I don’t want to change the sheets if they haven’t been used. Does anyone have any good ideas on checking such that you don’t have to open up the whole bed and decide if they were used? I used to work in a property management company a long time ago, and if I remember correctly, housekeepers would put the fitted sheet on the mattress but the flat sheet would be folded up and then layed on the bed in such a way that you could see it wrapped around the bottom of the frame, when you lifted the right pillow off of the sofa. So if it was still folded up and wrapped around the bottom of the frame, you knew they never used the bed. Does anyone else have any other tricks to figure this out?
We keep linens for the sofa in a bag in the closet. Can tell if used as will be removed.
No I don’t know of any tricks other than it doesn’t look the same as when you made it. When in doubt, wash the sheets. Brandt, the problem with that is you run the risk of someone sleeping in it without sheets at all. Also, it’s not convenient for your guests to have to make their own bed.
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Other than the sniff test, no. It’s much quicker and easier to just wash the damned things than try to figure it out. I think the safest rule to go by is: if you left it out to be used - it needs washed.
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For the sheets for the sofa bed, I do put the sheets in a plastic bag and tie the bag. I will then see if the sheets have been used or not.
Unless it is the primary bed in the unit, most people would not want the sheets left in the bed. They would likely caked in Doritos and methane release from prior guests sitting on the sofa.
Could you just ask them?
Thanks everyone for all of your responses. I like the idea of leaving them in a bag in the closet so that you can clearly tell if the bag has been opened. The smell test is definitely not something I want to do. One time when I was working at a property management company, someone staying in a 3 bedroom condo, remade one bed so well that the housekeepers assumed that bed was not used during their stay. The next guests checked in and found a used condom underneath the sheets.
I also don’t want to make extra work for myself by having to wash perfectly clean sheets or go the extra step to ask them. I don’t have a lot of interaction with my guests so that would require a text message and waiting for their response. Minimal work is my goal. So the bag idea wins. I already leave a waterproof mattress pad cover on the bed so them sleeping on the sofabed without sheets would be fine albeit gross.
Omg what is WRONG with people?? Unbelievable. Glad you got some advice you can use 
Yes, the sniff test was kind of a joke really - nobody wants to do that!
I used to have a note telling guests I would strip sheets and not to make the bed. I have 2 bedrooms and often only one bed is used but when there are 2 guests I have no way of knowing if they slept together. Messy beds are a clear answer… Except when neither bed is messy.
The problem was that some guests made the beds, probably trying to be respectful. Either way I now had to wash all sheets just in case. I dislike making beds and stripping made beds and I hated that my guests were doing extra work when I wanted it to be easy.
The final solution? I now ask guests to strip beds if they’ve used them. I also leave 1 pillow per bed and keep extra pillows in the closet with a note so I don’t have to strip 4 pillows per bed.
As an aside, I also have a note for every light switch, directions for the electric fireplace, TV’s in every room with pictures in the instructions n clear, permanent locations. People don’t read the guide… Or the quick guide I made that sits in plain view. And my very short checkout list is taped to the door so they see it as they leave.