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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect dishwasher tablets?

235 replies

foxychox · 31/08/2021 11:26

We had a week in an AirBNB last week. It was a seaside chalet, but very well equipped and included a dishwasher. When the keys were handed over I was advised on how to use the washer and dryer if I needed them so my expectation was that all appliances were for use. Over the first couple of days we used dishes and stacked the dishwasher, when it was full I hunted around but no dishwasher tablets to be found. Salt and rinse aid, yes but not tablets. Washing up liquid, washing liquid and fabric conditioner all evident. From then on we washed dishes as we used them (even though there was a only a very well used scourer available) but left the dishwasher as was - all items had been rinsed prior to putting in so no smell etc.
When we left I messaged the owner to say we had a great stay and had stacked the DW but as there were no tablets had not put it on. Her response was that she expected that we should wash all the dishes by hand prior to leaving.
AIBU in that if there is a dishwasher we should be able to use it? And that the property should include detergent for this? I have another AirBNB stay coming up in a couple of months so need to be prepared to take my own if this is not the norm (it has been for the other 2 that we have done)....

OP posts:
Redglitter · 31/08/2021 13:17

Leaving a dishwasher full of dirty dishes is absolutely disgusting

DancingQueen85 · 31/08/2021 13:18

We always take our own dishwasher tablets to self catered accommodation. I'd say it's 50/50 as to whether there are any there already. Not something you can expect as standard in my opinion

knittingaddict · 31/08/2021 13:19

I would expect shampoo though. And soap. All the holiday lets I've stayed in have supplied cleaning products and soap, shampoo etc.

How often do you stay in rented cottages/apartments because I think that is incredibly unusual to have shampoo supplied? Most of the time you have soap, but not always. I don't think I've ever seen shampoo and we stay in at least one cottage a year for the past 35 years.

Floralnomad · 31/08/2021 13:20

Unless it actually states that it’s being provided I would expect to get my own . I think it was extremely rude to leave the dishwasher with dirty plates etc in and rinsed is still dirty .

user1497207191 · 31/08/2021 13:22

@karmakameleon

This annoys me so much about holiday homes in the UK. Owners want you to leave everything clean (reasonable) but often don’t leave adequate cleaning supplies (unreasonable). I’ll ensure I clean as well as I can with the equipment provided but I’m not going to go out and buy cleaning supplies. I do always take my own dishwasher tablets though, as often not provided and I’m not hand washing dishes on holiday.
Why make it a UK thing? Most of the holiday lets we've stayed in abroad havn't provided dishwasher tablets, washing powder, etc. It's NOT a UK thing at all.
phishy · 31/08/2021 13:26

I can't believe you left dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I would have washed them by hand.

Bigassbeebuzzbuzz · 31/08/2021 13:26

I probably wouldnt of brought my own (no dishwasher at home) but probably would of mentioned it to the owner so they could tell you if they would pop some over if they provide it or if you needed to buy some.

Chloemol · 31/08/2021 13:42

We always take dishwasher tablets, washing power and washing up liquid

Wroxie · 31/08/2021 13:50

People seem to think that "airBnB" is, like, nice people offering you use of their holiday house when they're not using it for a nominal fee 😹. It's not, it's a multi-billion pound business and the majority of people who rent their properties out have either purposely bought properties to run as a side business or in many cases they have a whole portfolio of properties. You pay a (very expensive) cleaning fee on top of your AirBnB costs and if they can't be bothered to include some dishwasher tablets then they can deal with the consequences. So many of you seem to love martyring yourselves to the businesses that are providing YOU a service.

Sunshineandflipflops · 31/08/2021 13:54

We've just returned form a week's stay in a holiday cottage and I took dw tablets, washing capsules, cleaning sponges, washing up liquid, etc. I always do as you never know what is going to be provided. As it turned out, there were a few dw tablets and washing capsules to last the first couple of days but then you are expected to get your own. This is quite normal in my experience but I would never assume there would be things there already.

Why didn't you just but dw tablets when you realised there weren't any?

I haven't RTFT so sorry if you've answered this.

karmakameleon · 31/08/2021 14:01

Why make it a UK thing? Most of the holiday lets we've stayed in abroad havn't provided dishwasher tablets, washing powder, etc. It's NOT a UK thing at all.

My experience has been that it’s only in the UK that we’ve found nothing at all by way of cleaning products. Abroad I’ve always been provided with a basic package.

PlanDeRaccordement · 31/08/2021 14:06

@Wroxie

People seem to think that "airBnB" is, like, nice people offering you use of their holiday house when they're not using it for a nominal fee 😹. It's not, it's a multi-billion pound business and the majority of people who rent their properties out have either purposely bought properties to run as a side business or in many cases they have a whole portfolio of properties. You pay a (very expensive) cleaning fee on top of your AirBnB costs and if they can't be bothered to include some dishwasher tablets then they can deal with the consequences. So many of you seem to love martyring yourselves to the businesses that are providing YOU a service.
I don’t know. In my experience Air BnB has been a very cheap, bottom of barrel properties let by amateurs who can’t even ensure the basic health and safety regulations hoteliers have to follow are met.

It may be multi-billion pound business, but so is Poundland. Both are not ones I’d use for anything nice.

Woeismethischristmas · 31/08/2021 14:07

@FrDamo

I'm going to go against the grain here. If you are an Airbnb owner, you should provide the cleaning products required for the appliances in the property. In the big scheme of things a single buying trip (to Aldi, Lidl, home bargains etc to keep costs low) will provide all the products the house will need for months at a time and for multiple groups of guests. Why cause consternation by stinting on a few basics that oil the wheels of the holiday. It's not going to break the bank, it might get you a better review and repeat business.

