Is this unhygienic?!

[loislaneloves]

I have an Airbnb on my property. It’s basically a tiny home at the bottom of our large garden with an amazing view. Most people come for the weekend by train and I don’t want people to spend their holiday shopping for stuff like coffee, tea, milk or having to cram suitcases full of toiletries or beach towels so I provide all of those. I also provide a little evening snack (crisps usually) some wine to watch the sun set on the deck with and fruit from the garden and a croissant and jam for breakfast. People love it and I make it quite clear on my ads that these things are provided.
Just got a review from a couple who stayed with us a few days ago. They gave us a good review but took one star off and in her private message to me she said ‘We loved our stay with you but we weren’t very happy that the toiletries are in big shared bottles rather than individual use. This is obviously very unhygienic (we don’t know who has used them!!) so we had to make the trip to buy some for ourselves which was an expense and effort we weren’t expecting’.
To be clear I offer Aesop Shower Gel, Shampoo and Conditioner in the shower and Aesop Hand Wash by the sink in 500ml bottles. They get replaced when empty which is usually about every 10 months
AIBU to think this is not unhygienic?!

I don't understand: the product is the same all the way through, the first pump load dispensed is exactly the same as the last pump load dispensed, how is it 'dregs'?
It's not a product that goes off unless it's been sat in the bathroom for yonks, which, here, certainly doesn't sound like is the case.
Edited to add: there was advice on a thread on economy/reducing waste, to just half-fill bottles/containers as people tend to be more frugal when they think they are running low on something, but tend towards extravagance if presentee with a full container. So the OP could be seen as helping to save the environment by not having full containers.

I was in a Ritz Carlton this week and they had large pumps on the showers 🤷‍♀️

you can bring your own toiletries and not use the communal products but expecting tiny single use plastic bottles is very unreasonable.

To be honest, all they really need to do is give the whole outside of the bottle a wash and rinse on first moving in - problem sorted.
Added at edit - those other instances you mention are not immediately after using a toilet - one would hope that people would have washed their hands after going to the toilet, before going to supermarket, etc.

Can you reply to her review? Explain what her complaint was in a ‘nice’ way?
Also, whereabouts are you because your Air B&B sounds gorgeous and I quite fancy a visit!

It was a spiteful move to remove one star.

I would be inclined to be spiteful back and report her to Airbnb asking for the review to be removed entirely due to her unreasonableness.

Airbnb are usually accommodating over this level of pettiness from guests.

Where do you leave your bag when you’re using a public toilet?
I’m struggling to see the relevance to whether the soap dispenser is communal or personal?’

It's just sensible OP, it would be extremely environmentally unfriendly to be constantly giving out individual plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Anyone who thinks it's 'unhygienic' has issues IMO.

We recently stayed at a 5 star hotel and it had exactly this set up.

I agree with you OP, I have recently stayed in two very expensive hotels and they both had a similar set up. High end products but large bottles. Much better for the planet.

Lots of good hotels do this, I assue if they had been taken to court because people had caught raging skin conditions they would'nt continue. Also where do you stop? the shower/bath has been used befoire as has the bed etc.
Someone who is that much of a germophobe needs to take their own toiletries.

... So what do you do in every toilet except the ones in your house?

I personally love the fact that there is shower gel and shampoo provided in a lot of hotels and places, saves the risk of having to pack them in a suitcase and leaking all over the clothes (that has happened to me). I don't see how its unhygienic unless she things somebody with a really contagious disease has touched the bottles.

On my back.

So, you have never stayed in a Premier Inn or washed you hands in a pub/restaurant/other public toilet?

Sorry, but you and the guest are being ridiculous.

Well you would hope that people have washed their hands after going to the toilet but we all know that some people don't.

You must have been in a toilet when someone comes out of the cubicle and just leaves? It happens quite a lot

Just the other day I was watching a video on YouTube/Facebook where someone was conducting an experiment to measure the cleanliness of the hygiene of big refillable bottles of shampoo etc in hotels. The upshot was that they were pretty minging with layers of biofilm build up that harboured lots of bacteria and mould. There was a caveat that while this was present in basically all the hotel refillables, there were 0 records of anyone ever getting ill from refillable toiletries. And yes the bacteria was measurable in the soap itself. The reason it was ok was because you still ended up washing it down the sink alomg with your own bacteria when you used the product.

Maybe she'd seen that?! Perhaps worth reassuring her that youu know hygiene is an issue with refillable, but you always replace when empty and clean between guests so are a little upset to lose a star and would she consider changing her rating?

So it doesn’t feature in the discussion of how hygienic or otherwise shared bottles of handwashing are?
What am I missing?

As long as they are in the pumps that cannot be opened by other guests which it looks like you do I have no problem with them.

I don’t understand who doesn’t take their own however what if what you have wasn’t what they wanted to use anyway.

I hate the smell of some shower gels and body washes so I always take my own but if I like yours I’ll use it otherwise I’m prepared anyway. Plus tiny individual bottles are useless one wash at best if you are lucky.

Well if she had seen that or just has strange views on what is or is not hygienic then I just don't understand why she doesn't take her own toiletries with her when she goes away.

I almost always take my own (I use smallish travel bottles) but if the accommodation has provided toiletries I will use theirs.

There is a difference though.

When anyone stays in self-catering, the first rule is you want to feel you are the only ones who are there , with no sign of previous occupants, even if they left 3 hours ago!

Staying in a house is a different emotional experience to using outside loos etc.

If you use public loos or any shared spaces, you accept you're there as you're very much in need!

Going back years, self catering didn't provide any toiletries other than loo rolls. Or the fashion then was tiny packets of soap, wrapped in paper, that were changed after each guest.

Sounds wonderful , and she doesn’t have to use your stuff if she doesn’t want to ,I’ve stayed in loads, some provide shampoo etc and some don’t , but have to admit , I don’t thiink I’ve ever stayed in an air b and b with little sample bottles . Hotels yes. She’s a fussy pants . You always get one

No but your hands that haven't perhaps even washed in a couple of hours touched the doors going into the toilet, touched the lock and touched your bag handles when you put the bag down/hang it up/ put in your shoulder (which again is hardly sterile). So it is covered in germs... Then you wash your hands, and touch the bag again....

People worry far too much about germs.

I had beem replying to a poster who refuses to touch communal soap dispensers, but is happy to route around in their bag for some soap after using a public toilet. I thought it was odd that someone would be happy to put dirty hands in their bag and all over their belongings in the name of hygiene.

She is completely unreasonable. Hotels do this including 5* luxury hotels. Cafes, restaurants, work places.

your set up sounds gorgeous

Use it. Give the top a quick rinse-off.

I hope she never looks up what they find on train/London Underground/aircraft seats !!