Cleaning: Too much or too little

From the moment they step through the door your bookings become guests, and their experiences determine whether they ever come back.
MYBEACHCOTTAGEFL
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Cleaning: Too much or too little

Post by MYBEACHCOTTAGEFL »

Having worked in hotels and truly being disgusted to learn that they don't use bleach (health dept. to protect employees) and that the bedspreads, blankets & curtains are laundered once or twice a year....I think that now I'm doing too much. Between checkouts, even if 1 week...I wash bedspread, shams, sheets, towels, kitchen towels. Futon cover is sprayed w/ febreeze between short turnarounds but laundered every couple of months. I deep clean the Cottage, refrigerator, cabinets, wash air filters, in the bathroom I clean toilet inside and out etc. I pride myself on doing this personally and every single checkin comments on just how clean my Cottage is. The only question I have...since I'm new to the business...am I doing too much? Will I wear out my quilts, blankets, bed covers, pillow covers and more delicate items which are not meant for such frequent hot washing? Will I wear myself out too? lol. Everyone expects clean which I know we all provide but just how many people will look under the bed, run their fingers through the blinds & expect it to be clean? I can guarantee you....doing these inspections at hotels will almost always disappoint you. In addition, those with cleaning ladys who cannot personally check on them...they slack sometimes or often. How much cleaning do you do? Don't worry you are among friends!
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vrooje
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Post by vrooje »

We rely on a cleaning person since we don't live near our rental property, but we have never heard a complaint that the place wasn't clean.

I don't think our cleaning lady always cleans the cobwebs in the ceiling corners and stuff like that, but she does the important things and that's what we expect. We actually have her take the sheets to a laundromat and have them washed and folded there -- it gives her more time to clean more carefully. When we've been there there hasn't been anything obvious -- sometimes some dust if we've told her there's no need to clean for us.

I didn't know that about hotels... I'm not too surprised to hear that holiday rentals are much cleaner!

Also, just like the courtesies of making bookings and the personal follow-up, the higher standards of holiday rentals are probably what makes them desirable to so many people.

Cheers!
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

I've just changed cleaners...my new French lady is meticulous and is insisting on washing the under blanket on changeovers...so I have bought cheap & cheerful fleece type blankets that go onto of the waterproof materess protector.

All the mats beside the beds are washed each week...the rest you descibe is a normal clean here.

But the advice I was given when we were thinking about buying a place to rent is that you have to be prepared to throw out stuff after a while - including the furniture when it get tatty!

So if the wear out - they wear out...carry on washing!!
Fraise
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Post by Fraise »

"So if the wear out - they wear out...carry on washing!!" Yep, I'd second that. I'm really new to all this but what you describe is what I expect to have to do :lol:

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debk
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Duvet Covers and Shams

Post by debk »

Hmmm. I do regularly find myself windex-ing the inside of the dust pan and the garbage cans and I actually enjoy cleaning the stovetop with a toothbrush... but I don't wash the duvet covers and shams after each guest. We could, of course...

Do most people do this???

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Ju
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Post by Ju »

We wash the duvet covers between every let, but I don't provide a top sheet. This was the happy medium we decided on between having bedding that you don't wash (eg blankets) and having piles of washing. I find it works for me and no-one has yet asked me for a top sheet.

One comment we regularly get is how clean the property is compared to other places they have rented, I think it is one of the most important things we can do. Mind you I never seem to get the time to clean my own house so thoroughly.

Ju
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debk
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Post by debk »

Ju wrote:One comment we regularly get is how clean the property is compared to other places they have rented, I think it is one of the most important things we can do. Ju
We get the same comments from our guests... and I agree 100% about its importance because I WANT the guests who care about such things.

So I've now got duvet covers/shams on the laundry list for each let versus monthly.

Also, interesting idea about not having a top sheet. I'll have to think about that because I'm not sure I would want to sleep without one. But a very good tip.

This is such a helpful forum. Thanks all!
debk
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Post by Christine Kenyon »

I'm one of those folk who has to invite friends round for a meal to make sure our own home gets cleaned once in a while, but put great emphasis on making sure our cottages are cleaned properly and each year we replace bits and bobs (and bigger items!) that have got shabby or worn.

My cleaning routine is pretty similar to yours, MyBeachCottage. All bed linen, teatowels, etc are washed between bookings; duvets are washed twice a year; rugs, curtains, etc I tend to replace when needed. I tend to do jobs like cleaning skirting boards, cleaning behind cupboards, etc every other week. I have never yet taken a toothbrush to the cooker top/hob (depending whether you're US or UK!) - but I was impressed, DebK! I have a handy wire scrub which I find very useful. I also carry round an old tea towel to wipe down things like the bath taps to give them a shine.

