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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Being asked to strip beds in holiday cottage

380 replies

librarian55 · 09/03/2023 16:29

We have just returned from a long weekend in the Lake District which was organised by my DD. We stayed in a very nice cottage. The day before we left, the letting agent texted my DD asking us to leave the place clean and tidy (fair enough, we would do that anyway) but they also asked us to strip the beds. AIBU in thinking this was very cheeky? The cost of cleaning would be included in the rental price and since we were expected to vacate by 10am, we didn't have that much time in the morning. I know it doesn't take much time, but I go on holiday to get away from such chores.

OP posts:
averylongtimeago · 09/03/2023 17:25

Oh, and the service fee on an Air bnb booking? It's their commission, not a cleaning fee. They list that separately

Comefromaway · 09/03/2023 17:25

We were asked to strip the beds last year (then leave windows open for airflow) as a covid precaution so the cleaners didn’t have to and could just bag everything up with minimal handling. It took a few minutes at most.

Itcouldhappenabishop · 09/03/2023 17:28

How does stripping your own bed prevent Covid?
I'm with you OP, I'll leave the place tidy and empty the bins, but if I've paid for cleaning then I'm buggered if I'm going to do it myself

THisbackwithavengeance · 09/03/2023 17:30

Absolute pisstake.

These holiday cottages cost ££££ without even taking the cleaning fee into account.

Pleasecreateausername13 · 09/03/2023 17:30

I did this in a holiday cottage in Ireland in September and it took all of 2 minutes to do.

Didn’t bother us in the slightest.

Laiste · 09/03/2023 17:32

Would you happily strip a hotel bed before check out? Even after a one night stay?

If not - why not? And so why doesn't the same apply in a holiday cottage?

Laiste · 09/03/2023 17:33

And if it only takes 2 minutes what's wrong with leaving it for the cleaner to do?

Livelovebehappy · 09/03/2023 17:34

I really couldn’t get worked up about it tbh. It’s not a big deal. And takes a couple of minutes. However, there aren’t going to be repercussions for you if you don’t, so if you really don’t want, just don’t do it…

TheDogsMother · 09/03/2023 17:35

Airbnb host here (annexe in the garden, before there's a hoohaa about creating a housing shortage Grin). I never ask guests to strip the bed and I'd rather they didn't because sometimes sheets need a little errmmm extra spot cleaning before they get sent away to the laundry !

All I'd hope for is that its left relatively tidy but bins, washing up, bedding is all down to us. It is meant to be a holiday for guests after all.

As an aside not all Airbnbs charge cleaning fees. That's down to each individual host and personally we don't.

reluctantbrit · 09/03/2023 17:36

I strip if asked and never really thought abou it. It's hardly a huge effort and only takes minutes.

The only time I was annoyed was when we had got three fabric bags per bed and had to check that each item was in it's proper bag. I think it was about Covid as it was in autumn 2020 but I found it a bit too fiddly.

SirVixofVixHall · 09/03/2023 17:36

I have always stripped the beds, and folded each set of bedding together in a pile on top of the bed, but recently I stayed somewhere where they asked us not to, as the cleaner needed to see if there were any marks on the sheets.
So last time I didn’t as we were in a rush and I didn’t know what the preference was.

SirVixofVixHall · 09/03/2023 17:37

I do agree it is annoying to insist on it though, when there is an early check out time and a hefty additional cleaning fee.

FairIce · 09/03/2023 17:38

I've noticed this year the self catering accomodation has vacancies right through summer. They have kept the covid price rises and people are going abroad.

I never strip the beds.
I've paid a lot of money for a holiday and it's not an easy job for me. You don't have to help the cleaners in a hotel.
They moved checkin back and checkout earlier for extra cleaning for covid and never moved it back.
I have a cottage in July which cost me £1500 for 3 nights and there is no chance I will help with cleaning as well.

cocksstrideintheevening · 09/03/2023 17:39

I've just booked an air b n b with a £120 cleaning fee and we have to take the rubbish out and strip the beds. We had to book this one for a particular event but £120 and then having to do that irks a little.

DorritLittle · 09/03/2023 17:40

Annoys me too! I do it but resent it.

ChickenDhansak82 · 09/03/2023 17:40

I always take them off! That way you know they're much more likely to put clean ones on!!

(anyone watch that hotel program where the bed sheets were just smoothed out and not changed...?)

Viviennemary · 09/03/2023 17:41

It only takes a minute.

MrsTerryPratchett · 09/03/2023 17:41

There are certain kinds of chores, stripping beds, loading a dishwashers, putting a wash on, that are always 'two minutes' when a woman is expected to do them. These same chores become Herculean if a man, or business has to. It's really odd.

I wonder if women also go and do the dishes in restaurants 'because it's polite and takes two minutes'. If they charge cleaning, they can clean. I don't go on holiday to do chores. I do tip cleaners a lot though.

PrtScn · 09/03/2023 17:41

When I stayed in a flat in Spain, I was asked to strip the bed and wash the sheets. I put them in the washing machine but didn't hang about to hang anything up!

Twiglets1 · 09/03/2023 17:42

I agree with you and I just ignore requests like that.
We leave a place tidy and load the dishwasher etc but considering we are paying for several hours worth of cleaning, they can strip the beds.

Blossomtoes · 09/03/2023 17:43

SimplySipping · 09/03/2023 16:40

I think this has become more usual since covid and is probably here to stay. We just do it these days.

It’s pretty standard post covid. I’ve always done it anyway.

Whatfreshhellisthisss · 09/03/2023 17:44

This annoys me too! There’s no way that making you strip your own bed stops the spread of covid it’s just stupid. Cottages are no cleaner than before covid and to be honest, the fact that they say they need extra time to clean for covid makes me think what were they doing before! I would expect a place to be cleaned to a standard that no germs can be passed between guests all the time, not just pandemic times.

NeedToChangeName · 09/03/2023 17:45

I always strip beds in holiday house. But I used to do it to be helpful / give cleaner a nice surprise

I think it's cheeky of hosts to request it, especially when they ask you to hoover etc as well

GrisleyR · 09/03/2023 17:45

Never had a problem with dumping towels in a pile in the bathroom, stripping the bed and setting the dishwasher off before we leave the cottage/ villa in a decent state.
Rental before last asked for towels to be placed in front of tumble dryer all sheets in front of washer, dishwasher unloaded and all utensils back in cupboards, bins emptied to large skip type thing, bottles taken to bottle bank at supermarket, all windows open and floors swept. Any garden furniture used to be wiped down and returned to the shed.

We had paid a cleaning fee🙄

Woolandwonder · 09/03/2023 17:45

I always do it anyway but was a bit annoyed in my last Airbnb to be told to "fold neatly" which seemed pointless when it was going to be shoved in a machine.