House Cleaning

[spbeef]

Hi all.
Just got back from a wonderful first villa experience and I have a question.

Is it the norm to be responsible for the laundering of towels and bedsheets before checkout?

Not that I mind, but I would like to know for my next trip.
It certainly added stress having to do laundry on my last day with 5 kids and a checkout time of 10:00am.

Thanks

[Cruella DeVilla]

In most villas it is considered the normal to at least start off one load of laundry and possibly strip the bed as there is such a quick turnaround period.

It's not the norm to launder all the towels and sheets though!

[Milly]

Hi

I normally ask for beds to be stiped and 1 lot in the wash and 1 lot in the dryer!

Some people don't, it just helps the cleaners.


Dianne

[Lynne S]

Hi,

I don't think that this is the norm. We ask our guests to strip the beds and start the first load of washing off for our Management Company then leave all the rest of the sheets and towels in the laundry. Almost all our guests do this for us.

I have never head of asking guests to wash all towels and bedding...This is an imposibble task, I really don't know how you managed to do it and leave the villa at 10am.

[stabard]

I also ask that guests strip the beds and set one load going ( but this is only if they have time as I appreciate that it can be a tad stressful trying to pack up kids and stuff).If you are being charged a cleaning fee then that should cover bedding and towels surely.

[canarypam]

We are the same as everybody else. Stip the beds (that way the cleaners know which beds have been used) and start 1 wash off.

[S&VEdwards]

We don't ask our guests to strip the beds but most do. Even if they strip the beds and put one load in before they leave it certainly helps the cleaners.

Sandra

[ShirleyD]

We just ask guests to put the towels into wash and put the dishwasher on with the last of the dishes. If guests have asked for a late checkout and this is possible, they would then be asked to do some laundry.

[Mo Green]

We just ask our guests to strip the beds, put any used bed linen and towels in the laundry room and put the first load of washing in. That way it helps to cut the cleaning time down - and our costs to guests.

Maureen

[50sumtng]

It is nice and helpfull if a guest just places the bed sheets in the washer, but certainly not mandatory.
A guest is..a guest and is on holiday.
I cannot remember the last time I helped a hotel clean a room, and I dont necessarily see why villa guests should not be treated similarly

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Exactly the way we work with our own homes too as it really does help the cleaners out, especially if another guest is arriving the same day.

I was once doing some maintenance on our 7 bedroom home while it was being cleaned and it took the cleaner over 4 hours to do the house to a standard that we require for new guests. With the last guests leaving at 10am and the next guests potentially arriving at 4pm, the cleaners really have to work hard to get everything done in time and putting the towels / bedding by the washing machine and starting off a wash really does help them [msnsmile].


<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Mo Green
We just ask our guests to strip the beds, put any used bed linen and towels in the laundry room and put the first load of washing in. That way it helps to cut the cleaning time down - and our costs to guests.

Maureen


[/quote]

[steph_goodrum]

We to ask that the bed are striped and onl if they have time to start the first wash but we certainy wouldnt mandate it. If the beds arent striped then the cleaner can only assume all beds have been used which may mean a waste of water, energy and time.
The wash pocess is fairly quick but its the drying that takes the time especially if there has been a large party stating.

I've noticed when we have been in hotels recently that they are now asking you to put towels that have been used in the bath so they dont waste energy.

[thistle1314]

I always stay in villas when I go so I treat it as my home which I work hard to keep in good condition and apply the same theory to any villa I hire. As soon as I get up on the morning of our leaving day I strip all the beds and get the first load in and normally by the time we're ready to leave I have the first load in the dryer and the second load in. I understand what you villa owners are saying about it not being mandatory and you dont expect guests to do it etc but I see it as common curtesy and I've seen how hard the cleaners work so every little helps as far as I'm concerned.

[fiona]

We also ask guests (if they have time) to strip the beds and put the first wash on - I suggest the towels as these take the longest to dry.

When staying in villas ourselves (before we bought our own) I used to get the washing on, strip the beds, wash the kitchen floor, wipe down all the surfaces and clean the basins out. When we rented a condo in Missouri a couple of years ago we not only had to strip the beds, take the garbage down 4 flights of stairs and dispose in a dumpster, but the dishwasher had to be stacked and then washed and emptied with the water turned off before we left, now that was pressure!

