Guest unlocked a locked storage closet -- am I being too sensitive?

Perfect reply!! There’s always something we shoulda done better!!

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When guests ask you for the key to the laundry room, do you ask them not to wash your towels or linens?

No, I don’t. I give them quarters to operate the machines, detergent if they don’t have it, quickly explain how the machines work then tell them where the washing line is - so that their laundry can get that wonderful fresh dried-in-the-sun aroma.

But because most guests stay for just a few days, they’re unlikely to want to wash the towels and bedding. (Although it has happened once or twice).

You have commercial washing machines, more than one!! They must have costed a fortune! Do you limit how many times guests can use your machines?

One of my first guests washed ALL bedding, to my puzzlement. Once they left, a family member confessed that they’d dropped a bottle of oil all over every thing!!!
Oh! So THATS what happened!!!
Luckily they’d done a good job in cleaning it up!!

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No. Because most guests are here for just a few days, so if they want to use them every day (but I can’t imagine why they would!) then that’s okay. They are paying for it, after all. :slight_smile:

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We have commercial machines in our basement that take quarters. I just give the guests a sack of quarters (it’s a nice sack with a zipper!) but it’s probably $30-40 in quarters. I’m laughing as I write this but I assure you that we have mentally prepared ourselves for a guest to just totally rip us off and steal the quarters. I’m thinking it’ll make a decent discussion post on here at least :no_good_woman:

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But why do you need to give them so many quarters? How many quarters do they need to wash and dry a load of laundry? How many laundries do a day? That said, a couple of guests made a reservation the same day for staying 3 nights last winter. They were in my city already. My attention was drawn to their 2 enormous suitcases when they arrived on foot because they travelled by public transport. She was very excited to learn that our washing machine is a dryer also. The weather was good but they didn’t go out. Upon check-out, I asked where their next destination was. They said they were going home by train. I then discovered that they had used up all the 6 laundry pods in the bathroom drawer, which meant they had washed all their clothes in the 2 enormous suitcases just before going home? Strange travellers.

I guess I don’t need to give them so many quarters but I try to provide more than they might need, not just for quarters but with other stuff too, towels, snacks and TP, etc. Not only does it make guests feel comfortable/secure/taken care of, I believe that guests actually use less if they’re given more than what they need. They certainly don’t use more because of having more.

It’s Scarcity (and Abundance) Theory, that people will hoarde and overuse something if it feels like it might be scarce and on the flip side, that people will use only what they need, they’ll often even use less, when there’s an abundance.

For a load of laundry including wash ($1.50) and dry ($1.50) they need $3 or 12 quarters. I have this little cloth with a zipper pouch and I fill it with quarters because it seems better to have it full. If I wanted to give less quarters I would get a smaller pouch. Theoretically, my guests could do 8 loads of laundry probably, or just steal my quarters, lol, but most guests don’t do any laundry or they do one or two loads. And, besides, I’m not going to limit how much laundry a guest can do so even if I gave them less quarters, I would give them more if they asked for them so it’s just easier to load them up from the start.

I had a really nice couple do similar, they are the only ones who’ve done a significant amount laundry. They were really young, she was in college here and he was on leave from the military. He rented our studio so that they could have time together (she lived in a dorm) and he asked if they could bring their laundry. They were so nice and polite and I was more than happy to be generous with them. Interstingly, they did a bunch of laundry but otherwise used only 2 towels and consumed one beer and no snacks, they didn’t make an impact other than laundry so it all works out.

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Yes, this is sound advice: store the key where only you have access. Label the closet as advised. I agree on not making accusations that you cannot KNOW is true. The guest might not even know about it. Maybe it was the kid?