Stunned guest claims Airbnb host left ‘out of hand’ check-out list

After a lovely weekend away, feeling rested, or maybe hungover, you just want to get back home with ease.

You don’t want to kill your holiday vibe – you want to stretch it out as long as you can.

So, the last thing you want is to be landed with a load of cleaning, especially if you feel like you’ve already had to pay for it.

Like with Airbnbs, you’re typically charged a cleaning fee when you book the property.

However, when one guest booked themselves a little trip away, they practically signed up to be their own cleaners.

The unnamed visitor took to Reddit to share their rage after they were handed a check-out list for the property.

Stunned by the host’s instructions, they wrote: “We paid a $150 cleaning fee for them to give us these checkout instructions. I'm surprised they didn't want us to stick around to dry the towels and remake the beds.”

Reddit/u/fmbrandon

After staying at the home in Texas, they were happy to clean up after themselves but didn’t quite agree with having to do laundry when they’d already paid a fee.

The ‘Checkout Instructions’ include: “Strip all white linens from beds and leave them on bedroom floor. Leave comforter on bed.

“Start a load of all white towels (use bleach). Wash and put away all dishes and glasses.

“Remove all food from refrigerator. Remove all trash from bathrooms and kitchen and replace bags. Place trash in brown bin in garage.

“Leave floors how you found them, clean and clutter free. Clean with Swiffer if needed.”

Now, some of these points do seem fair and regular things you’d do after staying somewhere.

But it could be argued that it seems like the guests are pretty much doing a load of the cleaning they’ve been charged for.

Basak Gurbuz Derman/Getty Images

And as one user pointed out in the replies: “It is surprising that they trust people to wash laundry with bleach properly.”

One joked the guest should: “Toss an unopened gallon of bleach in with the whites. ‘directions unclear’.”

With another echoing: “Do a job poorly enough and you won’t be asked to do it again!”

And one put: “Meanwhile you can absolutely abuse a hotel room for $150 a night and they’ll thank you for your stay.”

Others also said: “I do zero chores if there is a cleaning fee.”

An Airbnb spokesperson said: "We want guests to have the best possible experience on Airbnb, which is why we ask Hosts to ensure checkout instructions are visible to guests prior to booking. We regularly share guidance with Hosts on this topic, and repeated low ratings may lead to removal."

Topics: Airbnb, Reddit, Travel, Money

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_