Rant: I’m so tired of the excessive use of products and the inevitable tough stains… and guests who just don’t read or observe my house rules.
This one was a guy by the way, lovely in every way but I now once again have to use oven cleaner, soak and two wash cycles on boil to try to get all this hair oil out. Any suggestions for review? Do any of you ever use the thumb-down? I feel it’s harsh but breaking house rules and causing a lot of inconvenience is a biggie, isn’t it?
I would change to simple white pillow cases that can be tossed out if stained. Add one euro to the price of each stay to cover the cost.
Mark down on rules, say hair products badly stained bed linens. If you feel this is so bad that no one should ever host him again then thumbs down. In over 400 guests I’ve only had one guest who stained items so much I had to do multiple washings.
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Me too. I do have to wash some items a few times but I don’t mind that. Everything gets washed then if any items are still stained they get tossed into the soaking bucket. Then they go in the wash with the next load. Repeat if necessary! I use white bedlinens, towels, bathmat, robes, shower curtains and teatowels so, because I use bleach only as a last resort, I hang anything stained on the line to bleach in the sun.
I’ve never lost an item due to staining. If I did, I’d just cut it up to be used extensively as a cleaning cloth before being thrown out. Nothing lasts forever 
I know that other hosts will disagree but I don’t have printed lists of rules - that’s mainly because I’d hate to stay at a place where the host felt it necessary to remind me to behave like a normal person. That’s just me.
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I live in a desert with water restrictions and I always have to weigh the water use to re-use something vs tossing. I hate to toss things but when we are talking the time and effort to treat, soak, wash, re-treat, re-wash, bleach, etc., and it’s a $4 pillow case…
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@eyeborg
I don’t quite understand the first rule - if your guest is departing and you are out, what does the guest do with the “big old key” after locking the door?
If guests are taking (wet) towels to their bedroom, maybe say something more explicit, like: Wet towels should be returned to the bathroom and hung up (not left or placed on furniture).
Another idea about pillowcases is, when you notice the guest uses a hair product or a lot of makeup, change the pillowcase to one with a print or pattern. It might camouflage any resulting stain and extend its use. Dark solid colors always show grease, mascara, bleaching, etc.
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Is there polyester in those sheets and pillowcases?
No, I only use 400 threadcount cotton.
So worth getting the stains out then. Buy extra pillow cases when you buy a new set. Patterns maybe. Yes mark the guest down for both rules and cleanliness. Even consider charging the guest for replacement linen. The trouble is with guests who break rules they don’t observe and respect the space, so a rule might not seem important to someone else but it’s the principle. Hair oil yuk, I thought that went out with Elvis Presley. I have been quite lucky re vanity products it seems.
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Thanks for your replies and advice on bedlinen and review everyone!
I’ve now ordered some brand new cheap’ish white bed linen from eBay, 400 tc Egyptian (a bit risky, it might be fake, I know). I don’t like low quality bedlinen, I’d never expect my guests to sleep in something I wouldn’t want to sleep in myself. The current stains came out 75% after soaking in grease remover and boil wash, so there is still a shadow. The stains were on the sheets too by the way and this was the 4th guest in a few months who caused this same problem, so I am getting mighty tired of it. If guests behaved like decent humans I’d have no need for these rules!
(@SandyToes, the big old key is for using during their stay to make sure the flat is double locked when we are both out for the day.)
i would have charged him for it. we have ours professionally cleaned but have come accross this…
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This is the issue, I bet, rather than a basic disregard to the rules. I’d try to shorten it up using as few words as possible. example 1-No visitors. 2- Don’t use products that stain sheets and towels. Also, list them in priority of importance to you.
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That’s a good idea, thank you.
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I would simply request payment from the guest for the cost of replacing the pillow cases. In my experience, the majority submit payment with no issue - the rest may result in a Resolution Dispute, but with photos you’ll be awarded the fee.
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