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 have exclusively microfiber sheets and linens, and I use them for their ruggedness (no tears yet after 7 years) and their lack of wrinkling. I have never had a guest comment on the sheets, pillowcases, etc. I have asked folks here who say they have allergic reactions to microfiber about their allergies simply because I have not heard of them in over 700 guests.
When I had cotton, it was a constant battle to keep them nice looking on a bed - I tried ironing in place the visible parts, hanging them outside, and using all kinds of ‘softeners’ etc. And they wore out quickly, so I decided that microfiber (which has so far never needed replacing) was the most caring thing I could do to the planet. My small investment has paid off many times over and as we know the best case use of an object is to just keep it.
I do love the wrinkle release in this fabric! And, if you are on a time crunch, you can actually put them on a bit damp and use the elements of environment to even time out and dryer use. By the time duvets, and or covers are done, the sheets are dry and it leaves a lingering fresh smell on matress protectors as well. Another cost efficient trick vs febreezing dec pillows and bath matts is using a bit of fabric softener and mater mix in a spray bottle. Odoban is another great one that is an antibacterial fabric spray and disinfectant for 10 dollars a gallon…or 3 dollars per bottle of softner, added with water ( which dilution is recommended) lasts me a month.
Keep in mind, I may have 5 houses in one day, so that supply extension is quite impressive to me
I personally feel that you’re under charging. How much is the host charging guests for the cleaning fee? All of that fee should be yours. I’m a New Yorker so I’m always thinking someone is up to something. In this case, I suspect your host is charging more than $150 but is pocketing the difference. Check the listing on Airbnb to see if the host is charging more than $150.
The cleaning fee has no bearing on what the cleaner charges. For example, I charge a very small cleaning fee, and I mostly clean myself, but when using an outside cleaner they get much more than my fee on airbnb. If I used mostly outside cleaners, I would make the cleaning fee cover (for example) supplies and possible extra overtime - maybe 25% more than the cleaner charges.
The perception that the cleaning fee is ‘too big’ or ‘too small’ is in the minds of guests. I am pretty sure they would snort at paying a cleaner what they are really worth… if the GUEST is paying…
I clean myself as well and charge $165 for cleaning fee. I noticed that some of my competitors charge $235 to $300 but I doubt that’s what they’re paying the cleaners.
For me, it has nothing to do with allergies. I just wouldn’t want to sleep on or over plastic. Nor would I expect my guests to. And I quite dislike the feel of them.
You’re certainly right about it being better to use things which last, rather than adding to the waste stream by having to replace things often, but I think most small-time hosts repurpose no longer usable cotton sheets either for themselves, donated to human or animal shelters if it just has a few stains, for furniture protection from pets, and when they get too worn even for that, torn up for cleaning rags.
And when a cotton sheet eventually has gone through all of its life cycles, it is organic, and adding it to the landfill is not detrimental to the environment.
Your in New Yourk so your prices are higher than North Carolina in general. I think a lot of my clients should be charging more for the rentals. I see a certain amount of “headaches” increase based on one night stay options in good and bad ways. I know what all of my clients charge the guest for cleaning…I dont think any of them have a clue I know or that I do this much research! Some pay 20 on top of what they charge the guests. Others try to profit off cleaning, on a larger scale they def pay hourly, which also hurts my business and effects consistency for us all.
What kills me is obviously finacial short term, but lo ng term the reviews on clean and the turn around that generates. Long term…its pays for everyone. And I agree about the complaint seed being in the guests minds. They just dont understand the turn around times etc. and thats okay. I mean it has to be in my line bc I have no say in a lot of things on that end, but I love to learn rather than assume why decisions are made. So I can find a happy medium and srvive and thrive in my area!!
I would think that paying hourly would be better for a cleaner, as long as the host understands how long it really takes to clean properly. If you arrive to find a huge mess and filth that is going to take twice as long as normal to return to an acceptable state, wouldn’t it be better to get paid by the hour?
Of course it could mean you don’t have a consistent income to depend on, and wouldn’t work if a host has unreasonable expectations of cleaning time and expects a 2 bedroom place to only take an hour, just because the guests didn’t leave a mess, or rush through the cleaning if it is left disgusting.
It seems like a base price for average cleaning, guaranteed, that you can depend on, with an hourly wage beyond that when extra cleaning is required, would be the fairest to a cleaner.
I’m just speaking in general here- I can imagine that the type of hosts who have 40 listings probably aren’t as appreciative of a great cleaner nor recognize how long it takes to clean thoroughly as a small-time host might be. I don’t actually consider those big timers to be “hosts”- to me, they are just property managers
I agree about the property manager aspect…but honestly, on that scale, no it’s not beneficial to me to be hourly. Not only that, the consistency lacks in other cleaners of those key check list boxes of cleaning. Basically, they don’t care, they don’t understand the overall big picture of what keeps this whole thing a float! Nor do the property managers sometimes I feel.
Maybe it’s a generational thing. I’m not sure, but no, charging by the house is the only way I make any real money. Keep in mind, if I’m the only one cleaning the house, I know what’s been done where, what needs to be on the next no same day, these are extra things ontop of just linens, beds and bathrooms…such as baseboards, changing a filter, just whatever needs to be done extra that time would not a lot for on a same day check in.
So if I’m charging 150 per house and do 5 houses in one day? You do the math. For someone making 14-18 hr…that’s a weeks pay. I make that in a day. I also know I can breeze through on “lovely guests stays” and I also know there will be guests that may take 8 hrs or longer. The ladder happens less so it Def evens out for me as well as the host.
bingo. although “no longer usable” just means “has a few tiny stains on it we can’t seem to get out”
We find this happens too easily with towels. We don’t use bleach ever, but some of our grey towels have a few “bleach” looking tiny spots on them, which is SO annoying, so they go into the house linen cupboard. All of our personal linens are flawed in some way, lol. My in-laws owned a lolly shop (candy store) for over 10 years and we always got the out-of-date- stuff, it became a classic family joke.
We do this with towels that are no longer guest-worthy. We call them “dog towels,” and they get stored in our laundry room cabinets. We use them for any kind of cleanup (much more often when we had dogs). When we get an overload of dog towels, we donate them to an animal shelter.
We can’t swap out stained guest linens for our use, because our guest beds are queen, double, and single, and our own bed is king.
We do as others say with partial rolls of toilet paper. They go in our bathroom closet for our use. Each guest bath starts out with three new rolls that are wrapped by the manufacturer, one on the toilet paper holder and two on the back of the toilet, on a tray.
