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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Most real airbnbs are dirty

82 replies

hellosunshineagainx · 03/09/2021 23:09

So I have been fortunate enough to have three breaks away this summer but in each place I have stayed I have had to clean once I got there as they really weren't clean!

All booked on airbnb but varying locations and prices. Wondered if it was just me so looked at reviews and no one has said anything negative about cleanliness.

Having a toddler and a Labrador I didn't think my cleanliness standards were high but apparently they are!

Aibu to say that airbnbs are dirty and not want to pay the cleaning fees they add on!

Examples of dirtyness:
Muck around taps
Dirty toilet hinges
very dusty trinkets and ornaments
dirty dish drying rack
toddler getting dirty feet from just walking around the place
dirty doorframes with fingerprints on
dirty mirrors and windows
very dirty oven
rug that has a texture to it as obviously full of grime (didn't clean that obvs but rolled it up out of the way)
Stained mugs

Maybe these are small things but once you notice one thing I felt like I then noticed lots of others and then just had a feeling of being unclean so had to get supplies to clean, the next two I just took cleaning supplies with me and was prepared. Maybe I need to star booking souless but clean hotels

OP posts:
Original poster
hellosunshineagainx · 04/09/2021 16:28

@Caspianberg

Well most don’t have time to clean them properly. We have one, 2 bedroom house. Check out 10am, check in 3pm onwards. So if on same day that’s Maximum 5hrs cleaning, bedding, etc. Often guests leave late so less time. 5hrs is tight for me alone to get it all done. So when people show 4bedroom places with same check outs, unless they have a multi team of cleaner, there’s no way.
So these are all one bed apartment, one bed chalet. Check in time for the one I stayed in this week was 4pm and check out 9am, the one before that was check in 1pm and check out 11am

In all of them we had to strip beds, take rubbish out, empty bins etc but I expect that anyway. But it's a fair point

OP posts:
minimecantrollerskate · 04/09/2021 16:33

YABU to say that all of them are dirty. Any that I have stayed in have always been spotless with no extra cleaning required.

bumblingbovine49 · 04/09/2021 16:49

You kind of.need to read between the lines of the reviews . Not many people will post that a place is dirty unless.it is filthy as I think some worry the owner might object and say something negative about them in return .

However when a place is very clean the reviews tend to emphasise the cleanliness. If most of the reviews are positive but most don't mention cleanliness at all, I'd assume the place wasn't that clean- maybe a bit grubby rather than terribly dirty but I'd generally only pick places that look like they have nice furnishings and with at least some of the reviews gushing about how clean the place is

We have mostly stayed in very clean places. Some have been spotless.

Having said that i think some of it is luck.

JaninaDuszejko · 04/09/2021 16:55

Agree with a PP, look for 'spotlessly clean' in the reviews. We've never had an issue and the last two we stayed in in the UK were exactly the type you specifically mentioned, they only had availability during school holidays because that's when they go away but both were very clean. I am in awe of people who are prepared to clean and tidy their own house to such an extent before going on holiday, can't say I'd have the energy for that!

UnsolicitedDickPic · 04/09/2021 16:58

I've never stayed anywhere like that. I've stayed in AirBnB's frequently and never had an experience like the one you've described. A friend of mine used to do AirBnB from her old house and she used to spend a great deal of time ensuring it was spotless after the previous guest had left.

It's a shame you've had a bad experience - not all of them are the same though.

Antsinyourpanta · 04/09/2021 17:03

I've stayed in 3 air bnbs in the past year (plenty of MN would say YABU simply for staying in an air bnb but that's another thread)
One was literally the first time they had rented it and they needed to equip it much better (quite basic things like a corkscrew, or coasters for a polished wood table) but it was spotless.
The others were also an acceptable level of cleanliness.

user1471428785 · 04/09/2021 17:06

YABU. I own an Air Bnb and nearly always have 5 star reviews for the cleanliness of mine. Sure, some are poor- I've stayed in one and got my money back- but please don't tar us all with the same brush.

ExecutiveHodCarrier · 04/09/2021 17:07

We’ve stayed in two, both Yorkshire Dales cottages. Both very clean and tidy - I read lots and lots of reviews prior to booking. One of them could have done with some minor bathroom maintenance but it was a 110-year old house, and I know how hard they are to keep looking picture-perfect.