As a short term holiday (2-7 nights) who wants to be packing: tablets/powders/liquids/cloths/bleach/other cleaning paraphernalia second guessing what will/won't be provided and necessitating supermarket trips while away.

Given the prices that are charged for A) the actual stay and B) the cleaning after your stay it's just unnecessary hassle and will cause bad feeling at either end when expectations aren't met by either party.

Disclaimer: I have always taken washing machine tablets just in case. I'm very pleased when they are provided. I have never taken dishwasher tablets. I am always irritated if I have to buy cleaning products if they haven't been provided.

Another thought: perhaps the owner is hoping you buy a box, use 2 and leave the box behind. They "disappear" after you stay and the next guest is in the same predicament. The owner is sitting on a tablet mountain of underhandedly acquired tablets!

As a holiday cottage owner I completely agree. I always make sure it’s stocked with enough dishwashers tablets, washing powder, kitchen roll and cleaning stuff. I went away for a week at somewhere costing 1600 quid to find a single j cloth and two dishwasher tabs. How on earth are you supposed to clean a kitchen?

Most of the crockery wasn’t clean so I assume the last guests had run it through without a tab and stuck it in the cupboard🤢

RedToothBrush · 31/08/2021 14:09

Expecting dishwasher tablets in a rental cottage is like expecting a rental cottage that has sharp knives that are actually sharp...

TheWeatherWitch · 31/08/2021 14:09

Yabvvvu but I think you already know that op.

Would you have walked around with a shitty arse if there was no toilet paper?…of course not.

Sorry you didn’t get the outpouring of sympathy I think you expected. But to leave dirty pots, rinsed or otherwise is disgusting l

rookiemere · 31/08/2021 14:11

There is no such thing as a standard Airbnb - it's not villaplus where they provide a pool table and swimming pool at every villa - they are all owned by different individuals and whats provided will differ.

Like most on the thread I always bring dishwasher tablets with me, also soap - I collect the small bars you get in hotels for it. It's nice when dishwasher tablets are provided, but then sometimes you get that annoying thing where they give you one for a weekend or three for a week and you need to buy more anyway.

It's self catering so surely the common assumption is that you'd bring your own, not doing the dishes because they're not there is really skanky, a bit like leaving a skid mark in the toilet because no toilet brush.

safariboot · 31/08/2021 14:12

You could have gone shopping. In the unlikely event you really couldn't, you could have asked the host if they could deliver some.

Backtobacktheyfacedeachother · 31/08/2021 14:17

@downinthedoldrums

BUT you should have just run the dishwasher without a tablet. There is generally enough detergent loitering in the system to manage a wash without a tablet as a one-off, plus it is a better option than leaving them wholly unwashed.
Ours finishes on a hot rinse. There wouldn’t be any detergent left in the system. Would you be happy to eat off cutlery & plates in SC accommodation that had just been rinsed?

I never go SC without taking my own sponge & washing up liquid even if they have a dishwasher. Always a pleasant surprise if stuff is provided but you can’t guarantee it.

PennyWus · 31/08/2021 14:20

Yabu, if a self catering place has a dishwasher and a washing machine I always take tablets and detergent. Very occasionally one tablet is left to get you started but rarely more. People nick them if more are left. You should have washed up.

LST · 31/08/2021 14:21

My god. I can't believe you left the dirty dishes!

Wroxie · 31/08/2021 14:24

I don’t know. In my experience Air BnB has been a very cheap, bottom of barrel properties let by amateurs who can’t even ensure the basic health and safety regulations hoteliers have to follow are met.

@PlanDeRaccordement that's really odd, the places I find on AirBnB are really nice. If you read the reviews, look at the images, and ask questions it's exceedingly simple to avoid the kinds of places you're talking about. I just looked through my AirBnB history and I've stayed over 50 times and I've literally had one place that I would complain about... and I'm a serious snob about cleanliness, decor, location, linens, all of it. I've found AirBnB to be more reliable and easier to deal with than smaller "holiday let" companies (and to be honest most places worth staying at are advertised in many places, not just AirBnB).

Wroxie · 31/08/2021 14:31

I don't have a dishwasher in my own house and if anyone thinks I'm going shopping to buy some tablets or that I'm going to bring any other cleaning supplies for the accommodation for which I've paid nearly £200 per night not including the exorbitant "cleaning fee" (just checked my AirBnB history and that's about average for the places I stay) they can think again. I don't leave negative reviews unless a place was actually dangerous to my health, but if I stayed anywhere that didn't include the supplies needed for the provided appliances, I'd definitely privately let the owner know it was a problem.

My gob is well and truly smacked. I've lived in this country for nearly 20 years now and the British never cease to amaze and amuse me when it comes to competitive, pointless martyrdom.

Miniroofbox · 31/08/2021 14:36

If they didn’t want to buy dishwasher tablets, they should’ve washed the dishes, not left them skanky in the machine for a week.

LookAtMoiPloise · 31/08/2021 14:37

Why wouldn't you just wash the dishes ffs

HarebrightCedarmoon · 31/08/2021 14:44

I think it's reasonable to provide at least a couple of tablets to get you started as it's one of those things like salt and pepper that it's annoying to buy if you have forgotten as you can't just buy a small amount. And I use liquid at home so that would be a pain for travelling. The powder and tablets just get stuck in the machine at home. Having said that, I'd either suck it up and buy tablets or just wash up, it's no big deal. And I am getting better at remembering the salt and pepper.

I always take my emergency cafetiere and filter coffee now as well - in the UK anyway. Most places have a cafetiere and some have a pod or other machine, but I went to one place where there was just a kettle and went and bought a cafetiere which is now my travelling one.

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