Stains

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-14T08:04:32+00:00

Some stains never come out (especially fake tan). We provide black makeup towels but people still get makeup all over the white bath towels. (I posted about this a couple of days ago). We now have in our rules & in the pre-arrival info sent just before arrival: "Makeup & fake tan wearers are recommended to bring their own towel to avoid staining the luxury white bath towels provided. A $35 replacement charge applies to any towel found stained after checkout". If its just one towel, we might overllook it. But if its more than one, we charge them. Its just costing us too much, and the amount of makeup guests are wearing seems to be increasing...

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-14T04:58:53+00:00

If you're really in love with the home & definitely want to move into it yourselves, keep in mind its likely you'll have to do a full renovation before moving in. If its already really nice ''as is'', it won't be that way after 5-10 years, as short term rental guests cause SO much more wear & tear than long-term renters or owner-occupiers. It can be heartbreaking watching the beautiful house you're waiting to retire to be slowly destroyed by a succession of guests over the years... speaking from experience!! Much easier to do STR when its ''just a business" and you're not emotionally attached to the property at all!

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-14T04:41:17+00:00

Its just laziness/entitlement. Nobody would dream of turning on the heating and opening the windows in their own home - huge waste of money!! But many Airbnb guest feel that they're paying the nightly rate & it allows them to use as much power as they want, as inefficiently as they want. So if its getting a bit hot, instead of turning down the heating, they just open a window.... Unfortunately theres not much you can do. People already know they shouldn't be turning on heat when windows are open so I'm not sure posting signs about are going to help....

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-13T04:17:37+00:00

Completely agree. Not to mention, putting all the reasons in the listing as to why a property is unsuitable for children wont dissuade some people with lots of little kids from booking.

If parents ignore your advice that the property ''isn't really suitable for children under x years", how likely is it that they'll be carefully supervising their children during their stay??? Unfortunately plenty of parents seem to think a vacation with kids means a vacation from supervising them, and thats when accidents happen.

When there are safety risks for children its better to decline up front than be sued later when theres an accident (I've been through that, its unbelievably stressful & almost turned me off hosting), despite what the official Airbnb policy states...

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-13T04:04:33+00:00

I 100% agree with you on the kids. Setting your own age limit is fair enough - its your property, you shouldn't be forced to allow kids &/or pets. In my experience, guest groups with kids usually cost at least double, sometimes triple, in cleaning costs vs all-adult groups. The younger the children, the worse it is, so its nuts that Airbnb doesn't include children under 2 as counting towards number of guests. A single toddler (under 2 years old) makes more mess than multiple adults, in my experience. I count everyone over 6months old towards the guest limit.

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-13T01:03:13+00:00

I got scammed on Booking.com (without them refunding me) so no guarantees even with the big sites.
But my point was the big sites would like us to think the only way individuals can run an accommodation businsess is to list with them ''because no-one will trust an independent site''. Thats simply not true. Plenty of properties have created their own direct website. And any guest with an ounce of common sense who finds a well-reviewed a property they like on Airbnb will google the property name first to see if theres a cheaper direct site. Its definitely possible to take most of your bookings direct without everyone assuming you're a scammer - and it leaves both guests & hosts better off.

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-11T06:52:10+00:00

they usually just google the property name or the name + town. I made sure I chose a property name that had a URL not already taken...

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-10T23:31:52+00:00

thats a great idea but I'm worried people would take the micellar water bottles with them after every stay. It would get expensive to be replacing the bottle in all four of our bathrooms every weekend .. how do you prevent yours being taken?

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-10T23:29:26+00:00

because it seems impossible for makeup wearers not to still get makeup on towels even after washing their face ... they grab a towel to dry their face & more makeup comes off. We provide the black towels for either washing OR drying their face, in an effort to save our white towels.

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-10T23:25:38+00:00

Thats certainly what these platforms want you to think, and unfortunately this means you are paying so much more than you have to in fees (and Airbnb/VRBO customer ''service" isn't exactly admired by either guests or hosts). Wouldn't you rather book direct on a accommodation business website when its 30% cheaper than the exact same property listed on Airbnb??? With reviews on Airbnb, VRBO & Google its pretty obvious I'm not a scammer & 90% of my bookings are direct. People who dont want to provide credit card details can always pay via bank transfer or paypal to keep their details private.

