Plumber's Friend

Our listing is for a whole house that is on a lot next to our home. We have a toilet brush that is in a holder that is stylish but placed in a manner that is relatively inconspicuous. My question is whether other hosts also have a toilet plunger in the restroom. I raise the question because by including one I would avoid the embarrassment to the guest if an occasion would arrive where it was needed. Thoughts on this?

I have a brush plunger combo that came as a set in a nice custom stand that conceals all but the handles of each when they are in place. One in each bathroom. They tuck away discreetly between the bowl and the wall, mostly unseen. We aren’t on site, and also a whole home. I want my guests to be able to quickly clear a clog. It’s protection for my house/floors/drywall if they cause one.

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Yes. One in every bathroom in the vanity cabinet under the sink. I don’t know how often they’ve been used but one was left out once.

For a bathroom with a pedestal sink, I would go with something like @LoneStar has.

@RumourHasIt - I am sure this subject has already been discussed here. Might be worth using the search function to find it?

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We have a toilet brush and plunger combo. It’s ugly so we keep it in the corner next to the toilet bowl and in front of it we place a waste basket. We figure that out of 8 people in the house, one might clog the toilet, especially when we noticed the large amounts of toilet paper being used.

Have a combo set which resides in the corner behind the toilet.

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Always, always, always have a plunger. How embarrassing it would be for a guest otherwise.

If you live somewhere (as I do) with plumbing that is inferior to the rest of the world (or so it seems) and plenty of guests from overseas, the loo is going to get bunged up. They throw things down there as though they are at home not realising that our plumbing is a little more fragile than that they are used to at home. A few minutes of energetic plunging cures them as a rule :slight_smile:

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Nothing wrong with being prepared! Like others have said, better to have a toilet brush/ plunger just in case, rather than leave your guest feeling red-faced about an unfortunate blockage!

It’s also useful to have a “go-to” list of handymen (and women) you can contact in a crisis! A reputable plumber should definitely be on that list.

Aside from the toilet brush and plunger here are a few other useful bathroom bits and bobs (you probably have them but thought I would outline in case anyone interested)!

  • Toilet roll holder (not to far from loo)!
  • Toilet brush & plunger
  • Bath mat – (so guests don’t put your lovely towels on floor to stand on).
  • Shower mats (non-slip, to prevent accidents).
  • Shower screen/curtain
  • Towel hooks
  • Soap - a dispenser is a nice touch (more hygienic).
  • A stock of loo rolls
  • Toilet cleaning fluid
  • Air-freshener
  • Toothbrush holder & cup

This isn’t merely ‘useful’. It’s essential. And needing repairs to your rental is hardly a crisis - that is something that I would say you’ll need every couple of months (for separate places opposed to in-home hosting).

Allowing for the cost of that, when hosts are initially doing their sums, is far more important than thinking about air-freshener.

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A word of caution here. Make sure you know you are not going to wreck your surfaces. I had my shower stall resurfaced with an acrylic coating and those things will both ruin the finish and void my warranty on the work. We cannot use them and they are contraindicated on many surfaces.

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Ick. Am I the only one who doesn’t trust these items to be clean in a rental?

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In damp/humid locations, towel rods are preferable to hooks. Otherwise, the towels never quite dry between showers, which means guests are going to use up every towel in the place.

(In a not quite unrelated note, they sure had a lot of towels in that beachfront cottage…)

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No, you’re not. I thought the same thing when I read that. A big “nope” on the toothbrush holder. I’ll use a “cup” if it’s made of clear glass and upside down on a paper or cloth coaster. Otherwise, nope.

yes no need to post this question it has already been answered before ! anyway how much is a toilet plunger 5 dollers just get one.

Good clean toilet brushes a good idea. We have always had them in our bathrooms - just another added convenience for the guests should they wish to use them.
All the best
Al

And ask your contractors if they have other skills you don’t know about because you hired them for a different one. We have a handyman on call. We also have a well service company. We found out what parts of well maintenance the other guy can do and it turns out, he can do a whole lot. Plus plumbing.

And if he fails, I have the names and numbers of the alternate 24 hour plumbers who will service the area. Had calls with them to make sure. Got on a service plan with the HVAC guys that carries priority 24/7 emergency call routing as a program benefit.

We have an entire sheet of numbers. We tried to have minimum 2 backups in case the first choice couldn’t make it right away. We have a copy of that sheet on every device and in the cloud.

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Good advice.

The chances are good too that someone who is good at his/her job will know others who can help. For instance, a few years ago I didn’t have a glazier on our list (who thinks they’ll need one?) but when a window was broken and I needed it repairing fast, our plumber knew the ideal person.

Our excellent current window cleaner (essential when you have a good view) was recommended by our general handyman.

It’s especially good if these people understand what Airbnb is all about and how important it is to keep guests happy. It sounds a bit daft to suggest that an electrician should also have a pleasant personality and good people skills but it really helps when they’re dealing with guests. They need to understand the word ‘clean’ too.

And be sure that they are properly licensed and insured contractors. It’s very tempting to save a few quid by using the bloke next door but you’ll need a proper invoice for accounting purposes.

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If you put a plunger in bathroom, make sure it’s the kind intended for toilets! The (often red) ones that don’t have a funnel type bottom (which can be folded inside usually) are intended for sinks only. The black ones are typically for bathroom. The best type that I have found are the hard plastic (blue) ones with bellows type as they can deliver more pressure. I just keep mine on/in a plastic lid from carry out meal or a “cool whip” type container so that if used, no water on floor.

@Brian_R170 most toothbrush holders that I have seen only make contact with the portion of handle that stays outside of mouth. So not sure why the problem with that as no different than sink knobs as both make contact with guest hands only.

Reminder to all hosts who need services from tradespeople: Even if the work is unsatisfactory, always pay your bill. You can complain and post about it all you want, but once people know you ask for service and do not pay, it will be hard to get people to work for you - word gets around.