If you were an Airbnb guest...

[LadyBadluck]

...would you expect/prefer a cleaner to come in and do a change over of linens midway through your stay, or would you just prefer to be left enough of these iterms to last two weeks and change the bedding and towels yourselves when it suits you?

If you'd prefer to be left linens to just change yourself

• how many towels would you expect to be left per guest by your host for a two week stay?

(So how many bath towels, hand towels and tea towels etc).

• Same for bedding per occupied bed? One set per bed per week, or more?

(I'm not a host btw, but a cleaner who's in a bit of a debate with a host about client expectations and what's acceptable)

I would ideally like to be given the choice between paying extra for a full clean and linen change once a week or doing it myself.

If I did it myself, I would expect a full extra set but only one extra set.

TBH I expect properties to have spare bed linen available generally because of accidents (but maybe that's just cos I have young children)

If it’s a two week stay I’d prefer the cleaner to come in.
I would like at least 2 bath towels and a hand towel per person every 4 days - I’d be fine with these being left for us to use from a linen cupboard.

I'd prefer the cleaner to come in once a week and change the linen, but would expect to be told in advance when they were coming so I could tidy my things away first.

If I had to do it myself (but why should I, given how much I will be paying to stay there?) then one set of sheets and towels per bed/person per week is fine.

If I’m on holiday I don’t want to be cleaning and changing the beds. Definitely would prefer a cleaner (but at a prearranged time, ideally somewhere between 11 and 4 when likely to be out)

I'd like bed linen and towels to be changed twice a week, especially in hot weather or if it's cold and difficult to get towels dry between uses.

Bed linen - one set per bed per week
Bath towels - one hand + one bath per person per week
Tea towels - two + one hand towel per week.

If all these are going to be changed mid-stay (eg, two week stay) then I'd like it done for me on day 7 at a pre-set time. Eg, "For two week stays, we will change your bed linens on Saturday between 11am and midday. Please ensure we have access to the bedrooms."

I would absolutely not want a cleaner coming in. Changing sheets takes all of five minutes and I'm perfectly capable of managing that.

I'd be fine using the same sheets and towels for two weeks.

I would want a cleaner to come in if I was there for 2 weeks

I like a cleaner to come in at least once a week and to change bedding and towels. If I am in a hot climate I like this mid week also. One set of towels is fine for a week.As long as they come in social hours ie 9-5 I wouldn't be fussy but would like to know which day.I wouldn't want to change bedding myself as it is a job I detest . If there is a hot tub or pool I would want outdoor towels as well.

Ah, mixed responses!

This is why we're in a debate. Not an angry debate btw, very much a good relationship with the hosts, they're really lovely people. But we have different views from a cleaning business perspective, a hosts business perspective and a guests perspective. And there seems to be no one perfect way to please everyone on this particular subject.

Personally, if I was a guest staying for 2 weeks, I'd want 4 bath towels leaving per person, and at least 4 hand towels per bathroom. Because at home I put clean set of towels out for each of the family twice a week.

But some believe just one bath and hand towel a week is fine.

One set of bedding per bed per week is agreed on though.

I also wouldn't want a cleaner coming in while I'm trying to enjoy a private getaway... But some people don't mind that!

However, as a cleaner, I don't like doing midway change-overs. It's super difficult to do an efficient job when people are in the property because they get in the way, or want to chat, or don't want to vacate rooms when we need to be in them. And you can't tell clients they MUST go out when the housekeepers arrive. It drags out a change-over for far longer than it needs to be, and there are other time-slotted cleans elsewhere we need to attend to.

Also, I can't always offer a set time that's convenient to the guests for a midway changeover (so, as a pp stated above, they'd want one on a Saturday between 11-12). We have lots of other jobs and clients. It takes an awful lot of coordination to fit everything in to a single day, including driving through a busy area often clogged with heavy traffic, so strict specified timeslots requested by holiday let guests are really hard to accommodate.

Cleaners also risk being accused of theft when guests are in situ at the time of a linen changeover. I've been accused of theft twice before. Each time the item was located and it was obvious the client had just misplaced it (found on top of a clients car roof for example - realised she'd popped it on there when getting her baby out of the car seat). Even though it was proven I didn't do it, the stress of the accusations were horrible and I never actually received any apologies. So I just don't want to risk putting my business in that position again.

I'm a cleaner for holiday lodges. We usually ask if they would like a service clean or if they'd prefer to be left everything outside for them to do.
Either way it's a full change over of all linen, towels etc.
we also top up all soaps, loo rolls, clean bathrooms, tidy kitchen and hoover round.
This is all done with prior warning

As for towel numbers, we leave one bath sheet and one hand towel per person per week but obvs there is the option to leave more if guests request.
I'm with you OP on midway cleans, hate them.

Personally, if I was a guest staying for 2 weeks, I'd want 4 bath towels leaving per person, and at least 4 hand towels per bathroom. Because at home I put clean set of towels out for each of the family twice a week.