[thornton]

As a courtsey we ask guests to put one load of towels in before they leave. If they do more it is a bonus for the cleaners. I know that I would not want to strip, wash and make 8 beds, wash and dry all the towels as well as clean the house in 4-5 hours. I really do not know how they manage it in the time.

[Hutchy]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by 50sumtng
It is nice and helpfull if a guest just places the bed sheets in the washer, but certainly not mandatory.
A guest is..a guest and is on holiday.
I cannot remember the last time I helped a hotel clean a room, and I dont necessarily see why villa guests should not be treated similarly
[/quote]

Absolutely. By renting out my villa I became part of a customer service industry. i.e. we provide a service to our customers, not the other way around. Whilst a Villa is a different kind of holiday to a hotel in that you don't have a daily clean etc, I will try to make every other part of the experience as close to what they would expect from the finest hotel. I might stuggle with the concierge in the lobby though [msnwink]

[steph_goodrum]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Hutchy
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by 50sumtng
It is nice and helpfull if a guest just places the bed sheets in the washer, but certainly not mandatory.
A guest is..a guest and is on holiday.
I cannot remember the last time I helped a hotel clean a room, and I dont necessarily see why villa guests should not be treated similarly
[/quote]

Absolutely. By renting out my villa I became part of a customer service industry. i.e. we provide a service to our customers, not the other way around. Whilst a Villa is a different kind of holiday to a hotel in that you don't have a daily clean etc, I will try to make every other part of the experience as close to what they would expect from the finest hotel. I might stuggle with the concierge in the lobby though [msnwink][/quote]It's about logistics for cleaners really, though if you have a party of 8 (that means 6 sets of sheets with 2 double beds) and possibly 16 towels to get washed and dried in a maximum of 6 hours if you have more guests arriving at 4 so the only way round it would be to put 2 driers in or make checkin/out time earleir /later to allow for the drying.

[Jules]

We do the same as most villa owners and request that the guests strip the beds that they have used and start the first load of laundry. We also ask that they load the dishwasher with any dishes they have used and start it going. These requests are just that, they are not mandatory, but it does make life a lot easier for our cleaners when they are on a tight time schedule between guests.

When we first started renting we had a family stay in our home over Christmas, when they left on New Years Eve our cleaners found all the bedding (2 king sets, 2 queen sets and 8 twin sets) and every towel in the house (24 bath size, 24 hand size, 24 face cloths and 8 pool towels) had been used, the beds hadn't been stripped, there were dirty towels in every bathroom and dirty dishes in the kitchen sink.

Now I don't expect guests to spend their whole holiday cleaning my home but they had only been there a week, they had obviously changed the bed linen mid stay and just piled it by the washing machine and not washed a single towel during their stay. I don't think it was asking too much for them to throw a load of towels in the washer and to load the dishwasher before they left.

My cleaners and my management company had a very memorable New Years eve that year as some of the laundry had to be taken to my MC's house to get it washed and dried and they then had to deliver it back to my home the next day. We have now had a 2nd dryer installed to make things easier but it can still be a rush when we have had a full house and have a back to back booking so the cleaners appreciate all the help they can get.

[Sally D]

We have never been asked to do any washing etc before we leave but I always strip the beds and put all laundry by washing machine and put a load in and start the dishwasher as we are leaving.

I would not be offended if I was asked to do these things.

One year the owner kindly let us stay in villa until we needed to leave for airport so the least I could do is the laundry, managed to get it all done except all drying without breaking my neck.

[SDJ]

We just politely request that the guests put one load of washing on before they leave. It is difficult for the MCs to do a back to back on a 5 bed even with a 1000am checkout. We generally try not to accept back to backs but of course sometimes it cannot be helped.

Sandra

[shedenuk]

We have stayed in 5 different villas over the years and although only some of them have asked us to put a washing on we always do it anyway.
We put the bed sheets in first thing and by the time we have all had our showers the sheets are done and we put the towels on.

We then have our breakfast, load the dishwasher, [msncry]cry because we are leaving,fly home and start saving to go back again lol

[brendawilliams]

We also ask guests to put a wash on before they leave and like Sandra, try and avoid back-to-back bookings.