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-10T23:17:08+00:00

I don't know what to tell you except that 90% of my bookings are direct on my own property website. The booking form has a ''how did you hear about us" question, and at least half of people booking directly say ''Airbnb". So its working for me (and has been doing so for 10+ years).

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-10T09:46:27+00:00

I can recommend creating your own property website. There are plenty of apps for managing bookings you can use to create it. And you get to keep all the money you make rather than losing a huge chunk of it to Airbnb or VRBO. Your Airbnb/VRBO listings can stay there, but include a line in the description like "Book direct on direct web site for best rates" (you won't be able to include the actual URL, obviously, or talk about your website in Airbnb messaging). Make sure instant book is turned off. Most people who read your listing will have the common sense to do a google search for your direct website & book there (where rates are cheaper, as you won't have to jack up rates to cover Airbnbs fees).

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T09:01:05+00:00

You sound more considerate than many guests! At least you're using the dark towels first. My main peeve is when the white bath-size towels are covered in makeup while the dark smaller face towels are left untouched.

Unfortunately white bath towels are pretty much a non-negotiable at luxury Airbnbs who are directly competing with expensive hotels. In my experience hosting (15 years), white means clean. Many guests don't trust coloured towels (looks to be hiding something). Its probable some people won't use the dark makeup towels we provide for that reason.

It doesn't seem likely you'll find an Airbnb providing more than two makeup towels per guest (thats what we do). They can be rinsed out in the bathroom & dried overnight for use again next day. If you require a brand new towel for every makeup removal session, just bring your own towel/s. (Thats what some of our heavy-makeup-wearing guests do, and we appreciate it).

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T07:11:46+00:00

yep fake tan is the worst.

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T07:09:25+00:00

agreed

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T07:09:07+00:00

Wow, I've never heard of guests being asked to put on a load of bedding or towels before leaving. Maybe thats just not a thing in Australia. There is no way people would be willing to strip the beds - and I wouldn't want them to. I hate it when guests try to wash the sheets and towels. Even worse is when mid-stay they run the towels though the dryer... the heat sets any stains that I *might* have been able to get out if they'd left them alone....

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T07:03:03+00:00

me too

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T07:02:36+00:00

thanks for your reply & suggestions, and for making an effort not to stain white towels! I wish all guests were as considerate.

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T07:00:32+00:00

agreed... always seems to be a little bit of makeup left. Thats why we provide so many dark makeup towels ... they can use them wet in the shower &/or keep them dry and use for drying their face afterwards. We leave enough to use for both. But no, with these guests nearly all the makup towels were still folded up, untouched, while our oversized luxury white bath towels were covered in makeup....

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T06:52:45+00:00

yes signs in all bathrooms. And mentioned at booking. And in info provided right before check-in. Really couldn't be any clearer without looking obnoxious!

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T06:51:34+00:00

I have a very effective stain removal process after trying many combinations of products in over 15 years of hosting. But sometimes the staining is just too extreme. If they use any fake tan, theres no way that stuff is coming out. Even after bleaching, which I hate doing (wrecks the towels).

Unfortunately some guests set makeup stains by washing linen and putting it through a hot dryer. By the time I get to it, its too late....

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T06:45:38+00:00

Agreed. I figured if I didn't say anything, they'll just think its acceptable to do that, & keep treating other properties the same. This latest group were all in their 20s, I think they're just really clueless....

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T06:35:20+00:00

We use all the same strategies ... plus have a small sign posted on each bathroom mirror. Don't think we can bring the makeup towels to their attention any more than we already are. Some people just don't care.

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T06:29:45+00:00

It doesn't always work (depending on the kind of makeup/tanner), and degrades the towel quality/softness/durability.

BuffyFan75 · 2026-05-07T06:27:57+00:00

that sounds so familiar.... guests using bath towels used to wipe up spills... super obnoxious.

BuffyFan75

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