Handling Linen and Laundry Between Guests

Linen is the part of a turnover that doesn't fit inside the clock. Sheets and towels have to be washed and dried, and a machine takes its own time whatever you do. Your choice is how to handle that wait.

Laundry is also a standard part of the job. Airbnb's damage cover page treats laundry as a normal checkout task, not something its cover pays for¹. So hosts may expect it to be part of the turnover price.

The three options

Wash on site. You use the property's washer and dryer while you clean. No carrying, no second trip. The cost is time: you can only wash what the machine holds, and the dryer may not finish before you must leave.

Wash off site. You take the dirty linen away and bring it back clean, either to the next job or the next day. That uses your own machines or a laundromat. It adds driving and handling time, and you need a spare set of linen for every bed.

Use a linen service. A laundry business collects the dirty linen and delivers clean sets. You save washing time, but you depend on the service's pickup times and you pay for it. The service's schedule has to match the property's booking calendar.

None of these is right for every property. Time a full linen change at one property, then compare the options with real numbers.

What each option costs in time

The table doesn't give hours, because no source supplies them. Your stopwatch will do better than any guess here. The tight windows page shows how those minutes fit into a day.

Handling dirty linen

Pull the sheets off carefully and bag them straight away. Victoria's health department says to handle soiled laundry with minimum agitation and "do not shake dirty laundry"². That guidance is aimed at health services, but it's an easy habit to adopt. The reason it gives is to avoid contamination of the air, surfaces and people.

Wear gloves when you strip beds, and wash your hands afterwards.

Machine settings

Check the care label before you wash. Laundry symbols are "included on many clothes" so you can pick the right setting³. A few points from the university and health sources:

• The University of Alabama guide says to fill the washer "about two-thirds to three-quarters full so clothes can move freely"⁴.
• The same guide says hot water suits "heavily soiled items, towels, bedding"⁴. It also suggests a heavy duty cycle for towels and bedding⁴.
• Victoria's guidance for home settings is to wash "at the hottest temperature the items can withstand" with the usual detergent, and to "dry items completely"².
• Wikipedia notes that "it is advised that cotton be washed at a cooler temperature to prevent shrinking"³.

Those last two pull in different directions. The label settles it. Follow the temperature the label allows.

Whites and colours also need separating. Wikipedia says "Many laundry guides suggest washing whites separately from colored items"³. The University of Alabama guide says to keep towels and sheets separate "if possible"⁴. For a rental with white linen, this is easy.

Dryer safety

Clean the lint filter first. The University of Alabama guide says to "Remove lint before every load"⁴. Don't dry anything soaked in flammable liquids such as cooking oil, paint or cleaning solvents; that guide lists them among the items to avoid in a dryer⁴. If a cloth has been used with a strong product, check the label and don't put it in the dryer if the label warns against it.

Keeping the loop moving

You could keep one extra set of linen per bed, so that a clean set is always waiting while the dirty set is out being washed. That's a practical choice, not a rule from any source here. It does mean that nobody has to wait for a dryer before making a bed. Weigh the cost of a spare set against the time it saves.

Write it into the agreement

State in the scope who supplies the linen, who washes it, and what happens if a sheet is stained beyond cleaning. The scope page shows where to record that. If an item is damaged or missing, report it with photos, as the photo reports page explains.