[mfairhurst]

Our management ask all guests to strip beds and put everything in the laundery room ready for the cleaner and then she can put the first lot on and carry on with the other jobs she has to do ,It gives her a start .
MAUREEN
www.onlinefloridavillas.com/villas/1683.aspx

[chrizzy100]

I would maybe do it...but not if asked...this is a holiday after all...I clean and wash stuff at home....I'm a bit of a mucky pup on holiday....would never rent a friends villa..

[sunandfun]

We are just back on Saturday and before we left the beautiful villa, which was immaculate when we arrived, I stripped the beds, washed the sheets, dried them and then started on the towels. It is easy to do all this while you are doing your last minute packing, etc. The villa was obviously someone's pride and joy and I wouldn't dream of leaving a mess!! I have done this in all the villas we have rented over the years. I think it is courtesy to leave the villa as you found it.

[bargainqueen]

We always strip the beds and wash the sheets. It's a bit manic in the morning doing the last bit of packing but I find it easier to make sure everything is packed and nothing is left behind.

As we go out of season we are normally allowed to stay there until we leave for the airport. When we return from checking in cases at DTD and having breakfast, the sheets are dry and the towels are ready to go into the dryer.

My sister is a good houskeeper and whilst I'm still packing she's washing the floors. Last November the villa owners arrived on the day we left, we followed our normal routine and when I arrived home they'd emailed to say they couldn't believe how clean the villa was.

DH even hoovered so it was a joint effort.

We also leave on a Saturday the day after a trash collection so we also try to put the majority of the trash out on the Friday therefore ensuring that we only put a maximum of one bag in the bin.

[mollymolly]

At Easter we followed some guests in our house and told our MC that we'd do the clean.(I didn't want to wait till 4pm)

When we arrived I was speechless! Our guests had washed &dried all sheets & towels, folded them and left them on the beds. The house had been hoovered, dusted, floors washed, in fact I actually thought the cleaners had been.[msnoo]

Most people are so considerate and leave the villas in almost the same condition as they found them.

But back to the original posting .... I think perhaps the wording on the owner or MCs request was possibly badly phrased. I'm sure they only wanted you to start the laundry off. Anything else is unreasonable.

Bernadette

[FraserLynn]

I have to say we always try to leave everything as we find it. We always wash all the towels as we go and strip the beds, give a good hoover, dust, tidy up and clean the bathrooms. It seems a bit disrespectful to leave it any other way given how nice they always look when we arrive.[msnsmile2]

[RotondaFL]

When staying in a motel/hotel all the laundry is able to be done in a commercial machine rather quickly. Most villas have small washing machines and it takes forever for the towels to dry. Self-Catering rental villas do fall into another category and from what we have read so far most guests feel that when renting someones 'personal' property, (not commercial), they take care of the villa as if it is their own. I'm sure all villa owners here appreciate this and they love to keep their investment in 'top shape' for a longer period of time. I'm sure every owner wants to keep their villa as a pride and joy! Each new guest also appreciates the condition of the villa when they arrive as well and continue the 'tradition' may it be and will gladly come back to the same villa next time and again. Sadly to say there is the possibility of the one in ten or so guests that may 'mistreat' a villa that can cause harsher wear and tear than usual. We are all very unpleased to hear this when something like this happens.

[chrizzy100]

There is a difference between misusing a home..and not wanting to wash stuff in the rush to get to the airport...
my neighbors keeps asking me for a link to the site to book a villa...but no way...her kids are a nightmare..I would not wish them on anyone..
I'm a messy holidaymaker...I don't have time to turnaround most hoildays...I think a cleaner would have her work cut out after my family left...but nothing would be damaged...
When people stay with us I never enter their rooms...I did once never again...I wait till they leave and do a clean up...some people you don't expect to be dirty really shock you when you share a house...

[Pluto]

We have always washed the towels and started off the sheets etc, but I'm never sure if you are supposed to put the top cover (the counterpane) off the bed into the washer. What would you advise.

[Jules]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Pluto
We have always washed the towels and started off the sheets etc, but I'm never sure if you are supposed to put the top cover (the counterpane) off the bed into the washer. What would you advise.
[/quote]

I would say don't wash the counterpanes, many of them need dry cleaning and can be ruined if they are washed (I am speaking from experience [msnembarrased]).

The cleaners will be quite happy for you to simply strip the beds and start the first load of laundry.