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We send our laundry out. It’s awesome! We haven’t had any of the issues/concerns voiced above. It saves us so much time and doesn’t cost anymore than doing it ourselves (it actually costs less since we don’t get paid for our time to do it). The bedding, towels, bathmats, duvet inserts and mattress pads all go out. Sometimes the pillows. The minimum is one bag. So, even after a solo traveler staying in the studio with only the one queen bed, there’s enough to bag-up and drop off.
Every 10th load is free so sometimes we drop off our personal laundry. We drop off and pick up because it’s nearby and we like that particular location (the pick up/delivery service goes to a different location) and we also like the idea of being able to go grab it rather than wait for adelivery.
We spot treat as we strip the bed. Maybe they spot treat too, I’m not sure. I don’t send anything until the spots are out. I’m kind of a stain-master and get a certain amount of satisfaction from it so can’t imagine handing that part over to anyone anyway
They know our preferences but still confirm them every single time when we drop off, “no bleach, no fabric softener, free and clear detergent”. They pause at “no bleach” because on occasion we might ask for bleach for just one of the bags", so they wait to make sure. The sheets are folded so precisely that my OH uses the fold line for centering the sheet on the bed. They keep the towels separate so that the bed linens don’t get towel lint. Nothing has ever gone missing or been damaged. They did call us one time about a small tear in a duvet cover, but we knew about it because we dropped it off to them that way.
We didn’t do laundry once in 8 years when we lived in New York (without an Airbnb). So we dropped off all our laundry always (yes, even the undies, you get over it). My clothes have not been washed, dried and folded so so perfectly since (and I’m really good at laundry).
To me, it’s like anything else, if you do something for 8 or 10 hours a day for a business, you’re probably going to do it better than someone who doesn’t. It makes sense to me to let the laundry experts do the laundry so I can do something else. We started out just dropping off the duvets and mattress pads because they have the big machines and then realized, why not just drop off everything else too. I couldn’t go back now.
After 13 years, this year we started to send the laundry out. We have large houses and fast turns in summer. It has always been a hassle…and stressful…to get all the laundry done and folded. Relieving the stress of the turn has been wonderful! Well worth the money at this stage of our life and against the profit of the rentals. Does it cost? Well yes of course…but so does running the machines and dryer heat, and water use, and personal time. It is a choice and a balance. If you want to “streamline” then you send it out.
@JJD@georgygirlofairbnb Can you tell me how much it costs in your area? Is it by the pound or by the piece?
I don’t mind washing and folding towels (we live onsite) but the bed linens are making us crazy. We both work full time so we’ve been coping by restricting our stays to a week or more, and leaving enough days between to have a leisurely turnover.
The longer stays are EZ, but I think we are leaving money on the table because of price, length of stay discounts, and long turnarounds.
I don’t mind buying extra linens to make things work more smoothly.
I don’t think getting the cleaners to do the laundry will work for us; it would mean that they are in the house for too long. I think I would want them to just strip and make the beds and throw in a load of towels.
My friend with a 20 person rental uses a service. For a rental that large it’s the only way to go. She has three sets of linens for each bed. If all goes perfectly one set is always in the hands of the service. They drop off clean & pick up dirty and a 3rd set is available if needed.
She uses a small service so they will use specialty detergent & softeners with her linens.
The other side is a friend who’s rental is with a property management company. Rental linens so no control over quality, condition or detergent & softener. It’s easy. If anyone complained, it isn’t in her property reviews.
Pricing? That is going to depend on area & if you supply the linens. In my area, I’ve seen a high of $80 for sheets, towels washcloths for 2 people for 1 week to a low of $75 for supplies for 2 beds/4 people. I don’t know why the difference
We are in the neighborhood…it just takes so much time and energy to turn a 5 br house in one day… so I think the cost is $2.25 per pound. We do the towels when we have time…due to weight. It is great to send out the duvets and sheets and pillowcases. We own doubles and triples of everthing. We have mulitple sets of washers…and we have time expcept on same day turns, which simply creates stress, pressure and general personal unhappiness. This has been good this summer. During off season…with time between bookings, then we would probably revert back to doing our own again.
