Hi there. I would like some input from those that have been AirBnB Plus assessed re bed linen. The criteria states /matching pillow slips and bed quilt’ . I currently have white quilts (self patterned) as they look crisp and hygienic and have had feedback re same from the guests. However we have had plain white (non patterned) pillow slips as they often become so badly stained with old make-up stains that we turn them over and replace,. However we had non matching cheap plain white pillow slip covers that if they got too stained we would replace. In other words, pillow slips don’t exactly match (white self patterned V’s plain white material) So I am contemplating buying navy velvet covers and matching pillow slips to get around the problem. Or could I still get away with my current set-up because they are the same colour ie. all white. I’m not sure how strict AirBnB Plus assessment will be.
Also, what different option have hosts used provided in AirBnB plus to meet the 'Filtered Water" criteria?
Stop mucking about with white linen. You are not an Hotel!! Use pastels. We buy sheet colors and comforters which match the color scheme of our poolside cabana, not artificial sterile white. Don’t go with velvet anything; it will look crappy in just a few months of washing after washing after washing.
Filtered water? Get a small Brita or similar brand filtering pitcher and keep it in the fridge. That’s what we do.
Thanks Ken! Thats was super helpful.
Is it much of an issue getting the womens makeup off the pastels though? That’s my main concern. Can’t afford to buy multiple matching pillow cases. With the all white you can bleach out the stains.
We have given up on white, it yellows too much.
I’ve been hosting almost 5 years and around 700 people. For sheets and pillow cases I’ve used a few light colored patterns I got for a good price but always go back to all white. Not only is there the need to bleach out stains of various kinds but there is also the bleaching from benzoil peroxide face products that occurs. I also like the clean, crisp professional look that white provides. I do have patterned duvet covers however. No, we aren’t hotels but there’s a reason they use white and I’m not going to argue with their collected wisdom on the matter.
As for makeup removal, providing special washcloths in a basket in the bathroom is a technique that many hosts use. Just last week I had a couple here for 4 days who left multiple stains on my white towels and bedsheets. There was black, red and tan. Blood, makeup, grease. There were wine stains and orange grease stains from either pizza or wings. Between Genesis 950, Dawn dish soap, clorine bleach and Oxyclean I got all the stains out with pretreating and one wash.
I also have only white towels and white or very light ivory sheets. I don’t know what I’d do if I had colored sheets, because nearly every single guest has left stains (blood, makeup, hair dye, food, etc.) on the sheets. I pre-treat and use bleach and it still rarely comes out the first wash. I did have a spare set of light green color sheets in the linen closet and a guest got them out, used them, stained them, and I had to throw them out because the stains wouldn’t come out. I really don’t understand how so many guests can stain sheets when we don’t have stains on our sheets even once a year in our own home. Maybe we’re the exception, though.
I’ve been trying to figure out for years why my guests differ from most peoples. I was really worried about the orange grease stains. They came out. These were the first stains I’ve had in months.
@KKC @Nicky_Warner I do prefer white for the same reasons some of the other hosts have mentioned, however, I have found that high quality brands (such as Calvin Klein linens) that are mostly white with colored pattern (e.g. small whimsical prints with white background or white with colored navy stripes) can be washed in bleach without ruining the colors…
How did you pre treat the grease stains?
Thanks
RR
A product called Genesis 950 and Dawn dishwashing liquid. I scrubbed then soaked. Then washed with my detergent.
This is a fitted sheet from a group that checked out on Feb 11. One spot of pizza, the rest is blood. 4 of the 6 beds had pizza sauce on the sheets and comforters. We have a house rule of no food in the bedrooms. …sigh…
So what did you do about it, given that it was in your house rules? Request guests pay for the damage? File a claim against the deposit? File a claim against the Host Guarantee? I feel (I hope I am wrong) that by the way your post went you did nothing to follow up and the guests all got away scott free. Did it even get mentioned in their reviews?
Again, my sincere apologies if my gut feeling is wrong here.
For blood I find OxyClean to be effective. I use Dawn on greasey spots so I’d try that on pizza. Or even goo gone. If it looks like they are going to be ruined anyway may as well be bold in what you try on it.
We use colored duvet covers too, but for sheets white 100% cotton is the only way to go.
And for laundry, stay away from liquid soaps.Liquids so no clean as good as powder, liquids destroy your machine and clogs the drains and op top of that powder is cheaper.
The only time you use liquid is when washing blacks or wool, but the rest only powder should be used.
People complaining of white sheets and towels not staying white but turning grey or yellow are using liquid soap.
People nowadays buy expensive oxy powder to add to their liquid soap to get stains out…
Why do we need this stuff, we never had it the past, our parents did not use it?
Because powder already already contains it, and liquid does not.
These were our only and very truly BAD guests. I gave the guest a bad review and mentioned the food-stained sheets (and carpets) and lots of other stuff. They broke a door stop and pushed a door knob through a wall. They left the sink full of dirty dishes. They left the refrigerator full of takeout leftovers. They spilled sticky drinks (not drops, but big spills) on the coffee tables, night stands, and floors but didn’t clean any of it up. They moved the furniture around and marred the floors. There were three glasses and two pieces of silverware missing. They bent the frame on the sleeper sofa. Oh, yeah, and the icing on the cake is that they picked fresh oranges off the tree and apparently played ball with them in the back yard since there were splattered oranges on the wall, a window, and the fence and pieces of oranges all over the yard. We spent triple the normal prep time doing the cleaning and repairs, but since we did it all ourselves, we couldn’t provide receipts for more than $20.
I am very glad you detailed some of the misbehavior in the review.
All very interesting but doesn’t answer my questions about anything other than the review. Did you seek any reparations in any way?
The only possibility is to request money from the guest and I did not do that because I was certain that the guest would not pay and Airbnb would not make them pay due to lack of receipts. Plus there is the problem of retaliatory feedback.
We suck it up as being part of doing business. However, I am harsh in private feedback when the poor housekeeper turns up to blood stained sheets. Surely the least she could do is strip the bed and leave it with a sorry note on the top. Even better, as all the places have washing machines, put in the machine and turn it on! No one gets paid enough to deal with cleaning up after other peoples accidents.
We do have regular problems with lube. We have found that spraying it with hairspray and rubbing it together helps. However, sometimes you just have to throw it out but I’m not going to chase up for a guest to pay for a sheet.
The are many of us who do our own cleaning that absolutely do not want this done. The couple who left the multiple stains on sheets and towels last week did strip everything off and pile it on the floor then neatly folded the duvet and blanket and stacked the pillows. None of that helps me as everything has to be spread back out on the nice flat surface of the bed under the bright light so I can see every stain before laundering. Some stains get set in if they are laundered before being treated and soaked anyway. The only time I want a guest to strip anything is if the spill or drop something and get the top layer off before it soaks down to the next layer. My guests may have done this as the grease and wine was only on the fitted sheets and towels not on the mattress protector.