SirVixofVixHall · 04/09/2021 17:12

I have been in two that were really dirty, a couple that were in-between and some very clean.
Far too many full of migraine inducing air freshener/ room scent things though, and horribly scented bed linen and towels .

Foxmylife · 04/09/2021 17:13

Stayed in 2 over the summer, both were clean. Feet are going to get dirty, even if floors were washed!

shouldistop · 04/09/2021 17:15

I've stayed in lots of air bnbs and they've always been clean.

serialname · 04/09/2021 17:28

Have stayed in 2 airb&b's.

First (some years ago ) had mice. Was horrid and Really put us off.

This year we tried again. It was the best appointed self catering cottage we have ever stayed in. Genuinely superb.

You are wrong to generalise.

TheOccupier · 04/09/2021 17:28

YANBU, I've had this experience too. It's not all AirBNBs but quite a few. I just ask for the cleaning fee to be refunded, and I mention it in a review.

SE13Mummy · 04/09/2021 17:36

We've stayed in a few different AirBnBs and with the exception of one in Dover, they've all been brilliantly clean. The listing for the one that wasn't clean mentioned that a dog lived there but that it didn't go on the sofas etc. When we arrived, said dog was very definitely sitting on the sofa which was covered in dog hair.

BlaiseAnais · 04/09/2021 17:47

I've stayed in a good few for work. I'd saybit really depends. Sometimes your hit jackpot and get something akin to luxury hotels standard's but most of the time it's the level I was clean to if having family to stay which is very clean but not spotless I.e taps will be clean but maybe limescale and watermarks.

However, we did stay in one where it was clear that nothing had been done since the previous guests left including a broken vase with an apologetic message and used tamponsin the bathroom bin. The colleague who booked it refused to contact the host as he didn't want his rating to be slashed and he was pretty gross. So we ended up washing sheets and towels and cleaning before we could go to bed.

Bathshebahardy · 04/09/2021 17:51

I've only stayed in one which was a room in someone's house. It was clean. I just didn't like the lack of facilites. There was no wardrobe or chest to unpack clothes. There were was no kettle or even a glass for water. I had to buy plastic cups so I could have water when in the room.

Ontheblink · 04/09/2021 18:03

I only stay in hotels because of this, the standards are higher

PielFerry · 04/09/2021 18:07

I have stayed in one AirBnb and it had fabulous reviews. Everywhere was filled with the owners personal items ie razors, shower gels, fridge full of sauces etc. Not for me.

PielFerry · 04/09/2021 18:10

@PielFerry

I have stayed in one AirBnb and it had fabulous reviews. Everywhere was filled with the owners personal items ie razors, shower gels, fridge full of sauces etc. Not for me.
Just to say that the apartment stated it was for our sole use and not shared with the owner. It was but he just didn’t bother moving his stuff and it wasn’t cheap,
MolyHolyGuacamole · 04/09/2021 18:10

Not gonna lie, I don't think I'd notice door frames or trinkets that haven't been dusted or a rug with 'texture', whatever that means. Ive only stayed in a few though, all have been clean, but I do tend to book with super hosts

pinkhousesarebest · 04/09/2021 18:13

No- wéve just come back from two in Portugal that were magnificent.

ConsulTremas · 04/09/2021 18:15

Stayed in several, never had an issue with cleanliness.

ichundich · 04/09/2021 18:21

I stayed in one in Berlin, which was utterly minging - used orange press left out with tons of fruit flies around it, caked-in dirt around the toilet rim, bedsheets not clean. Since then, I only ever book with Superhosts.

CloseYourEyesAndSee · 04/09/2021 18:24

I like to check Airbnb's in my area to see who gets bad ratings and why (I do Airbnb so check out the competition)
One guy has a room to let in his house and the photos are totally minging. People have still stayed there and reviewed it badly, unsurprisingly, but anyone who books from those photos has only themselves to blame.

You do need to check photos, reviews and star ratings properly. Superhost preferably.

frizzmonster · 04/09/2021 18:28

Oh yes I agree. ..stayed in two in the uk..never again... filthy.