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Wiping doors down with glass cleaner and a towel, etc. etc. every day gave me diminishing returns between water spots and damp towels full of sprayed soap.
I found the answer online of course: I purchased a high-quality silicone squeegee. I also put on the handle ‘use me after the shower’ (I do 1 to 3 day stays and the shower stall is tiny with one or maybe two guests using it). First day I walked in and the guest had done it themselves. It was sparkling. Second day, new guest, they didn’t do it, but I was able to squeegee it down in about 40 seconds. The results passed my quality test - no spots no soap no haze.
The squeegee sounds a good idea. I seem to get towels ruined by bleach. I dont know if the guest or cleaner has caused the problem and wonder if bleach is included in some shower cleaners. Not sure i could ask guests to use the squeegee though
I had the same apprehension and in some ways I still do. I put a sign on the squeegee to use it after showering with a Dymo label. It’s too early to tell if that’s working well. I’m always wary of signs of the Airbnb world - as a host. It’s too easy to say ‘oh I’ll just put a sign to make sure this happens or that doesn’t’ and sudden suddenly guests have signs everywhere they turn.
(This guest got a bunch of responses along the lines of “OMG this host must be insane”, and “Can you give us the listing link so we know never to book there”, so she did a follow up video saying, “I just posted that because I thought it was funny, guys. I had no intention to damage her business. The host is actually really sweet, I have no problem with her, the room is clean and comfy and I would book here again.”
Sign or no sign is the question always! I have a situation that requires either input from the hive mind here or the ability for me to simply go ahead and “do it”; I bought and put in each of the rooms, a combination charging stand with mag safe, AirPod, and smart watch charging. It occurred after I bought it and purchased it in the rooms that there might be some people who do not understand that this is not a little piece of abstract art, but actually a place to charge three Apple products at once.
I can’t obviously accompany my guests into their room and see their habits so…
I don’t think there is anything wrong with an instructional sign or two, especially if you put it in a small frame next to what it corresponds to.
As long as the signs are attractively presented, not a bunch of tacky post-it notes, or overkill, and instructional and explanatory, rather than coming across as controlling, I don’t see it being offensive.
It would seem to be easier for guests to have the instructions right there, rather than having to go look them up in the physical or digital house manual.
I check guests in in person and do a quick walk through with them, explaining things that might not be evident or are quirks specific to my place or the area. It is literally quite quick- like about 3 minutes.
I do have one sign in the bathroom, in a small stand-up acrylic frame on the top of the toilet tank, explaining that I am on a private septic that I can’t overload with toilet paper, so to please throw pee and nose blowing paper, etc. in the trash container by the toilet, but #2 flush it all. And also that the way the city water system works is that they send water to various areas only 2 or 3 times a week, which fills my water tanks, so to please not leave water running when brushing teeth, etc. and no need to flush the toilet if you just have a pee. (My guests have a private bathroom)
Personally, I wouldn’t ask short stay guests to squeegy the shower door, which seems like a housekeeping chore, unless they were sharing the bathroom with others, although I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request. When I point out the broom and dustpan behind the bathroom door to guests, I say “I don’t expect guests to clean, that’s just there for your own convenience, if the floor gets sandy and you don’t want to walk around on it with bare feet”. But in fact, I find most guests do sweep their bedroom/bathroom (it’s all tile floors) before checking out.
What solution do you use to clean the shower. We don’t actually have a door on our walk in shower, just a pony wall with glass to ceiling. It doesn’t usually get totally soaked and sometimes not even a drop on it but i would love to know what gets it so sparking? I feel some signage is good and even though I have a instruction manual with the coffee make and microwave I had to write out idiot proof instructions because “I think” some folks are used to Keurig coffee maker and do not know how to use the standard coffee maker. Enclosed are a few signs that, in our Airbnb seem to be essential. I do think frames do make it a little less harsh. I don’t find the hand printed signs awesome but cannot think of a better way…maybe a wee frame above thermostat would be better. Not trying to encroach on your thread Rolf.
I do have lots of little notes around my place - not anything like the video Muddy shared which is hilarious! But I will say, almost every host comments in their reviews how much they appreciated the helpful notes. But just s about how to use or work things - Not warnings or admonishments. It’s a psychological glitch some folks have who really shouldn’t be sharing their homes if they have so much anxiety about how it’s used! I provide a squeegee but not a request to use it. I figure the smart ones will conscientious / educated ones will. I do, when provided. I’d love to hear other hints about removing scale on shower doors though!
Muriatic acid gets rid of hard water deposits. White vinegar does, too, it’s just that you have to let it sit for awhile, which doesn’t really work that well on a vertical surface.
I use vinegar to soak my shower heads in as the holes get plugged up after awhile with the heavily calcium water here.
If using muriatic acid on a shower door, wear gloves and maybe a mask and be sure to wash all of it away.
And don’t use it on metal- it will permanently discolor it. (It doesn’t affect plastic)
I have also used muriatic acid to get a poorly flushing toilet working properly again. What happens in areas with hard water is that all those little holes under the rim get plugged up with mineral deposits over time, so you don’t get the strong flush action anymore. You turn off the water to the toilet, flush it so the water in the tank ends up below the flapper (use a sponge to remove more water if it isn’t low enough), lift the flapper and pour a cup of muriatic acid down the hole. Leave it overnight. The acid will dissolve all the minerals plugging the holes. In the morning, turn the water back on, flush the toilet (which will now go Whoosh!) then scrub a bit over the holes to remove any leftover crud.
Then there are the things hosts don’t give any instructions for, because it never occurred to them (quite understandably) that anyone would require instructions to use.
I had a guest who told me she was having to flush the guest room toilet 2 or 3 times to get everything flushed (this when there is a water shortage in my area and we all need to conserve water). I said that was weird, as it was working fine before she arrived but that I’d check it out. But then she said she’d been holding the handle down for a few seconds when flushing because that’s what she had to do at home with her toilet.
I explained to her that means that either her toilet at home doesn’t have the float or flapper chain properly adjusted or the flush holes are plugged, and to not hold the handle down when she flushes here. After that, she had no problem getting it to fully flush the first time.
