What Do Other Hosts Consider "leaving a place clean"??

[David-And-Kimberly0]

Friends,

So far we have had wonderfully clean and thoughtful guests. But our last guest had 2 young girls and they left food on the floor, in the furniture, the coffee maker full of grounds and old coffee, dishes in the sink and towels just left where they were used, etc, etc.

Now I do realize that most people are not as clean as I am, and they may expect that we are supposed to "clean up" after them. But our cabin isn't a hotel.  Our other guests have left the cabin clean for the most part.  After this couple left it took us twice as long to clean as for a typical customer.

They didn't damage anything and were ok guests. Not overly friendly.  Just sort of "there". 

I do also realize that anyone leaving a mess like this probably lives this way at home.

So my question:  Do I give a bad review or not recommend this couple from what I saw? 

What do you all consider "leaving a place clean" since this is one of the questions asked?

Is it typical for customers to leave a place relatively clean or have we just been lucky?

And what does Airbnb consider leaving a place clean or not?  

We are relatively new to Airbnb but we have had many customers and until now not one flaw.  So I have felt rather blessed. Now we got a real set of slobs in the cabin but they may just not be neat and/or tidy. 

So how do I avoid this in the future or what sort of review would any of you give?

Personally if this lady asks to come back, I will deny her request.  I just don't want to clean up that much.

Any suggestions and/or comments are greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Kim and David

[Bridget0]

I had almost exactly the same situation, a tiny house, normally left super clean and this one guest left it undamaged but just as you describe, plus lights, heater and radio going. The cleaning expectations ( dishes washed, heater off) are in the house rules and the welcome sheet inside the place. It was as if they bolted out. I was polite but pointed it out fully in the private comments and went with this for public:

"Jane communicated clearly. She and John left dirty dishes in the sink and the heater going. However since she is new to airbnb and there was no damage done, we encourage future hosts to reinforce the cleaning expectations and that Annie take the time needed to leave the space in the specified fashion. In other respects the interaction was smooth."

She responded " I had no idea", which means I don't know what but hopefully it will help both her and future guests.

hope it helps you as well!

bridget

[Sharon64]

If it were me I would give her a low star rating on cleanliness and just indicate the reasons you mentioned. You may want to say something positive as well about another aspect where you give a five star (if you can). I personaly would give her a thumbs down on referring her (that should pretty much say it).

On a personal note to her how she can improve her Airbnb experiences you may want to add that she needs to work on not leaving the room such a mess if she wishes to continue in good graces with Airbnb hosts.

[Andrea9]

@David-And-Kimberly0

".... Once X becomes more familiar with the Airbnb home sharing principle and how it differs from the principle of unanymity of hotels and their plethora of houskeeping personnel she is sure to become an outstanding guest."

[Robert117]

Suprb responses here - I am new to writing in the community. I personally recommend a fair "Hey, how are you doing?" chat level with my guests all through their stay. But I also have minimum stay lengths (6 days) and a fairly serious security deposit request, which I feel filters out the more irresponsible guests.

A few of my guests have left food in the refrigerator or failed to take out the garbage, but virtually no one has left it in the condition you describe.  While I agree it is not worth a virtually IM battle, and the other recommendations here are great, guests like these probably don't have such training in their personal hard drives, as it were. Karma will weed them out in the future.

Overall I think you responded appropriately. But this is "not clean." I have had more than 51 reviews and am a super host, and my guests seem to on the whole take their responsibilities seriously. On the other hand, there have been legitimate issues with my space that have received complaints, and I try to address them all immediately.

[Ana176]

Loved this response....thank you!

[Elaine-and-Duane0]

We do not have a house rule regarding cleanliness nor do we say anything. Our guests have been considerate and generally strip the bed and use the hampers. We are an owner occupied listing with ho cleaning fees. I think those 2 factors have contributed to favorable outcomes. Hotels tell guests to leave wet towels on floor if they want fresh towels. Sometimes the hotel state of mind may influence some to get sloppy especially if people have paid a separate cleaning fee. We will just have to see what the future brings.

[Elaine-and-Duane0]

We do not have a house rule regarding cleanliness nor do we say anything. Our guests have been considerate and generally strip the bed and use the hampers. We are an owner occupied listing with ho cleaning fees. I think those 2 factors have contributed to favorable outcomes. Hotels tell guests to leave wet towels on floor if they want fresh towels. Sometimes the hotel state of mind may influence some to get sloppy especially if people have paid a separate cleaning fee. We will just have to see what the future brings.

[David-And-Kimberly0]

Friends, your comments are very helpful. Thank you all for the ideas. I will try them all!

Very Respectfully, Kim

[Sandra126]

Most guests leave the place tidy, as in having done the dishes, put things back, taken out the rubbish. Sometimes not, sometimes really messy but that is rare. I think it is just a question of different standards for different people. A quick mention in her review will alert future hosts, but nothing too severe. If you allow small children you will always be in for a possible bad surprise as children are often very sticky crumb depositing crayon using little guests!

I consider it a pleasant surprise to come in to clean and find it in good shape. Sometimes guests leave on heating, open windows, unlocked doors etc when they check out, which is why it's a good idea not to leave cleaning for too long just in case.

[Devie0]

@David-And-Kimberly0 
In my (superhost) house rules, I include what I'd like done upon departure (thermostat and fans off, and towels stacked on top of the washing machine, dishes washed, etc.) Stuff left in the fridge is not a big deal...either I leave it for the next guests, or toss it, myself. If you want them to throw that stuff away and take out the trash, tell them... I also state that I would like them to leave the house as they found it. The longer I host, the more little adjustments I make to my listing and to the house rules. 

[Shana0]

Since we charge a cleaning fee, I don't expect guests to leave the place clean.  Although 99% of the time, they leave it very clean.  It is nice when the beds are stripped, the dishes are washed and the trash is taken out!  But I don't feel right charging a cleaning fee and requiring that they clean before they leave...as long as there is no damage.

[Meg12]

I would probably give them a low number on the cleanliness scale and talk about how it was to have them in writing. I had a very nice man who was a little bit less than optimal with cleanliness so I just gave a lower number but said that I appreciated having him and would have them back.
In your case I guess I would give it thumbs down in terms of recommendation if that's how you feel. Honesty is always the best policy.
So far I have had people clean up after themselves beautifully; this man just wasn't a 5 star in cleaning. Given your feeling about it it would be thoughtful to let people know (as well as to let them know!) how it was for you so that other hosts will be warned.
Thank you for writing about your experience!

[David-And-Kimberly0]

All of the ideas written on my initial question have been so helpful. Here is what I ultimately did...

As suggested, I did note the good things about my guests. That their children were charming. That they did have decent communication, etc.  Then I gave a low grade on cleanliness, and I noted it in private on Airbnb although I am not sure at all where that comment goes.  I mean the place where it says your comment is private and to Airbnb. 

My guest took 2 weeks, but finally wrote her positive comments on the cabin and all that she liked.

This was a tough situation. I mean I had not been sure what to really do so thank you all for the ideas. 

Initially when we started renting our cabin on Airbnb, I truly expected people to be more messy.  To leave much more for me to clean.  To leave trash all over, dishes, towels, etc, but that has not been the case at all. In fact, most people have left the cabin pretty well as clean as when they arrived.  So knowing how to deal with a 'messy' customer was difficult. 

Again thank you all for the comments here. They really did help, and I am sure others got some ideas from your notes as well.

V/R

Kimberly

[Ephraim0]

I charge a cleaning fee, as long as the mess is equal or less than what the cleaning fee would pay for if I hired out I'm OK with the mess.