To hate the holiday cottage clean up

[ClusterBustering]

Every year we go away with extended family to a holiday cottage and every year I dread the last day and thank go we normally stick to camping! It's more effort meeting the rules than it is re-packing a whole tent etc.

Obviously I'd leave a place tidy, wash up and tidy spills etc... but it fills more I end the holiday with spring cleaning someone else's house. Striping beds as the kids mither, floors to clean, bathrooms to go over and alll sorts of rules they add to. AND they are so expensive I'm sure paying a cleaner to go over a tidy house without any significant mess must be well into the price.

It's always a crap end to the holiday going over a list, despite making an effort to keep it tidy through the stay. All before 10am

In my holiday lets we just ask that the place is left tidy. I do NOT want the beds stripped and I don't expect the place cleaned.

We just ask that you don't leave it in a mess. We don't expect stripped beds, cleaning of bathrooms, cleaning of kitchen, sweeping or mopping before guests leave, we pay cleaners to do those chores

Just be respectful and just do the washing up, we had a family from hell a few weeks back. They left vomit on the floor, bloodstained bed linen, chocolate smeared everywhere, sun tan oil on sofas, bedding and towels. The property was in a filthy state, no self respecting person would leave a property that way

It's the 10am exit I can't cope with. Why the fuck not make it 11 or 12.

I wondered for a minute if you were my dsis!

DF used to insist on that when we went on holiday. I don't think the owners wanted more than left tidy and perhaps a hoover.
Our tidy up used to start the night before. Everything was cleaned within an inch of its life!
We had a list of the jobs that needed doing and who did them.
One year df discovered the tops of the picture frames were dusty, and after demanding to know whose job it was to clean them, this was added to the list of jobs.
That shows you the level we were cleaning!
We used to bring huge amounts of cleaning stuff with us for the end of the holiday (furniture polish anyone!)
It dominated our last day and final.morning.

We don't have any rules for cleaning at the end in our holiday cottage. Most people leave it tidy and empty the bins and fridge.
Have never had to clean the ones we've stayed in either.

Witchend your DSis sounds like my SIL. We all went on holiday years ago and stayed in a Eurocamp type place. She insisted on sweeping the tent out daily and was almost never seen without a cloth in her hand.

Fuck knows what she was actually cleaning. Just watching her from my sunlounger with my was exhausting enough.

We've been back to the same place for the last 3 years. This year they'd clarified the "leave it as you found it" by specifying that meant bathrooms cleaned, floors mopped etc as well as bins and sheets stripped. With a 10 am check out. With no warning. Which given that the year before we'd come in to a cottage that hadn't even had the bins emptied and was littered with used disposable contact lenses, I was more than a little

It's the 10am exit I can't cope with. Why the fuck not make it 11 or 12.

Because I have more guests coming in at 3pm. That's why.

In that time a kitchen has to be cleaned from top to bottom, cutlery and china checked ( to make sure it hasn't been put away dirty - happens a lot), dishwasher emptied, surfaces and appliances cleaned, floor mopped etc etc

2 bathrooms to be cleaned thoroughly from top to bottom
3 bedrooms to be stripped, remade, dusted and hoovered.
Sitting room and dining room to be dusted and hoovered and dining chairs cleaned of food residues.
Hall landing and stairs to be dusted and vacuumed.
Smoke and CO2 alarms to be checked
Light bulbs replaced if necessary
Batteries checked in emergency torches and TV remotes ( they are frequently stolen)
First Aid kit contents to be checked and replaced
Garden to be checked for dog poo

This assumes that the place is left pretty clean and tidy. If china has to be rewashed, furniture replaced and a deep clean of the living areas needed then I need every minute of that 5 hours

Ours is 11am check out but only 1 bedroom and no grass to mow.
It takes 2 and 1/2 hours minimum.

We have holiday cottages, and whilst we would be delighted if people make a little bit of effort (take bins out, put dishwasher on before leaving) we absolutely do not expect the houses to be cleaned before departure. That is not a holiday!
We also don't take deposits, as the odd thing broken is to be expected, and major damages are rare, thankfully. If you want to be extra kind, leave a little tip for the cleaners. I know ours love that, but would never, ever expect it.

You sound like a lovely holiday cottage owner Goodbuycat and I'm sure your guests appreciate the relaxed attitude.

We tend to use a holiday cottage each year.
Before leaving I make sure that all furniture is back where it belongs, that the bathrooms are reasonably clean and that floors are swept/hoovered if we've been on a beach. I will strip beds if asked but only if asked. I tend to leave the dishwasher running and will take the bins out.
I go on holiday to relax. The 10am departure is hard enough without needing to do a full on clean.

At the end of our holiday we will empty the bins, clear the fridge & freezer, wipe down a few surfaces, put all the cutlery, china and stuff back in their original place and hoover/sweep up any obvious grot. It will take us 15-20 minutes max. The cleaner is popping in to change the beds & towels tomorrow mid-stay. Surely your cottage can't be so grubby that it needs a complete spring clean?

So because of this thread I emailed our holiday rental to check if cleaning was included as I suddenly realised that despite all my smuggery about not cleaning on holiday I hadn't checked for this one, and got this response:

Yes cleaning is of course included, it’s not like Air BnB!

Phew that's a relief !

OP don't waste your time. We have a cottage in Yorkshire that we let out. We pay a local lady to go in and clean every Saturday on turn over days. She expects to be paid regardless if the place is already cleaned as it means she has booked the work in and so can't go anywhere else.

We don't even expect people to strip beds- although there was one person who stayed and left bedding with period blood stains on the sheets on. That's just common courtesy to wash them yourself (yes there was a washing machine and we even make sure there's a small amount of washing powder for each guest that stays)

We own a cottage. A cleaner comes in and does the changeover! I would never ask the guests to do it, and nor would anyone I know. I've also never had to do it in any cottage I've stayed in.

no have never been somwhere that demanded cleaning
what site was it from?

always clean dishes etc take bins out tidy up

We're usually out all day so not much chance to make a mess!

But we just do a basic clean - wipe surfaces, sweep floor, loos clean - and leave the dishwasher running.