Does the property not have a washing machine?

If I was staying somewhere for two weeks, I would be doing some washing anyway and would just add in towels if I wanted more clean ones.

I think clean towels twice a week is a lot more often than average but maybe I am just a sloven!

Ooh, this is a very good point actually, and I'll have to clarify that with the hosts. They were in two minds whether to supply a washer and dryer or not, last time I spoke to them (due to maintenance/repair/replacement costs, and the potential for leaks/floods pushing insurance up etc. So I'll double check on what decision they made about that.

It would be amazing selfish on my side of things if they did decide on providing those appliances, because I wouldn't have to sort out any midway linen change-overs.

If they don't provide a washing machine, they probably won't get bookings of over a week, so the problem will be solved!

We've just come back from a 10 day Airbnb stay in a beautiful annex to the owners property. We were left ample towels, 2 bath, 2 hand and multiple smaller towels per person. There was no dishwasher and we were only left one tea towel so I asked for extra. After a week I expected a bed change or to be given fresh linen but this didn't happen. With 3 days left I couldn't be bothered to argue the toss and ask for them but I was disappointed as it was quite a high end property so would have expected a change either halfway through, 5 days for us or after 7.

I know, midway services are my dreaded jobs. Every cleaners perfect job is an empty property, isn't it!

Not so we can just sit around with our feet up, or rifle through and steal clients belongings, but just so we can get a thorough job done as efficiently as possible without disruptions, obstructions and delays.

There's nothing worse than being prevented from doing your best work by a client/guest, but then getting complaints from said client/guest that the job could've been done better....yes, it could've been better if you'd gotten out of bed/gotten out of the shower/cooked and eaten your meal BEFORE your slot took place.

Or better still, complaining they've had to listen to the noisy vacuum cleaner. That's another one I love.

Interesting thread!

I'd probably like a mid point clean but not at any extra charge (since the hosts would be paying for one anyway if they had two sets of guests staying a week each)

I'd like to know which day they were coming and it to be done in the afternoon so I didn't have to get up early but would understand it couldn't be a very rigid time. I'd go out or go sit in the garden while the cleaners were there. This is because my job involves being in close proximity to people and I appreciate how much harder it is to get on if someone is under your feet or wanting to chat! I'm also an antisocial old bugger and wouldn't want the cleaner chatting to me either 😅

I wouldn't want to be changing bedding or washing towels! I'd probably be an absolute slattern by Mumsnet standards and leave the bedding on for two weeks if not getting a clean done. Towels, I'd like a full set for each person for each week.

I'm with you on the bed linen, that's not enough for 10 nights.

Would you have been happy to have been provided another set of bed linen, but change the bed yourself? (Provided laundry baskets are supplied for the used set) Or would you have expected the host/a housekeeper to change that for you?

Did your annex have a washing machine and a tumble dryer or airer?

I’m happy either way but it needs to be made clear. I was expecting fresh towels for the second week last year but they never arrived. Turned out I was supposed to wash the first week’s towels and reuse them!
If there isn’t going to be a fresh set of sheets/towels or mid stay clean then I’d expect a discount. Is that reasonable do you think?

Yes that's a good point too, I don't suppose they would.

It's a larger property, 4 bedrooms 2 bathrooms. So I'd expect a fair amount of people hiring a property that size would want to make use of it for longer periods of time...?

So I would think it'd really be in the best interests for the hosts to provide a washer and dryer/airer for a property this size so appeal to more families looking for holidays rather than just the short-break guests.

I have to say that I wouldn't even book for a week any place without a washing machine.

I have young children and they just muck up their clothes so much and I don't want to pack enormous amounts of clothing.

If they are aiming for families, they really need to reconsider that

I can't always offer a set time that's convenient to the guests for a midway changeover (so, as a pp stated above, they'd want one on a Saturday between 11-12)

That's the opposite of what I said. I said I'd like it stated up front what day/time the linens would be changed. I then suggested some wording.

But basically you don't want to do it - which I understand - so your options are 1 to leave sufficient linens for the guests to change themselves (if they want to), or 2 drop off spare linens (again, I think a preset day/time is preferable) and 3 consider how/when to collect used linens.

You're right I do apologise for misquoting you there.

But unfortunately, there are some clients/guests that do expect a timeslot of their own choosing because "I'm paying for it" and that cleaners and housekeepers should be at their disposal whenever they want. It's hard to get across to these sorts of customers that the housekeepers are a separate business and have other jobs.

I'm not the host, so the options you state aren't for me to choose. I know what I'd rather do. But ultimately its the hosts decision. I'm just trying to give the hosts my professional opinions as a cleaner, and my personal opinion as an airbnb user, while respecting what they want feel is best for them.

I'm hoping our discussions will lead to all parties being happy, and this thread has been a useful insight.

I've emailed them and asked if they've made a decision on providing the washer & dryer. For their target market of families, its probably the wisest thing to do and I hope they decide to go with it.