This is an ethical question. A guest told us she had gotten some blood on the sheet due to a prior cut. She said she wanted to pay us for the sheets and would be happy to give us $50. I said that was too much and I took a $20 check from her. We worked very hard on the sheet and got almost every bit of the stain out. We are going to use that sheet for our own bed. We have enough spare sheets for the guestroom that we do not need to buy a replacement sheet. Should I cash this $20 check or should I return it to her?
Cash the check since you canāt use the sheets for your Airbnb room. Do give her a wonderful review for being honest about her blood incident. To ease your quilt, spend the $20 on a new sheet set.
4 Likes
Iām sure that she appreciates that you refused the $50 and took $20 so Iād leave it at that. Iām sure you can use it for something Airbnb related if that makes you feel better. My husband got a black stain on a pillowcase during a two night stay. We recognized the brand and went out and bought a matching set of pillowcases and left them. Iāll never know if she got the stain out or even tried.
1 Like
Cash it. What a great guest though. I remember a guest I had ages ago who got a tiny speck of blood on a sheet - probably from a mosquito bite. She left the sheet on the bed with a note pinned to it saying āsorryā.
I thought that was really good of her - to point it out before it went into the wash - but to give you the cheque was fantastic. 
2 Likes
That work ā and the fact that your Airbnb sheet inventory is now down by one ā earned you the $20 totally honestly and totally ethically.
4 Likes
Your sheet is ruined and you spent additional time trying to remove this stainā¦ Time is moneyā¦ Inventory is moneyā¦ Even with the payment, you are still at a deficit.
3 Likes
Thanks, folks. Your comments are very helpful to me!
2 Likes
Nothing unethical about accepting compensation from a guest who proffers it. Sheās a really good guest and I would make sure to mention in the review that she was forthcoming about a small accidental damage and offered compensation and how much responsible guests like this are appreciated.
I had a guest who had an accident on the sheets, not blood- she suddenly got the āturistasā in the middle of the night and didnāt quite make it to the bathroom on time, so there was a small stain. She greeted me in the morning with a mortified expression, and although it was obviously embarrassing for her, told me what happened, and asked me to show her how to work the washing machine (which is normally not offered for guest laundry), as āthere is no way I want you to have to touch this sheetā.
Thatās how a mature adult guest behaves. Too bad they arenāt all like that.
2 Likes
I recently had a guest (who broke many rules and was manipulative) but the last straw for me was when I went to strip the beds and it was covered in Blood Spots all over the bed. At least 20 and some soaked through two mattress pads.
I gave him a bad review but never mentioned the blood because I didnāt want any excuse not to have my review removed.
What bothered me the most was that he made no attempt to let me know that he obviously had sores on his body (The blood was in spots the length of the mattress.). He could have put on more clothes, asked for a towel or old sheets.
Be grateful that you had a such a considerate guest.
2 Likes
Reading this post made me remember about a regular guest that is a traveling nurse. He would stay at our trailer a couple of times every month. Sometimes his girlfriend would stay as well. One night before he was due to check out the following day we got a panicked call from him. Apparently in a passionate moment he broke the window above the bed!!! He was absolutely mortified and left us cash and a substantial check to get it fixed. We all had a good laugh about it. I tore up the check as the cash paid for the new window pane.
2 Likes
Absolutely cash the check. You should have kept the $50, because y
our cleaning time is valuable and your bed is just as important as the guestsā beds!
I agree with keeping the $20, it was fair and agreed upon. I have found pretreating the spot with a bit of laundry soap and thorough soaking with hydrogen peroxide takes out blood stains like a charm with no scrubbing.