Thanks for your thoughts, @georgygirlofairbnb Your situation sounds similar to mine. When things are really busy, I ask myself: How much would I charge to stand here ironing pillowcases? And could I be doing something else more profitable right now?
Other times, when things are less busy, I’m happy to keep the $50 in my pocket.
It is by pound for us. It is $1.30/lb but we do get 10lbs free every 10th wash. I think it’s little cheaper if you have them use a cheaper detergent but we do the free and clear stuff. But we don’t get a discount for not using fabric softener (will make the towels less absorbent) or bleach (yellows and weakens the whites).
Looking at receipts right now. Having all of the laundry done for just our studio costs generally between $12-$22. The range mostly depends how many towels are used and whether or not we’re doing a mattress pad or duvet insert as well. Our cleaning fee has ranged between $24-$49 so it’s always covered the cost. I don’t try to get paid for my cleaning time out of the fee, but it covers laundry, supplies and snacks and stuff. Our water here is reallly cheap, they practically give it away (which they should, because it’s nasty). In places where water is more expensive, I’m sure the rate would be higher, but it woud be higher at home too.
Our little studio is 2 people max, we have queen bed linens including 5 pillowcases and protectors. We provide 4-6 bath towels, 6 hand towels, 6 wash cloths and a towel-like bathmat. (We also provide dark colored face cloths and 2-3 multi-colored peshtemals but wash those ourselves, because it takes awhile to get a whole load. We also wash the shower curtains ourselves because we do an oxy soak overnight on them).
I have never iron bed linens in my almost 3/4 of a century. I remember my grandma sending out sheets that the laundry would run through a “mangle” to iron them, but my mother never ironed sheets or pillowcases, nor have I. It does sound like a real time waster.
I do have an iron available for guests if they want ironed linens.
We all have our things, I guess! I actually searched out a mangle this week, to see if that was an option for me.
I guess it probably goes the other way, too— there are likely things I don’t do, that others couldn’t imagine skipping.
I don’t iron fitted sheets because they go straight onto the bed from the dryer. If they’re a bit wrinkled I will mist them with water and wait a bit before I make the bed.
Flat sheets I don’t use, but my cotton pillowcases and duvet covers are best with some light pressing or very careful flattening, airing, and folding. It definitely is time consuming, but I don’t consider it a waste.
When I make the beds in a turnover, I generally wash everything and put it right back on the beds. My goal instead is to have a set of perfectly laundered bedding for the cleaners to pop on after they strip the beds. I can handle it myself when there aren’t many turnovers, but THAT is what I want to change— reduce my minimum stay, reduce my turnover time, and increase my price.
I iron pillowcases too, for the first impression thing when guests walk into the bedroom. Also it feels so very good to snuggle up to a newly washed and ironed pillowcase.
Those are the only things that I iron and for the three or so minutes it takes, it’s worth it for a great looking bed.
We don’t iron anything. I make sure that you can see that in the photos clearly so that we don’t attract people who can’t handle it. On a rare occasion, I might smooth out the folded trim on the top sheet if it’s particularly mangled with a hair straightener. But the iron is not coming out.
In the beginning I was doing all the laundry myself. I have a large place that sleeps up to 33 people and it got to be too much. I still wash all the towels but I take the sheets to my local laundromat. This has been life changing. They charge a $1.00 a pound. I became friends with an employee there and she’s the absolute best. She folds them back up into sets by size including the pillow cases then calls or texts me to say they are ready. I couldn’t be happier.
I only own one for its spot-ironing capabilities. I originally got it because my OH has to wear dress shirts to work and it’s perfect for straightening out collars and (especially) smoothing that awkward space between buttons. They’re only a couple of bucks at a thrift store. And it’s got some kind of ceramic coating that never leaves a mark.
