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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not strip beds in holiday home?

104 replies

Pteranodon · 07/08/2015 18:33

Arrived at holiday flat to find notes in both bedrooms requesting we strip the beds on leaving.

AIBU to find this cheeky? There's not so much as a spare loo roll laid on, the place isn't that clean & it's of course eye-wateringly expensive as it's August and by the seaside. (£800! For 2 bedrooms, for a week - and they charged us extra for towels!) Our choice, of course, to go ahead and book, but I didn't think I'd be asked to strip the chuffing beds at that price. AIBU?

OP posts:
Bubblesinthesummer · 07/08/2015 18:34

We have always stripped the beds when rented holiday places not hotels though obviously

Tooooooohot · 07/08/2015 18:35

Hmmm.... not sure. Have you paid a deposit? Are there little things like dishwasher tablets and washing up liquid? Was it mentioned in a contract or booking information? I probably wouldn't.

RatOnnaStick · 07/08/2015 18:36

Stripping the beds is pretty standard, TBH. I wouldn't think twice about it. No spare loo roll is a bit tight though.

LintRoller · 07/08/2015 18:37

YANBU. It's cheeky.

Stripping beds is something polite people houseguests do as a favour to their hosts. Not when you're a paying to stay at a holiday home. Would do it in a youth hostel but not otherwise.

Thetruthshallmakeyefret · 07/08/2015 18:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FunkyPeacock · 07/08/2015 18:39

My generosity or otherwise in my efforts to clean/strip beds etc in holiday rentals is definitely influenced by my general feeling of goodwill to the owner - if they have been generous with loo roll, tea bags, fairy liquid etc then I'm much more likely to do things like strip beds!

If you don't feel inclined to then I wouldn't bother

Elfina · 07/08/2015 18:40

I always do it, but to be helpful. I think I'd be annoyed at being told to do it - I'm on frigging holiday! Bed-stripping is part of their job!

PestoSwimissimos · 07/08/2015 18:41

I am surprised you find this cheeky, I would always do this without being asked.

Bakeoffcake · 07/08/2015 18:43

I would do it if asked, (though have never been asked to do so, ever) but I'd be very annoyed about it. I'd only do it as I'd be worried they'd take money off the deposit for that and for any other tiny thing they can find.

bigbluebus · 07/08/2015 18:44

I have never come across a request to strip beds in a holiday cottage and I've rented plenty. They usually want you out by 10.00am and you already have to leave the place clean and tidy in addition to packing and loading the car - no way I'd be adding bed stripping to my list of things to do.

Vycount · 07/08/2015 18:44

Having spent some time in a job where I cleaned a couple of holiday lets... it is not generally expected that you will strip the beds. Nor is expected that you will get busy cleaning the bathroom and kitchen until they gleam... or hovering every inch of floor!
Tidy is good, obvious crumbs and mud disposed of is nice.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 07/08/2015 18:45

I always do it, but would be annoyed to be asked...

flashheartscanoe · 07/08/2015 18:45

In my holiday let I say in the details, 'its helpful if you strip the beds'. That way they get the choice and about 75% of guests do.
It is really helpful.

Original poster
Pteranodon · 07/08/2015 18:45

I often do do it but like Funky Peacock it depends on how hospitable the place feels. There are 2 dishwasher tablets and no washing up liquid or hand soap. The extra for the towels thing irritated me but I guess they use a laundry service and had we come by car we'd have opted out.

OP posts:
Original poster
Pteranodon · 07/08/2015 18:47

There was nothing said in advance/in the details. We had to go out for cleaning stuff as soon as we got here as the fridge was a bit manky.

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Original poster
Pteranodon · 07/08/2015 18:49

There's also a note saying where to buy replacement plates etc (a neighbouring town) and to make sure we buy from the correct range, if we break one. We didn't bring a car so if we break anything I shall offer money only.

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PandasRock · 07/08/2015 18:49

Lists of requirements in holiday homes really annoy me.

We stayed in one place which really took the piss. We had to be out by 10am (standard, no problem), but had to strip all beds AND put in washer, empty all bins (inc bathrooms) and take trash out - a 10 minute walk to other end of complex - and tidy up kitchen/run dishwasher AND put away crockery etc (ie make sure everything had been put through dishwasher and put away by 10am, including breakfast things from that morning!)

Oddly, we've not been back. It was a really lovely apartment, but tbh, I do expect general cleaning to be part of the cost of renting a holiday place. I don't expect to have to do it myself.

Original poster
Pteranodon · 07/08/2015 18:51

Pandasrock I can't see us accomplishing that!

Yes, I expect general cleaning to be included. I don't think these owners are paying for more than the beds to be made up & a surface wipe around.

OP posts:
PoshPenny · 07/08/2015 18:51

I would do it and then leave a snotty review on trip advisor or whatever (is there one for self catering?) saying you had to do it and that the place could have been cleaner and better equipped so all in all you thought it a bit of a poor do. After you'd got your deposit back obviously....

whois · 07/08/2015 18:51

There is no way I'd be mucking about stripping beds in a holiday let.

That's what the cleaning charge is for!

Original poster
Pteranodon · 07/08/2015 18:52

I don't think we've paid a security deposit.

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Original poster
Pteranodon · 07/08/2015 18:53

There are lots of happy comments in the visitors' book, made me wonder if I'm a fussy cow

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Vycount · 07/08/2015 18:56

How long does it take to strip a bed? A couple of minutes. I can't see how it's going to be much help with the work to be done by the cleaner (voice of experience...). #Cleaning - it didn't matter to me how clean the place looked, I still cleaned thoroughly. After all, I didn't know if the exiting guests had cleaned properly, or just used a damp cloth to polish things up. I just felt that it was right for me to make sure that baths, loos, kitchen surfaces etc had been properly disinfected.

PandasRock · 07/08/2015 18:57

We didn't manage it all either Pteranodon.

We did strip beds and put one load in washer (they didn't all fit), took trash out, and I loaded the dishwasher after we'd finished breakfast, but only ran it as we were leaving. No way was I going to make sure we were all through breakfast by 8.30, just so I could run the dishwasher and put it all away when finished! What really annoyed me was we had newborn ds with us - he was about 3 weeks old - and the owner (this was a group of holiday apartments built out of former estate house, owner on site) knew this, and commented on it. You'd think she might have let us off some of the cleanup! (We had dd1 and dd2 with us too - then aged about 8 - with severe ASD - and 6, so not as though we weren't busy!)

sleepyhead · 07/08/2015 18:57

I don't mind stripping beds, it only takes a few minutes, but I was a bit Hmm at having to make them up at the place we stayed this summer.

We didn't get there until almost 10pm (expected, island destination with no choice of ferries) and it was annoying that we couldn't just decant the exhausted dcs from the car and straight into bed.

I still stripped them when we left, but I wasn't minded to clean as thoroughly as I usually do.