Comforters in rentals

[scooterbug44]

I don't HAVE any rental units ....................the closest I get is when Mama Scooterbug makes me wash the sheets and towels, remake my bed nice, and vacuum for anyone who might sleep in my old room in my absence!

Her reaction if I threw paper towels on the floor of a bathroom would probably be a You Tube clip of child abuse if I was under 18!

 

[Rather B Paddlin]

Someone told me today that the comforters in their rentals are being washed once or twice a year. I'm wondering how many other rentals in this area are washing the comforters once or twice a year? I also am wondering who has set that standard. The vacationers that rent these units, are they aware of this practice or are they just assuming that the condo they are renting is following the hotel type standards. This would require the comforters to be washed each time the room is turned over.



What is your opinion on this?

In your initial post you stated that these units should be following hotel type standards. Have you found a hotel that washes the comforters after each roomed is turned?

Can of worms opened.

Should rental car companies steam clean the inside of every car that is returned?

Should airlines change seat covers on the seats after each flight?

Should restaurants sterilize the toilets after each use?

What about that cereal box at home. Who knows what was touching or crawling on the outside of the box before you brought it home?

 

[Lauren Riley]

After reading this discussion I did a quick check on overstock.com and found 13 white duvet covers for under $40. Two of them were only $29.99. They also come in other colors besides white. I bought a white one for $29.99 from there last year and it has held up great. I use a quilt and duvet cover on my own guest bedding so I can wash everything after each use. I myself would rather a duvet cover or quilt be a little faded from the wash rather than brightly colored and unclean.

 

[NotDeadYet]

I myself would rather a duvet cover or quilt be a little faded from the wash rather than brightly colored and unclean.

Me too. This is what I use on my own down comforter, which I do not dry clean, not ever. Dry cleaning chemicals make me puke.I wash my down, comforters, pillows and all, in commercial front loading washers and dry them in commercial dryers, with tennis balls, which fluff everything back up nicely.
Really, I am surprised anyone uses down in a rental, because of allergy issues. I would think sensible bed linens would be nice, fluffy, high quality non-allergenic comforters and white duvets, which generally get softer with multiple washings anyway. And likewise pillows.

 

[Matt J]

I don't buy things that don't wash up or fit in my washing machine.

Well I hate to knock you off the three legged horse you rode in on, but...

In a properly maintained rental unit the water heater should not be set at over 120 degrees to prevent scalding.

To maintain health department standards for cleaning linens that the renter will use (sheets, pillow cases, towels, hand towels, and wash clothes) the item must be laundered in no less than 180 degree water. Most local rental companies will use bleach in addition to this and I know several large scale operations even use an ozone system.

So your argument is still faulty in the fact that unless you are meeting these guidelines then the opportunity for germs, bugs, and other things to survive continues.

As to using duvet covers, unless it has an impenetrable layer such as plastic then it's not stopping bugs from taking up residence in the actual comforter.

I'm sure many owners and rental companies don't appreciate this thread right before what will be a very rough season.

 

[steele mama]

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It was a question? On standards if you feel that it is impossible to follow hotel standard then so be it. I think that this post has informed vacationers that they should not assume that their rental is being operated like a hotel.

If a rental was operated like a hotel, I would not walk on the carpet with my barefeet or sit on the bedspread. As already stated here, hotels do not wash their bedspreads, comforters, duvets or any such other article covering their beds on a regular basis. Some never wash them. Please don't use that as part of your argument.

 

[TooFarTampa]

What bothers me most about this thread is that the tone is so accusatory and designed to put people on the defensive, rather than initiating an honest discussion about what can be improved and how. Let's just get a couple things out of the way:

1) Every owner of a rental home that I have ever met is very concerned about their homes being kept clean and wishes to provide his or her guests with a positive experience.

2) Every management company that wishes to stay in business knows that housekeeping is the most important part of their job.

SWGB makes some excellent points about the logistics of washing comforters on site after every guest. It is not possible. Not only does the housekeeping staff not have the time to do it in the house on any given Saturday, as he points out the comforters could not be properly "sanitized" to the same standards as the sheets and towels.

Many management companies use a linen pool where linens -- all white, cotton, and sanitized according to standards -- are intermixed among houses. I would venture to guess this is the way it is done most of the time. The only way to achieve the level of sanitation that you desire would be for companies to require all of its houses to use the same pool of comforters -- probably white matelasse covers or blankets because you can't force all owners to upgrade to down duvets ala the Four Seasons.

This would have to be a reform initiated by the management companies or linen services themselves. The owners cannot possibly have this level of control. Even if an owner has two sets of comforters or covers, it would require housekeeping to take the comforters off site every week, clean them, and put them somewhere where they don't get lost or mixed in with others. I do not run a management company but I would venture to guess that for most of them that would be a nightmare and I would bet they are unwilling to do it.

Until such a standard becomes commonplace, the best the owners can really do is see to it that the comforters or duvet covers are washed as frequently as possible. I have always believed that if you are renting your home, you should not have anything too precious, and everything should be easily washable if the guests so desire.

Once again, we DO want our guests to enjoy themselves and feel as comfortable as possible.

 

[rapunzel]

It strikes me that here we have a great opportunity for one of the rental agencies to differentiate itself in this market.

All of the really good hotel chains (W, Westin, Ritz Carlton) have gone to a pretty uniform bedding set up. Good quality sheets, down comforters covered with a clean white duvet that matches the sheets, and a top blanket in a z fold that usually provides color and pattern. The sheets and duvet covers are washed between guests. The comforters inside the duvet and he blankets on top are washed as needed since they are unlikely to be in direct contact with the guest's body.

I would have loved to have the option of knowing I could pay a little more for that service, and it would have made my decision of which place to rent on vacation much easier. Niche marketing to germaphobes! I agree, most people don't care, and would prefer to not pay for the extra level of service.

By the way -- I think there is a world of difference between a guest room in a person's home and a vacation rental or hotel. People behave themselves differently when the owner is an impersonal entity. I air out my top blankets between guests, spray them with organic lavender linen spray and toss them in the dryer, and launder them when they are dirty or haven't been used in a while and might be dusty. I launder duvets and sheets. Sometimes, I'll rewash the guest towels because I worry they will not smell clean even if they are clean.

I hate a rental where things smell musty. If someone could guarantee a smell free, all white and washed bedding, it would be worth paying extra for a lot of people.

 

[futurebeachbum]

I have to wonder what all of the people that bring their own linens and cover chairs and couches etc.. do when they travel on airplanes or sit in movie theatres. Have you ever seen a nice plush padded velour covered movie theatre seat with the house lights up?

Both of these are seats used by lots of people and not cleaned (much less disinfected) between uses and you are going to to sit and possibly sleep and dine in them for hours?

 

[scooterbug44]

I bring my own blanket and pillow (and handsanitizer) on an airplane and they get washed when I get to my destination - but that's a personal comfort/I spill stuff/they get toted everywhere including to the public bathroom issue, not a germaphobe issue.

Regular bathing/handwashing takes care of the rest. Considering some of the places I've been in my life and their sanitation levels .................. a well-maintained movie theatre chair is a cakewalk.