To think you shouldn't have to spring clean a holiday cottage?

[Takemetomiami]

Staying in a cottage booked through one of the large companies. I use a lot of air bnb and it's standard to leave the place as you found it which I always do.

In a holiday place booked through a company I clean the sink/loo, rinse bath, make sure fridge and bins emptied, wipe down kitchen surfaces. I assume they have professional cleaners coming in who will do a thorough job.

This morning got email from the holiday company with a long list of jobs including stripping beds, mopping through, cleaning shower, basically "leave it spotless". Is that now expected?

Stripping beds is a common one. One place that asked for this had disgustingly stained pillows that made me feel sick. If I were them I wouldn't have asked people to strip the beds knowing they would see the state of those pillows.

Whenever we have had self catering accommodation, I have just made sure all the pots we have used are washed & away, the fridge is empty, all rubbish is in the bin, work surfaces wiped down, bath or shower is clean, quick brush & bleach down the toilet & all rooms are left as we found them, I don't hoover or mop the floors, that is what the cleaners are for, all that they need to do is change the beds, hoover or mop the floors, quick wipe around the bathroom, change the towels, & check the kitchen, probably takes them 20 minutes. Having worked as a cleaner on a caravan site I know how long it should take if everything is left properly. Anyone insisting on guests doing it is trying to avoid paying cleaners.

I wouldn’t dust in a holiday rental unless I could see the dust. Wouldn’t matter who was ‘responsible’ for it.

I've used AirBNB many times in France & Spain with never a negative experience. The most detailed checkout request was in Spain, where we had to haul garbage & recycling half a block to the end of the street. It was an apartment specifically for let, not someone's home. I always rent the whole place and usually it's lived in by the owner and rented out from time to time. I've never had detailed cleaning instructions left and have always had good reviews.

The worst experience I had was renting a VRBO place in Paris. I was sent a 20 page contract by the American owner after I'd paid, and couldn't cancel as it was within a month of the booking. It needed to be scanned and returned, with CC #. Since I'd paid by VRBO, I didn't send them my cc # and they didn't fuss. Full cleaning was required on checkout otherwise they'd charge your credit card over 100E. A separate cash payout needed to be left for the supervisor, and also a building fund contribution (historical building). If you used up something, like TP or lightbulbs or dish soap, you needed to replace it. I did the cleaning but we almost missed the plane. So stressful - I'll never use VRBO again. Airbnb listings are very clear on the rules, before booking, so I never select one that I don't agree with.

Sparklingbrook

I wouldn’t not clean anything for a week in my own house, a holiday let is no different IMO. Clean and tidy as you go doesn’t take long

I can go the week without cleaning. I wipe down kitchen surfaces and load snd unload the dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer and fold the clothes but the rest
is what I did pay a cleaner for.
Also if I wanted to clean and tidy as I went I wouldn’t bother going on holiday. I have stood at a kitchen sink washing up for 40 minutes (didn’t get an Airbnb with a dishwasher) after an over night stay just washing up breakfast stuff. People getting up at different times and using different plates and cutlery for stuff. Never again.

All those saying that they Hoover twice per day. I don’t own a vacuum cleaner. I never vacuum anything.

Like I said @Bythemillpond people all have different standards. Dishwasher is also a non negotiable when I book a place.
Not owning a vacuum is unusual but it presumably works for you.

I Hoover twice a day. The most it's ever left for is 2 days if I'm not well. What about crumbs in the kitchen

If you feel the need to hoover twice a day, you need to stop chucking so much shit on the floor.

On holiday we do what's necessary to keep the kitchen usable and clean up any spills or toilet stains, but nothing else. Why would you? It's simply unnecessary.

The property should be cleaned properly by a cleaner or the owner on changeover and I can't see what else would be required. How dirty can it get in a week?

Those people who say they don't like self catering because they don't consider it a holiday because they'd have to do cleaning, are doing it to themselves because very little cleaning is actually necessary.

This drives me bananas - if people are hiring out a cottage to paying guests then you don't expect them to clean - part of the money you pay is to get the cleaning team in afterwards to clean it - it makes me
Feel more like someone borrowing a cottage ... but for many hundreds of pounds and more, no, cleaning should be included by owners as standard

Quite. I mean we stay in PIL's place for free sometimes and they don't let it out. We do clean it thoroughly when we leave - change beds, take the dirty linen home, hoover, wipe surfaces, mop, empty bins and clean the bathroom. We leave it as clean as when we arrived, ready for PIL when they want to use it. But when you are paying hundreds of pounds for somewhere it's totally different.

I can't even begin to imagine being arsed to hoover every day.

I do do leave somewhere as I left it but that is not on to dictate what you should do. That would make me cancel of a least not make such an effort to keep it clean.

I’d never do all that and would choose somewhere else.
I keep on top of things like dishes and I do a very basic tidy up and wipe before I leave.
Every review I’ve had as a guest has said we left the place clean and tidy.

What the hell to people saying they do all this anyway it’s called a holiday I do not expect to clean a shower, when you go abroad someone cleans your room every day no one would dream of telling you to clean up & what are you supposed to use I’ve never seen any cleaning products

I have seen on other threads that some posters pride themselves on showing their cleaning skills when they leave a holiday

Each to their own, I am not changing the sheets or dusting my hotel rooms, I am not doing that in a rental either. I don't wash the dishes in a restaurant either.

Not living the place in a state is basic, but anything else is overboard and unecessary.

The first time I stayed in a holiday cottage I was paranoid about leaving it clean, and probably spent about three hours cleaning it (v small cottage) including mopping/wiping the floors.
Stayed at the same place many times, and got a bit more relaxed (they do have professional cleaners come in, and do it all again anyway).

I certainly leave it clean and tidy - sweep the floors, kitchen clean and wiped down, empty bins.
Don't strip beds unless asked, or mop the floor.

Always clean when I arrive - although my cat is genius at stalking round the beams and generally finds a cobweb or two up there .

Happy to leave it tidy, bins emptied , clean sink etc but wouldn't do a full clean. That's unreasonable.

We’ve had this in France before too but it freaked me out because it meant I couldn’t sure on the thoroughness of the cleaning by the family who rented the week before us. They were probably not professional cleaners after all. Meant I cleaned it as soon as we arrived too. Never again.

I do always strip the beds, throw the rubbish out, wipe down the kitchen surfaces. I wouldn’t leave toilets looking grim either.

I've just returned from a short break in a cottage. Check in 5pm, out 9am because of Covid. All linen, towels etc had to be put in a special laundry bag except there wasn't one so I used a bin liner. Stripping the beds showed how grubby the pillows were (not envy). Dishwasher had to be left empty.

There was a cleaning charge so I felt no obligation to clean. Left it tidy with empty bins etc.

I wouldn't do that. It's for the owner to cleean between occupants, not the person on holiday. They need to build that into the price.

If requested I have put the rubbish bags outside, and during Covid I have stripped beds and put the linens into bags. But that's it. Tell them it is not reasonable to expect the departing guest to clean the property. Or just don't.

Sounds more like an army accommodation march out. We had to clean our army house otherwise DH would be charged