Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 15 16

Original poster

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

396 replies

Takemetomiami · 06/05/2021 08:56

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?

OP posts:

starfishmummy · 06/05/2021 10:30

I've always stripped beds - handy to make sure DC has not left a precious toy in there. Bathroom left reasonable, ditto kitchen and if we have made a big mess on the living room floor we probably run the vac round quickly - but not moving furniture. We are repeat bookers at one cottage and there have never been any grumbles, and they don't really leave any cleaning material or products so I'm not going to be buying them!!

eurochick · 06/05/2021 10:31

I don't do my own cleaning at home (we have a cleaner) so I am sure as hell not doing it on holiday!

Malbecfan · 06/05/2021 10:32

Tricky one. I own a holiday cottage but we're not renting it out this year and didn't last year, the exception being friends & family.

Most guests are pretty good. I don't ask them to strip beds, but lots do, neatly folding everything which is a PITA as I want it open in the washing machine. Most put the bins out, or leave the recycling in a pile for us to sort, which is absolutely fine.

However, there are some disgusting people about. The ones who leave half their dinner in the microwave, or put away unclean crockery or cutlery. The ones who leave half their hair in the bath. Those who don't wipe over the hob after splattering food everywhere. The ones who leave peanuts everywhere. Worst of all, the ones who damage things but don't tell us. Normally we have 6 hours between guests. It's no ideal when you have to re-grout kitchen tiles,

As for professional cleaners, do me a favour! I live in a holiday area. There are hardly any and they charge a fortune. We do it ourselves. We don't expect perfection when guests leave, but we do ask them to be reasonable. Most are, but around every 4th is a dick.

GiveMeTulipsfromAmsterdam · 06/05/2021 10:32

I go on holiday to avoid the usual mundane cleaning and so wouldn't book anywhere that I have to do this list of jobs - it's a no from me!

I expect to empty bins and leave the place tidy but not actually clean it myself. I'll avoid airBnB if that is usual...?

PurBal · 06/05/2021 10:32

I always strip the beds, but I don't clean the bathroom.

IrmaFayLear · 06/05/2021 10:34

Perhaps they give fierce cleaning instructions in the hope that the percentage who leave it in an awful state will be shamed into doing at least the bare minimum. Unfortunately it makes those of us who ordinarily give the place a reasonable clean untold stress as we envisage losing our deposit due to the owner finding one crumb underneath the sofa.

Boo2997 · 06/05/2021 10:36

Unusual I would say. Like you I would leave it presentable but wouldn’t want to do all that!

If I owned holiday accommodation I would want cleaners to go in and ensure it’s been cleaned properly and l wouldn’t rely on the visitors.

I used to clean a holiday let on change over days nearby. Generally it was always left pretty clean but you still needed to clean it even if it already looked clean - even more so now as this was before covid. I didn’t stick at it long tbh. The actual owner was a cow and wasn’t nice to work for. She would randomly turn up during a clean and watch over you. I don’t work well under pressure or being watched. I would do to again elsewhere though.

Viviennemary · 06/05/2021 10:37

Absolute cheek. They should be having a professional clean between lets. Wash up dirty dishes and wipe kitchen. That's quite sufficient IMHO. Mop floors.

viques · 06/05/2021 10:40

I noticed that a company I have used in the past have slapped a “cleaning charge” onto their rates! Good for them for being upfront and not just sneaking it into the general tariff, but makes you wonder how clean the properties were the other times I went with them.

Like most I strip beds, put all linen in the bathroom, empty bins and dishwasher and wipe down kitchen surfaces. And that’s it. My logic is that I leave the property tidy enough for their cleaners to come in and blitz clean without having waste time tidying up after me., just as you do for a cleaner at home.

Movinghouseatlast · 06/05/2021 10:41

No, not usual.

I have a holiday let. At the moment we ask guests to strip beds and put rubbish out but that's it. I would be unimpressed by dirty dishes/kitchen sink but my only expectation is that it is left tidy with no big mess to clear up.

aliloandabanana · 06/05/2021 10:41

I'd hate the idea of going into a holiday cottage that had allegedly been cleaned but only by the last guests! There are usually minimal cleaning products and cloths available, so if guests don't bring their own, they really aren't going to be doing a decent job in the five minutes they have spare between packing up the car and having to vacate the property.

Property owners should always have a cleaner in/go in themselves to clean between guests.

HopeHappy · 06/05/2021 10:41

I'm more than happy to strip the beds and place bedding in towels in a place of their choosing, but mopping the floors and cleaning the showers?! Fuck me, I don't even do that in my own house (have a cleaner), so no, I'd not be doing that and if I did they'd probably moan it wasn't a good enough job because I can't even do it very well, thanks to having my own cleaner.

Is there a cleaning deposit paid? I'd just factor that in to the price of the holiday and tell them to get stuffed!

