Keeping rooms smelling fresh

I find sometimes guests leave a room with a strong BO or dirty clothes smell which doesn’t go away even when the room is thoroughly aired and cleaned and fragranced with aromatherapy oils. Being in a cool climate there are lots of soft furnishings for smells to cling to. Short of washing curtains, shampooing carpets etc. every time has anyone found an easy way to keep the room smelling as new? I was thinking of investing in a better steam cleaner, is this effective?

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I spray fabrics with Febreze, or generic version.

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The bedroom is quite small and I would be worried about chemicals being inhaled all night or a strong fragrance bothering the guest. I think Febreeze might be an option for a dining room or living room though.

My go to after each check out is white vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle. I use to wipe down the furniture, mirrors and spray on the mattress. Along with opening windows to air out…works everytime.

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You underestimate my tolerance for BO (I taught high school) and my disdain for Febreze. Seriously, people always rave about it so I bought a 4 pk of cans at Costco. I had to give them away after a couple of attempted uses.

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Yeah, I actually did get in private feedback once that the guest was sensitive to scents. And prefers unscented detergent. ECt. I just feel it is much more likely to have someone in public feedback say the place for musty, smelly, bo…ect.

Hotels pump in air scents and sometimes it can be over the top.

I don’t use scented detergent, rarely dryer sheets. One lady had so much perfume on that the sheets smelled after I washed them. I was like, where is that smell coming from? I’m not anti scent, there are scents I can stand, febreze isn’t one. I don’t know why they don’t make an unscented one. Or maybe they do it’s just not at Costco.

I use a discrete air freshener in a Linen or SeaBreeze scent which is not intrusive. Not always or all the time, but when the cabana seems “stuffy”. If not that, I’ll use Mop 'N Glow on the tile floor.

Open the windows even if it’s cold, I find guests never open the windows! Also I discovered my curtains absorbed a guests strong smell so had to wash them! I had this problem for a while, so now I use an organic reed diffuser or candles.

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Also steam clean the mattress and carpets

Yes I wouldn’t dream of doing a guest changeover without airing the room! The reed diffusers I find are not enough, if the guest has left a really dirty smell. Lately it was someone with a really greasy body odour, who didn’t open the windows even in warm weather, a couple of weeks before someone who brought their own mouldy smelling towels (even though clean ones are provided) and the room smelt like I had a damp problem! I am convinced quite a few peope do not have a sense of smell. So the stamer works then? It could be used on the curtains as well as all the rest.

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So, do people think it’s right to give private feedback to guests about causing a problematic smell in the room? With my last one I told him it would be a good idea to open the window from time to time. I also mark down their cleanliness score.

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Is it a private room?

Maybe you need to be stricter with rules, my bathroom used to get musty so now my rules say please do not close the bathroom window as it is needed for ventilation. Is there a small window you can say please open during the day? :slight_smile:

Does your room have carpets? You could say please dont leave wet things in the bedroom or something like that?

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Does anyone notice how people smell different, like when you walk in the room after each guests you can tell the difference, like before Airbnb I didn’t know people smelt different! :sweat_smile: not necessarily bad just people have their own scents.

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Has a lot to do with what they eat!

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I don’t care for the smell either so putting dishes of it around the house doesn’t appeal to me.

I work at a hospital hospitality house and people come in all sizes, shapes and BO! I’ve learned from our housekeeper to open windows (we live in the upper Great Lakes and it’s freezing) no matter the season and keep them open until I’m finished cleaning. I also have a plug in candle I turn on during the time I’m in the cottage. The scent is gone by the time the next guest comes in (usually 5 days) and the house smells fresh again.

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I do have a rule against wet things in bedrooms and for ventilation in bathrooms. However it is expected that someone will hang their towel up on the hook in their bedroom after their shower. Normally this is not a problem at all, but if they have brought a stinky towel with them which they insist on using rather than the clean one provided … Also I don’t feel I can dictate that they open their bedroom window, but I will think about this one.

Yes of course. The topic is about when fresh air, cleaning and candles is not enough.

Check out products like Zero Odor that eliminate odors and have no odor. Spray prior to cleaning in case it leaves droplets. (You would also want to test first on fabrics.) I find it pretty miraculous.

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