As well as my Mrs Mop paraphernalia, I also have what my partner calls my "Bob the Builder" gear - paint and brush to cover up new scratches and marks; filler and sealants for other jobs; my much trusted superglue; and an assortment of screwdrivers ... just in case.

So, here are my cleaning questions:

1. Does anyone have a tip for keeping external UpVC windowsills, doors, etc clean?

2. Have you ever managed to get felt tip pen marks out of bed covers?

I know that the original post on this thread said we were among friends. I just hope my mother doesn't read this. She'll never believe it :lol: .
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Sue Dyer
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Post by Sue Dyer »

re bleach - I can't live without it!! At work they are really into saving the planet and we only buy envio friendly cleaning stuff there. In my opinion you need bleach to clean a loo, especailly one which is used by different folk every week!!

Some colleagues have rented my place and I had to 'fess up on the bleach issue!!

My useful cleaning thing is a babies bottle brush for getting the teapot spout clean :)
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debk
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Kettle Confusion

Post by debk »

Speaking of teapots...

I don't drink tea and am at a loss as to what kind of kettle to buy for our new rentals. For the first rental house, I bought an adorable little cast iron kettle at a decorator/kitchen shop. It's quite small but does have a nifty little removable sieve thingy inside. (Not sure what it's for, but looks cool.) Then I saw a big cheap kettle at Ikea and wondered if that's good enough? Passed by the mega-grocery store and left dizzy with more tea kettle options.

Help. What do you tea drinkers want???
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paolo
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Post by paolo »

Us tea drinkers call a teapot the thing you serve the tea in, and the kettle the thing you boil the water in. I'm not sure which one you mean. The filter thing could be to keep the bits of limescale from coming out of the kettle, or if it's a teapot it is to keep the tea-leaves from pouring out.

Old-fashioned kettles are nice to look at, but a bit of a pain to use - I would get an electric one.
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debk
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Post by debk »

Oh. And I thought you served the tea in the same thing you made it in? :oops:

You can see I am in way over my head... but it all started with a request from a guest for a kettle. So I bought the cute little black cast iron critter which is for actually making tea (um, I think) on a stovetop, so it must be a kettle.

Now I need to buy some for our two new rentals. There were lots of electric kettles at Carrefour. Is there any "must have" function... or can I just choose most anything based upon the most reliable brand? Some were quite pricey!
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Sue Dyer
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Post by Sue Dyer »

My dad is convinced that electric kettles are the personification of evil and they cost a fortune to boil up. He has a whistling kettle that goes on the gas hob. I now ring him up before I leave to visit so the tea is ready for us arriving as it takes so long otherwise :roll:

You can buy an electric kettle maybe for £10 for a cheapie, £20 average and say £30+ for those quick boils in the UK. If you have a tea pot you'll need a tea cosy!!! Not a grannie knitted/crochet one though :)

http://home.ivillage.com/cooking/drinks/0,,72r,00.html you see, you thought making tea was easy!!! (I don't bother with the warming the pot mallarkey!)
Christine Kenyon
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Post by Christine Kenyon »

Oh gawd. What's the American for tea cosy, Sue???????
centime
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Post by centime »

Debk: I agree with Soodyer’s dad, as we had a blow out from an electric kettle many years ago in the UK, and now always buy the whistling kind for the gas hob for the apartments, you can get really cute ones that are very designerish now, plus these people are on holiday so they can take it easy and wait for water to boil. I do admit to buying two electric kettles a few years ago but replaced them as the flex has a habit of heating up as the guests usually yank it out and don’t pull it out by the plastic plug at the end, so after replacing one of the flexes I gave up and replaced the kettles just to be safe. Now to teapots, if you have had a request just remember to buy a pot for 4 cups of tea for a couple as tea drinkers usually like to have a second cup or at least a hot top up, for larger groups a slightly larger pot as they can always add hot water. This is where the beauty of the kettle comes in, as it should be kept on a low flame ready to top up the teapot with the nearly boiling water. I know all my fellow countrywomen will be more helpful on the British tea ceremony but I did spend my formative years round the family teapot before becoming a dedicated coffee drinker Mediterranean style, had to buy my own espresso machine a year ago! The north of England ladies were making me feel home sick in another post about coal fires – oh yes with the toasting fork at the ready, cups of hot sweet tea – not to mention that Scottish Sunday meal of High Tea! Don’t worry Debk you can’t know it all, that’s what the forum is for. Long live the diversity of the good old rental owner!
Lisbon the lovely, Lisbon the fair, never to have seen her is to miss something rare!
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