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?!

My reasoning is this: the bottles will be covered in faecal bacteria from toilet trips and showers (you'd be surprised where you can find ecoli in bathrooms). Then most people do not wash properly after squirting hand-wash on their hands (think the Covid 20-40 seconds) so there is a risk from handling these things. It's a small risk but viruses like Heptatitis A, Norovirus, as well as some bacterial infections spread in this way.

Well surely you wash your own hands properly after risking the pump action bottle? Just as you do in toilets in restaurants, cinemas etc?

...but presumably you wash your hands properly?

Never use communal soaps with easily removable lids. Heard to many story's of old. About the things done to that type of bottle.

I'm beginning to think you have a point, reading the above. I would only feel safe using tamper-resistant bottles (as PPs describe above), though even then the staff have access ...

What stories are these? As I haven’t heard any of them.

And surely tampering by a guest in an air bnb is pretty unlikely. I can see it might be a risk (albeit a small one) for bottles in, say, a communal shower in a public swimming pool or gym.

Exactly. If you wash your hands properly, why does it matter what's on the bottle?

External fluids or substances being introduced.

Whhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? I have never heard of soap being tampered with. What are these stories? Where are they happening? I could just about think of stupid school kids messing with soap at school, but are we really thinking that it is a regularly occurring issue for adults to go around tampering with soap? Surely, if they were of a sufficiently evil mindset, they'd find something more rewarding and discriminate than introducing an external fluid to soap?

So.... You don't wash your hands after the loo then??

Just coz you make it sound like science, doesn’t make your take any less mental. As long as YOU wash your hands properly, job done.

People are nuts about germs and often when it’s not relevant.

Of course I wash my hands after the toilet. Do you not wash yours? People who don't are frankly disgusting.

The last one I went to with my friends, we all liked the brand so much we all went out and bought our own when we got home 😀

I wouldn't bat an eyelid. I guess if you're a germophobe you need to be taking your own toiletries anyway. I wouldn't change anything OP.

I remarked before that I understand this was an EU directive re it being wasteful to use the small indiviual bottles. (and although we are not technically in the EU, we still follow stuff like this).
And frankly, no matter how many times I told my DH we did not need any more of these free toiletries, he always took them back with us. We still have loads of unopened bottles in a box in our bathroom. I thought I giving them to a foodbank, but I don't thik they take them.
Personally, I have not heard of communal soap being tampered with, but I usually take my own toiletires when I go away. (as does my DH. He just can't resist the little bottles).
However, there are many occassions when I will use a public washroom, (in a pub, cafe or station), and they all have large communal soap dispensers. I have generally used these without any mishap, so far.

@MargoLivebetter
@minipie
There is a least one such story on this very thread.

Many food banks will accept donated (unopened) toiletries. If not there may be a hygiene bank or a domestic abuse or refugee charity near you that will.