We are setting up our room for launch soon. The microwave issue seems controversial. Florida has a roach/ant problem year round and I am concerned. However, I do want to provide amenities. Curious how hosts feel about microwaves in room. Our guests will not have access to our kitchen so this seems like a requirement. Any feedback would be appreciated.
We have a guest room with no microwave. 68 groups through since we started listing and most are happy with no microwave, one or two have suggested it would be nice to have one but no issue at all.
We have just listed a 2 bedroom āsuiteā also within our home. We decided to put a microwave up there as we have the space. The first and only guest weāve had so far have used it.
We also donāt offer kitchen access for either listing.
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Iāve lived in South Florida since 1994 and Iāve never had a roach / ant problem in the rental. To be fair, I have had those tiny ants in my own apartment (which are easily sorted with gel) but I suspect that thatās us being lax with wiping up spills, poor storage and dry cat food which is open to the air all the time.
It depends on your situation. I agree that a microwave is a terrific addition to the room but are you able to check the room as soon as the guests move out? Luckily, I am and go into the rental before the guests even get to the end of the street to check for spills of food. That goes a long way towards sorting out the pest problem.
Also in the house manual, and during the house tour, I tell guests that leaving the doors or windows open will attract pests.
So, after all this ramble, yes I would add a microwave as an amenity if you can access your rental shortly after your guests check out. Iām sure that their appreciation will outweigh the potential bug problem.
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We live in Hawaii, and have a unit with a microwave. Probably about 1/3 of guests use it, so I think itŹ»s an important amenity. We wipe it out every time and that seems to work just fine to keep the roaches and ants at bay. The bigger problem is eating in the room (with or without microwave), so itŹ»s important to sweep and mop the floors and wipe down all surfaces. We did have one guest complain of roaches so we have the gel bait for the ants and the little roach motel baits for the roaches. That seems to work well.
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I do whole house rental and I figured a microwave is a pretty crucial amenity. Even as a roomshare, if youāre not providing access to the kitchen then Iām leaning towards offering it: Guests who stay longer than a few days will definitely want a reprieve from buying outside food for every meal (especially because room share guests are more budget conscientious, and food adds up). Microwave becomes pretty important, and itās also not the most expensive. Iāve not seen a correlation between microwaves and roaches since I imagine youād keep the place clean, so I wouldnāt worry about that as an issue.
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Hi @Robert_Dudley as you seem to be a bit of an expert on ants Iād love your advice, last 6 months I seem to be invaded by those tiny ants, a semi tropical climate prone to heat waves, cold snaps and lots of rain! Iāve tried the surface spray, plus those little baits they are supposed to crawl into and take back to the nest but limited efficacy. I have a small dog so Iām worried about spraying what would you suggest in my situation? I should note Iām not terribly handy and in Australia?
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Cockroaches are part of daily life in Australia.
We constantly clean the flat and also treat it with Mortein products. We have a microwave and itās thoroughly cleaned after each stay. While we personally donāt use a microwave that often (e.g. once a month - if that), many people do appreciate it.
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Iāve added a microwave and small fridge to my guest room in the last few months and Iāve had more bookings. I canāt say how many additional bookings are due to that because Iāve changed some other things around the same time. I definitely think itās worth adding. As others said the microwave isnāt any more likely to attract pest than the bag of chips they have in their bag or the juice they dripped onto the floor.
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Heās a walking encyclopedia for sure. I think we should start a new advice thread called āDear Dudleyā 
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Or āDudley Dearestā (cuzā heās got a sharp side too!)
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@SandyToes, my first question to @Robert_Dudley would be, āhow do I handle a guest who canāt seem to accept Trump as president? They keep complaining about H Clintonās loss and wanting to join Antifa. They also keep talking about cis-gender-non-binary problematic sexism. How should I best respond without triggering him/her?ā
Then Iād sit back, grab the popcorn and watch the fireworks.
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Thank you for your feedback. This was very helpful. I learned a lot of pest control too. I am going to go with a microwave. Seems sensible and manageable. The ant problem is seasonal and not too bad. Will make it work.
Thank you all for your feedback. Extremely helpful.
@yvettebetancourt,
Make sure you read the posts on electric kettles too. If your guests just need hot drinks, this might be a better option.
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I would love to put a small microwave and a toaster oven in my AirBNB space, but there just isnāt enough power up there to support these appliances in the location that makes sense. I could add them to the bedroom, which has a separate circuit, but why would you have a cooking appliance near clothes that would absorb the smell?
I know that my guests would appreciate having those amenities, but since it isnāt possible, they have to come down the two flights of stairs and use the household oven and microwave. No one has complained. When their plates are too hot to carry, I have a small tray that they can use to transport.
Is this perfect? No. Is it workable. Yes.
No one complained about my lack of microwave either. The worker who ended up extending his stay to 3 weeks said it would be nice to have a small fridge. Because I have a window AC I ended up having to add a circuit to the room. I have a regular electrician who did it for $300. Itās well worth it to me to keep them happy and out of my space. Itās impossible to tell how many more bookings itās gotten me but I am busier since I added it.
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