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It’s possible some of your guests don’t take you up on your offer because they don’t want someone else washing their underwear, etc. Some people really don’t want another person touching and seeing their period stained panties, or their skid mark underwear.
OOOPS - I just edited my post because I see you say if they stay a week then they will ask. But I do have to say that many people do not want other people to touch their undergarments, and would just decline your offer.
I thought the same. I would not want a host to touch my underwear. Thats so private.
O really? Lol. There are many nice things that we would rather do, but we dont because it costs us money.
How would you feel if you were in Yana’s shoes? she obviously had guests booking JUST so they could do laundry. It’s not minimal impact and it certainly isn’t FREE.
Yes! The cost of doing a load of laundry at a do it yourself place here in the Los Angeles area is going to be at least $6 to $8–for ONE load.
You mean they just keep wearing their dirty clothes? :)))
This thread on laundry use caught my eye. I’ve got a week long guest, my limit. He’s made me rethink my generous offer to let guests use the washer and dryer for free. He put a load in early today and then left with the clothes spinning in the dryer. It’s almost 9pm and the clothes are still there with a dirty load waiting to be put in the washer. …Update…I just brought the dried clothes inside and closed the garage door where the machines are. …2 more nights and he’s gone!
Haha. No, I have one nighters passing through. Very few are tourists, many are just going between CA and TX. Last time I had a guest do laundry it was brothers on a road trip who had just been in Big Bend for several days. I actually asked them if they wanted to do laundry. They put it in the washing machine and then left to go eat and drink. I put the load in the dryer for them. They didn’t check on it when they came in, so in the morning it was still damp. So I turned on the dryer again and let them know when they got up. It was annoying but he was very grateful and it doesn’t happen often.
In the apartment I rent out, there is a washer/dryer. I do not provide detergent, but it can be bought in a store in the same building. Only 2 guests have asked for detergent. I told them where to buy it, and they were fine.
You are the hostess with the mostest for sure :)))
My guy, the one who put the load in yesterday, is still sleeping and the laundry is still undone. He woke me up very early this morning with his video watching on his cell phone. I managed to get back to sleep; so did he. Just now his alarm finally stopped after 30 minutes of honking–he’s still sound asleep! It’s a repeat of yesterday when I finally woke him because he had an interview at Olive Garden. He wants to stay another week with me. I don’t think so! :)))
Uh, that’s a lot more hostess with mostest than I am. I would get him out ASAP. Sounds like the kind of fellow that could turn into a squatter.
Horrors! I’m afraid that had absolutely never occurred to me!
We have a 4-night minimum and we offer to do guests’ laundry as our machine is a bit temperamental and you need an advanced electronics degree to get it on the right setting, and also it’s in our part of the house. We don’t charge for this as our rates are quite high anyway. Most people staying for more than about 5 days hand us at least one load of washing. We do have a dryer available that they can use but it’s in the spiders’ den and anyway things dry in half an hour outside in the sun.
Now I shall worry that guests are foregoing having clean clothes because they don’t want me to touch their knickers … thanks a bunch, @cabinhost!
I certainly hope not. I haven’t read any squatter stories here. I’ll have to look. This guy is 22 and presents himself very well; but after 5 days of seeing his routine I can see he’s directionless. Here it is just after 10am and he’s still sleeping and his laundry is still half done. I can’t wait til he wakes up so I can find out how the job interview went–if there even was one.
I was going to take off for a couple days to the desert but I’ll wait. I don’t anticipate any problems but you never know. Just 2 more nights :o
IT’s not so bad, @LegendsCreek - I just make sure we know when they are going to do the laundry. I don’t let them use it ‘at will’, so to speak, they have to tell me when. Since most of my guests are 3-4 nights they usually only use it once, if at all. Also, because the laundry is near our bedroom, they have to start it be 8:30 pm
What’s funny about this thread is that it seems that the hosts who don’t provide or supply the facilities have guests who want to do laundry!
I very rarely get guests who make use of the laundry facilities but I wish they did - a) because the machines are coin operated and the HOA makes a little money and b) because it’s an extra service I can offer guests with no effort from me.
But no, it’s the people who don’t want the launderers who get them 
QFT!! I offer a laundry free for all, I make my own laundry soap so the cost is minimal for me (0.07/load) and I have 2 washers and dryers. This obviously isn’t the case for everyone and utilities in some places are ridiculously priced, I’ve had 3 people want to do laundry. One stopped for one night, another a week and one for a long weekend on a road trip. My current guests have been here a week and haven’t even asked. I just don’t want stinky people in my house.
Thats why many hosts have minimum amount of days as a requirement for free laundry. I do not forbid laundry even a person stays 1 day, but if its less than 5 days then they need to pay. Its really just a few dollars, to object to it is just total nonsense if a guest NEEDS to do laundry.
I had occasional guests, not many who did laundry collected for a month, come to my house for 1 night paying very little for a room, and then whole night they do laundry. I dont mind, but in this case pay me so i wont feel like they made a free laundromat out of my house.
I know for a fact that some people rent Airbnb for just that one night with the purpose in mind to do their laundry. One girl told me she stays in hotels but because in hotels she needs to pay 5$ for each piece of clothes, she rents Airbnb for just one night and gets her laundry done for free.
Many airbnbs where i stayed dont offer laundry and look at you with surprise when you ask for it. SOmetimes when i travel for a long time i pick a place where i stay the longest and ask a host for laundry. Many let me use only washer and dry my clothes on a rack. I always offer to pay, but because i just need usualy one load, noone charges me.
But again i would never asl if i stayed only couple of nights.
If those machines were for free, they would definitely use it:)
I do offer the free use of my washer and dryer. I, for the most part, have short term guests and no one needs to do any laundry. Right now, for the first time, I have guests here for a week and they just asked if they can wash their stinky tennis clothes. I am happy to be able to say yes, as it costs me almost nothing.
@Yana_Agapova, if I ever ran into situations like you have, with people booking for a night JUST so they could do load after load of laundry for free, I would change my rules fast. That sort of behavior just blows my mind. I don’t understand those that attempt to take a mile when given an inch.
I can imagine myself booking into a place for one night if I was for example camping and wanted to use the laundry. But in that event I would always offer to pay the host for the privilege. I take it that guests never do that?
I charge $5 per load for guests to use my washer/dryer which includes detergent. It’s a really big washer so usually one load is all they need.