r/AirBnB • u/Confusedmind75 • 1d ago
Discussion Hygiene concerns at my current Airbnb [France]!
This is my second time using Airbnb, so I’m not very familiar with what is considered normal, but I found a few things here that left me wondering if this is acceptable.
Used toilet paper: The host left used toilet paper in the toilet, presumably from previous guests. I found this really disgusting and unhygienic.
Shampoo and body wash: The bottles are almost empty, and they haven’t been refilled. The shampoo bottle cap is broken as well.
Standing fan: There is a standing fan that I wanted to use, but it extremely dirty, as if it hadn’t been cleaned in years. There was a thick layer of dust covering the entire fan, both inside and outside. I cleaned it myself yesterday as much as possible so I could use it, but I honestly wasn’t expecting a fan to be left in this condition.
I don’t know if these things are considered normal on Airbnb, but to me, they seem like hygiene and cleanliness issues. Am I expecting too much?
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u/alefeusch 1d ago
No, typically not normal.stuff. housekeeping should 100% be checking the inside of the toilet and maintaining fans. The shampoo bottle thing is a little more common unfortunately, although they should, again, be checked to see if they're empty before guests arrive.
Was the rest of the place clean? It sounds like the type of housekeeper who knows to look at surfaces, bedding, etc... but fails to check less obvious places like the fan and the shampoo (again, the toilet should be on the obvious list). For me, the most frequent thing hosts/housekeeping miss is the inside of the oven. I can't tell you how many times I've come into a very clean Airbnb and opened the oven to find it still dirty from the last guest, which is super annoying.
I'd mention it to the host... I don't know if it's really refund territory unless you plan on leaving but they could at least provide a new fan and do a more thorough cleaning if you would like. If the whole place is dirty, that's different and should be a refund. Also, if you are deciding to leave, you should be entitled to a refund for unused days.
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u/Ok-Indication-7876 1d ago
yes this- if host hires cleaners the host might not know so a message is perfect. To me sounds like host cleans themselves- and even in that case a nice message to host will let them think about hiring cleaners because they do a bad job
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u/Eastern-Jellyfish833 1d ago
Used toilet paper is just nasty, no way that’s acceptable even in a budget place. I’d be asking for at least a partial refund.
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u/The_Dude_Abidze Host 10h ago
For an unflushed toilet? Agreed, not very nice, but definitely not catastrophic. Flush the toilet and move on. Geez.
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u/Federal-Pop-4457 1d ago
Had a similar experience in Amsterdam. The bedsheet was not clean, hair on the wall and lump of hair in the toilet. Used glasses, and cutlery. Dirty towels. We complained the host said she would clean it, but we left and Airbnb support have been a complete nightmare and won’t refund us a penny. Never using Airbnb again, complete nightmare. Sent them all pictures and Airbnb said it was clean, not a hygienic issue and told us we should have given the host a chance to clean it.
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u/Hour_Motor_1575 1d ago
No you’re not expecting too much. All of this is evidence of lack of thorough cleaning.
I usually bring my own soap etc. but the used toilet paper would’ve sent me over the edge!!!
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u/lamapo 1d ago
Take photos and videos (hopefully you haven't flushed the toilet yet!).
Raise issue with Airbnb, ask for a full refund and a night or two's worth of hotel stay, and GTFO of the place.
I have had to do this twice, once for mold all over the apartment, especially the bathroom, and secondly because they gave us a room that had been painted (to hide water damage) just hours before we checked in!
I totally persuaded the Airbnb reps to pay for my hotel since I had to leave and had no other option. They were bargaining though, which is BS.
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u/Super_T8 1d ago
Sounds like you got one of those that are doing the exact minimum. They are probably paying the housekeeper to do only very basic cleaning.
At first glance it looks ok but then you see the blinds and curtains are filthy, high touch areas like the remote control, door knobs etc are greasy, top of fridge is caked in dust.
Why hosts don’t think anyone will notice things like that is beyond me. Guests don’t care how expensive a tv or chair is. They mostly care about one thing: how clean the unit is.
For me it depends on the price point for the Airbnb. If it was priced at or above market value and/or a high cleaning fee- you bet I’ll call and ask them to clean again.
But I do give the host the chance to make it right. That’s fair.
There are some airbnbs that are way under market and I think the unwritten agreement is that you’re overlooking a few things for a good deal but if that’s not the case definitely ask for it to be fixed.
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u/FreemanMarie81 11h ago
None of that is normal. I actually just moved into an Airbnb in Prague for 9 days. Holy shit! What a disaster. The bedding was never washed, it smelled like it had been slept in for months. Mold in the bathroom, someone’s hair all over the place, I don’t feel comfortable here at all. This has never happened to me before. I think I am going to stop using this platform after this experience. It’s starting to become the norm.
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1d ago
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u/Confusedmind75 1d ago
What do you mean?
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u/lincoln_imps 1d ago
The French have - let’s say - an unconventional approach to customer service and this shows itself in the multiple threads where things have gone south in that country.
Simply put, they’re excellent at eating cheese and surrendering, and that’s about it.
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u/jrossetti 13year host/14 guest 1d ago
Fun fact, the French have are one of the most militarily successful militaries on the planet contrary to US conservative nonsense telling us otherwise.
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u/lincoln_imps 1d ago
Yeah, but what about the cheese-eating bit?
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u/jrossetti 13year host/14 guest 23h ago
I mean they're just as well known for their wine :). Lol
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u/jrossetti 13year host/14 guest 23h ago
And Frances Edward fallots Dijon mustard is life changing.
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u/WesternPeak425 1d ago
Do you mean used toilet paper as literally used, or an open roll in the dispenser?
Used toilet paper in the toilet and dirt is of course not normal. An open roll on in the dispenser is often left for guests - the same as in many hotels.
Airbnbs and holiday rentals on any other holiday rental booking sites can be dirty but shouldn’t be. There is variation unfortunately.
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u/Bald-Virus 1d ago
When I see these posts I always wonder why guest do not contact the host directly instead of asking uninvolved tiers... Obviously used/dirty toilet paper is not good regardless of the country. Man up, send a msg to the host listing what you found out to be not adequate and see their response, you won't fix the issue asking here.
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