Since doing laundry is such a big part of hosting, I thought this info would be worthwhile for hosts to be aware of.
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Thanks for the link @muddy. Airbnb has various initiatives, mostly to help refugees and people who have been impacted by multiple situations such as hurricanes, weather extremities and so forth, but wouldn’t it be great if there were advisories regarding ecological issues?
Maybe there are and I’ve missed them?
There’s been lengthy topic discussions on the Airbnb forum on environmental issues and “sustainability”, but the term sustainability sort of rubs me the wrong way, because nowhere in those discussions have I ever seen any hosts acknowledge that encouraging travel, washing mounds of laundry, etc. are not very environmentally sound or sustainable practices, so a lot of it just seems like virtue signalling.
Of course it’s good for hosts to suggest things like refillable coffee pods, refillable containers rather than individual throw-away toiletries and so on- I am of the mind that every little bit helps, but we should also be aware of not-so-obvious issues.
For instance, I was surprised to read in that article that even natural fibers, when released into the environment, pick up microplastics and eventually deposit them into our waterways and oceans.
Interesting article, thanks for sharing. I hope it does become a requirement to have a filter on all machines. Personally I’m moving to wearing more wool (merino, alpaca) all year as it requires less washing. Too bad that wouldn’t work for sheets…I’d wash my sheets every day if it wasn’t so wasteful.
I hope you’re referring to your personal sheets, not the ones in your Airbnb. 
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The thing about cotton, linen and wool is that they come from nature and eventually return to nature, and biodegrade. Polyester comes from crude oil, and does not biodegrade.
It is miserably unfortunate that the fast fashion mindset and pervasive use of plastic has caused an environmental disaster with microfibers everywhere and environmental deserts with mountains of textile and unbiodegradable waste.
For the earths sake we must stop buying new textiles, especially poly, poly blend or microfiber. The old fabrics are longer lasting and better quality, union made and sustainable, chic too. Yes, even sheets. I’ve bought almost all our home and Str sheets at second hand including Frette and Ralph Lauren, and I sew exclusively with recycled textiles.
There is an incredible fashion show that was created from textile waste and presented in video from the waste heaps in Atacama, Peru.
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One of my daughters went to fashion design school and worked in that industry for several years. But once she matured out of her teenage and young adult obsession with fashion, and started to become more environmentally and socially aware, she went back to school to become a Montessori teacher.
She became disgusted with the idea that people are marketed to to believe they constantly have to keep up with the latest fashion and buy new stuff. She’s still very fashionable herself, but all her clothes come from the thrift or consignment store or she makes them herself.
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I live in a 140 year old home.
All of my furniture is second hand, vintage or antique.
I own nothing that is constructed of MDF.
My rugs are silk, wool or cotton, all are second hand.
My curtains are silk or linen and are recycled.
I only wear leather shoes that are not made in China.
My clothing is made of natural fibres and I buy second hand.
My children do their Christmas shopping at thrift stores.
I even plan every trip in my car to avoid wasted time and fuel.
I abhor waste.
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When friends come to stay and I say, “You’re on your own tomorrow- I have a city shopping day”, they say, “Oh, I want to come!”
“No, you really don’t- I stop at about 10 different places and it takes all day. We won’t be stopping for lunch, or a beer, or window shopping.”
“That’s okay, it’ll be interesting for me to see all the places you go.”
So they come along and when I’m halfway through my running around, they say, “Are you almost done? Can we go home now?”
“No.”
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I stayed in one airbnb, which was pretty nice, the one exception, was the 100% polyester sheets. I will ask in the future when booking if they use cotton sheets, if they don’t I can either find something else or pack my own sheets. With polyester sheets it feels like you are sleeping on a plastic bag. They are cheap as chips, but also horrible.
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The highest level of conservation is re-use. The host already bought and own the sheets - throwing them away is a bad thing and punishing a host for their decision helps nobody. If you have a need for specificity of fiber, then of course bring whatever makes you feel good on your skin.
I bought 100% poly sheet sets 11 years ago and use them in all 3 airbnb rooms. They wear like iron and are soft as a baby’s butt. I intend to use them forever if possible; my cotton sheets wore out after a year or so, and I felt that they were a bad investment as well as contributing to global overuse of water etc.
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I wouldn’t ask them to throw them out and why would the host be punished??? I never mentioned it in my review nor would I. I would bring my own sheets if need be. Polyester sheets are hot, non breathable and feels like plastic. I never throw out old sheets, I use them for drop sheets, cover my garden when a threat of frost. If you love the polyester, good on ya, and continue to use them…they are just not for me
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this; deciding on a booking based on an already purchased sheet set
I book my airbnb based on reviews. If I don’t like something I move on. If I know a Airbnb host uses febreeze or scentsy products I move on, if this is punishing then that is not on me. My money, my choice
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??? Everyone decides in a booking based on all kinds of factors having to do with decor and amenities.
If I saw in photos that there are no reading lamps by the bed, I wouldn’t book it. I wouldn’t expect the host to go out and buy lamps, nor would I bring my own- I’d look for a place that had that.
If I saw a giant TV on the bedroom wall, I wouldn’t book there, as I don’t watch TV and think a TV on the wall is ugly.
And I don’t “throw away” anything that can be repurposed. Sheets no longer good enough for guests can be torn into rags, used as drop cloths, given to a homeless shelter, or an animal shelter.
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I stayed in 3 Airbnbs recently and one had microfiber sheets. I seriously dislike them, particularly in hot weather. It does impact my ability to sleep comfortably. As it is, when driving, I take my own pillow, coffee, half and half, and small electric fan. I may start taking my own sheets as well. However, when I go to an Airbnb that has microfiber sheets, I won’t return, I’ll try a different Airbnb.
I’ve been to so many great Airbnbs that literally have everything and are exactly what I need and want. Like hotels, they use tried and true methods like all white cotton sheets and towels and luggage racks. Unlike hotels they have good coffee, lol. Many of them have extras like gas grills, space heaters for the bathroom, equipment for cooking full meals and delightful local hosts.
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It never crossed my mind that an amenity would be a reason for losing guests…
It’s not like you’re being forced to watch TV. Just the existence of a TV would cause you not to book a place? Regardless of the reviews and how well the place is located?
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If the TV was on the wall, and there were other suitable places available, yes, I’d pass on the one with the TV. I have a TV, to watch movies on, but it lives in a cabinet in my living room, behind closed doors. Most of my friends have the same sort of set up, and none have TVs in the bedroom.
My daughter has a huge screen on the wall, but it’s in the basement, in their movie watching area, not in the living room.
From the top of my head, I cannot think of one listing in our city that has their TV in a cabinet.
I wonder if I should consider building a cabinet around ours to increase bookings.
It’s interesting to hear these preferences. This never occurred to me that a TV in plain sight would be a no-go for some guests.
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Yes, I get it, everyone has the right to ‘choose’ and every choice is valid based on the chooser’s preferences. I always see this argument when folks decide to run their ac 24/7 with the door wide open, or buy a big truck in the suburbs. Paying for something does not absolve the payer from responsiblity, nor does the ability to pay mean that it is the right option.
But the issue is that those choices can have impact, and a host who cannot afford x or y or has decor option a or b may lose business based on their economic or artistic issues.
If the thread count of the sheets means so much to one person that they do not book. it hurts those of us who do not have the resources to meet the guest’s ‘needs’.