To ask guests to remove bed sheets on last day of stay?

[Moobear22]

DH family stay over from time to time.
they never remove sheets.
we work full time. Who do they think removes the bed sheets?
to be fair to them, whenever I have stayed at PIL house they insist we leave the beds without stripping sheets when we go.
i don’t have time for excess housework and was always taught to strip bedsheets as a guest.
how do I ask politely for them to strip bed? I want to be welcoming and not rude.

It's never occurred to me to strip beds before leaving. Nobody ever has when visiting our house either. We leave them on and only wash the day before guests arrive (unless it's been a long stay). We have cats who like to sleep on top of the bed so they need cleaning just before guests arrive.

I'd have no problem doing it if asked but find your comment about "who do they think removed the bed sheets?" a bit funny. For most of us the response would be the host.

But you would be the only person who had slept in them, and only for two nights, so how is that any different to sleeping on your own sheets for a third night at home? Nobody else would have used them since your last visit, and they won't have somehow got dirtier since your last visit.

How does working full time interfere with the hugely onerous chore of sheet-removal OP? I get that is gobbles up an extra 3 minutes or so, but you spent longer than that creating your post here.

Also can't see why you are so ... accusatory in your tone about PiL's (Who do they think removes the bed sheets?) - when it's obviously not an issue for them as they insist that you don't bother with it when you stay at theirs.

It's clear that you feel constrained from mentioning it & don't want PiLs to feel less than welcome. So there's a REALLY easy solution.
Stop doing it.
Your DH has hands, doesn't he?

I would never ask guests to strip beds and always say there's no need if they ask if they should? I don't understand why you'd ask them to do that particular thing when you presumably wouldn't ask them to do other housework before they leave. Stripping a bed takes about 3 minutes max!

If I stripped the sheets off without being asked I’d be worried they’d think I was hiding something (a bodily fluid or something). 😯

I have never stripped a bed after staying at someone's house, if I am totally honest I didn't know it was a thing in holiday accommodation until covid either.

I probably wouldn't be washing the sheets the minute a guest leaves so that would annoy me more then doing it once I am ready.

I would find it really weird and intrusive if someone stripped the bed sheets… don’t want them seeing how grubby the duvet and mattress is underneath 😁

And unless there’s an unmentioned illness/mobility/disability, it only takes 2 minutes.

If you asked them to bring their bedsheets downstairs it would seem like you’re going out of your way to make a point about how inconvenient their stay is to you.

That would be extremely rude.

It is not your guests’ job to strip beds in YOUR house. Surely you know that??

As a guest I always ask if they want me to strip the bed. Either it's yes thanks, or no thanks, or no your sister is staying next week she won't mind...
Unless you have guests in between I'd just leave the beds. But if you find it a chore just ask them to do it!

Surely it depends on your relationship with someone.

We've just stayed at a friends house for a couple of days and o shouted down to her as we were packing to see if she wanted the bed stripping but there are some people I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that with.

Similarly, there are friends I have who I would happily shout up to - any chance you could bring the bedding down, I'm just putting a wash on whereas my IL's not a chance - they come very infrequently because it's like having a royal visit.

I'd be unlikely to strip the bed when staying at someone's home unless asked to do so. In fact, I'd probably make the bed so the room looks nice after I've left. Maybe that's a weird thing to do.

Stripping a bed is the least demanding part of having guests, ime. If you don't want to do it, ask your husband to take that chore, since it's his family.

I'm still waiting to find out why DH can't strip his parents' bed when they stay over. Puzzling why OP feels it's only down to PiL's or herself ...

Even if you were the only one who had slept in it previously?

If you want the bedsheets removed ask them to do it. Personally, I hate people removing the bedsheets when they stay but would happily do it when I stay at someone else's (if they tell me they want me to). People can't know what your preference is if you don't tell them and I think the starting assumption would be not to pull apart the bedding before leaving!

Don't know why but just thought of the bed sheet scene out of Trainspotting... LOL
Stripping a bed is hardly a big deal but if it is to you just ask them to do it. I wouldn't automatically do this in someone else's home.

I always ask if my hosts want me to strip the bed.

The only people I know who do this without needing prompting is dp’s parents, they always offer to strip the bed sheets but they know I’m turning the room straight back into Ds bedroom.

I would hate for guests to strip beds, I’d find it really rude. However, I wouldn’t mind at all being asked to bring them down on the last day, so just ask them to do it.

No. I think the clue for you here is in the word 'guest'

I always ask whoever is hosting us if they would like me to strip the bed and bring the washing down.Just trying to be helpful. If they say thanks that would be great I do.If they say no need we'll sort it obviously I leave them.However I wouldn't be annoyed if guests didn't do the same.It literally takes a couple of minutes to do it.

I've never stripped beds when I've stayed anywhere, I wouldn't like it if guests did it here.

I don't like it when people do it at our house, as anything uncovered gets a layer of dog hair pretty quickly, so I only take them off when I have time/the weather to wash and dry them.

How much is your DH involved in getting everything ready when his family come? It's a classic response (and one used by many women on here unfortunately) that it 'only takes 1 minute fgs). When you add up all the prep and shopping for guests, it is a lot, even the thinking about it is a lot.

You say that it took your DH over 2 weeks to bother to strip the beds last time. What does he do when guests stay, is it 50-50. I would be telling him that he can do everything when his family stay, and I mean everything and you will do when your family come.

Seriously, I'm not one of those people who race through chores at breakneck speed, but I'm struggling to see how stripping a bed could ever take five whole minutes! 30 seconds for each pillowcase, a whole minute to remove the bed sheet, and a couple more for the duvet cover? Unless you have disabilities, it's hard to see how it could ever take that long!