least 2 layers of cloth. Even if the new guest put their face on it and sucked in hard on the pillow for some reason (besides, perhaps that person should be weeded out of the gene pool anyway :laughing:),

Not only are the 2 layers of material likely keeping the covid from going into the pillow - as 2 layers of material in face covering is shown to be fairly effective in this way, but the virus is not shown to be viable on soft furnishings for very long. Also, it doesnā€™t have its own volition to come up out of the pillow and get in your nose or mouth or eyes. Highly unlikely. Iā€™d be more concerned about dust mites or something.

1 Like
20

Yeah, I am surprised that guests arenā€™t asking about the cleaning. No one has asked anything about it. A couple of asked for recommendations for outdoor activities because of Covid, but otherwise most folks are not mentioning it at all. However, they all have been wearing face masks in the common halls, so that makes me happy :mask:

1 Like