LongTimeMammaBear · 06/05/2021 10:42

We had this once with a very expensive holiday let in Uk. We were noughts the afternoon of last night, check out by 10am. I was so angry as it meant last night spent cleaning rather than going out for lovely meal we had booked at the start of our stay. Special meal out so extremely disappointed to miss this

I understand stripping beds, all dishes cleaned and out away, all food removed, bins out but no way to hoovering, cleaning the bathrooms and mopping all the floors.

We now make sure there is cleaning service included when booking. This particular booking did not state you need to clean in the booking so was totally surprised and very annoyed when we got that message on our last afternoon. Very much left bad taste to our otherwise nice stay.

Doveyouknow · 06/05/2021 10:44

Normal in France (and cleaning products are often not provided!) but never had it in the UK. It makes a very stressful end to the holiday....

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 06/05/2021 10:45

Id cancel my booki ng the high prices they charge they should employ cleaners!!!

CounsellorTroi · 06/05/2021 10:45

@XenoBitch

We stayed in an apartment in Jersey (we were downstairs, owners upstairs). We had to thoroughly clean the place before we left, and stand their like naughty school kids whilst the owners inspected our work. They also set a rule that we had to open all blinds/curtains each morning. We caught them several times just staring at us through the windows. Never booked with them again. Was not relaxing at all.

We stayed once in a cottage where the owners were on the premises. Never again. The only exception was cottage/ barn conversion on a working farm where the owners although lovely were too busy to bother us!

starfishmummy · 06/05/2021 10:48

@hedgehogger1

I've had this in France too (along with an owner who kept letting herself in and telling us off for things like hanging stuff over the balcony of the stairs.

We had this in a UK cottage.

Last straw was that she marched in at just gone 8 am on our final morning to strip the beds as she needed to do the laundry for the next guests. We were up but trying to load car, sort out disabled ds's medical stuff and have breakfast. We gave up and left well ahead of the 10am deadline and had breakfast in the local cafe.

It was a shame as it was a really nice property in an nice area and we would have considered going back - well we have to the area, but a different property (where we have been repeat guests for so long its a home from home).

Elphame · 06/05/2021 10:53

We ask that the place is left basically cleanish and tidy with all crockery either in the dishwasher or washed and put away. All furniture back where you found it and bins emptied. We don't expect floors mopped, carpets hoovered or bathrooms cleaned ( a wipe over is appreciated though).

That's about it - if it's cleaned better then great, the cleaners will thank you for helping them but they'll still re-clean it.

Normally we prefer beds NOT to be stripped but in these days of Covid cleaning, bed stripping into laundry bags is pretty much a universal requirement to protect cleaners doing back to back changeovers. It's not our choice but one of the "guidelines". How hotels get around it I have no idea.

underneaththeash · 06/05/2021 10:53

We had that last year (and they wanted us out by 9am). I just emailled back and said that I wasn't doing it.

I empty bins and fridge and strip bedding, but that's it.

SavannahLands · 06/05/2021 10:54

Not everyone is physically fit enough to undertake what the owners/ company are asking for or expecting the Hirer to do. Surely if someone suffers from Arthritis for example and cannot stand long enough, or grip a Mop or strip the Beds then what? Surely to refuse a booking from such a client is a form of discrimination under the Disability rights laws?

osbertthesyrianhamster · 06/05/2021 10:54

Why did you do it? Fuck that! 'We didn't get the message'. Or 'No. You didn't state that on the booking.' I'd cancel the credit card, too, so they can't charge it. CFers.

stuckinarutatwork · 06/05/2021 10:57

No, that's not a holiday.
We'd happily strip beds, put towels in the bathroom, take rubbish out, empty fridge etc and of course we clean and tidy up after ourselves to a reasonable standard as we go along, but I wouldn't expect to spend my last day as a chalet maid.

Hazel444 · 06/05/2021 10:59

Stripping beds and leaving it generally tidy - maybe run a hoover over the place if there is one if the kids have dropped crumbs everywhere seems fine to me - but mopping the floors seems a bit over the top to me and I wouldn't do that.

cittigirl · 06/05/2021 11:06

I always strip beds and leave the place clean and tidy but I wouldn't scrub the kitchen floor or get every last smear off the windows...that's what they pay the cleaner for unless theyre not. I wouldn't be happy renting a holiday place that's not been professionally cleaned. Cheeky imo

rookiemere · 06/05/2021 11:10

The worst we had was in France where I'd paid the cleaning fee as we were leaving early. Despite this we were still required to have a check out review with the management lady, making us perilously close to missing our flights.
She then proceeded to make comments about the lack of cleanliness of the apartment - really wasn't that bad considering we'd paid for cleaning.

Since then I try to only book from English owners if renting in France so no mismatch in expectations.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 ··· 15 16