Bedding changes

[bbinnsitters]

If a room isn't used for a period of time do you change the bedding before new guests check in? In other words, if you rent a room and then immediately clean the room and get it "guest ready" for the next renter, but then you have a long time between guests do you change the sheets again just so they are fresh? If so, how long is too long? A week, a month? Or if you know you are going into your slow period do you just not put sheets on the bed until the room is rented again?

 

[gillumhouse]

I make the beds when I strip them. The sheets are fresh as long as no one has slept on them. I hav eone more bed to change over to the winter flannel - next time it is used.

 

[YellowSocks]

um... who says we flip the room right away?
But if it is flipped and clean, then the sheets don't get changed, even if it's been a few weeks. We do "ice" the room, which involves redusting and refreshing in general.
And as slow as we get in the off season, it's never more than a month or so between guests for even our slowest renting room.
=)
Kk.

 

[bbinnsitters]

um... who says we flip the room right away?
But if it is flipped and clean, then the sheets don't get changed, even if it's been a few weeks. We do "ice" the room, which involves redusting and refreshing in general.
And as slow as we get in the off season, it's never more than a month or so between guests for even our slowest renting room.
=)
Kk..

"ice" ? Now that is a term I have never heard b4! You don't have to explain it cos I know what you mean, but where did that term come from?

 

[user 26]

as in icing on the cake? frosting?
brrrr both are cold sounding words ... have just gone around the house fighting with storm windows. two will not budge!

 

[The Tipsy Butler]

um... who says we flip the room right away?
But if it is flipped and clean, then the sheets don't get changed, even if it's been a few weeks. We do "ice" the room, which involves redusting and refreshing in general.
And as slow as we get in the off season, it's never more than a month or so between guests for even our slowest renting room.
=)
Kk..

"ice" ? Now that is a term I have never heard b4! You don't have to explain it cos I know what you mean, but where did that term come from?
.

I love that term. Thanks YS for reminding me which genius came up with it.
I now have 3 terms for preparing rooms - flip, fluff and ice. Whenever someone is checking into a room that has already been flipped, I will always "ice" it first. Make sure everything is how it should be (could have been flipped on a mad-dash-panic full-house flip), a quick dust (could be cobweb season, could be yellow pollen season, almost certainly accumulated dust), check that no-one has used the facilities, re-vacuum if I've been showing the rooms for next year's wedding season. It's a comfort level that keeps me super happy to welcome guests into "their" room.

 

[wendydk]

I do flip rooms right after checkout, regardless of when the next person arrives. I worry that someone will stop by for a look-see, or that a last minute showing will be scheduled.
I don't dust the room until the day of an arrival when I double check everything else.

 

[gillumhouse]

um... who says we flip the room right away?
But if it is flipped and clean, then the sheets don't get changed, even if it's been a few weeks. We do "ice" the room, which involves redusting and refreshing in general.
And as slow as we get in the off season, it's never more than a month or so between guests for even our slowest renting room.
=)
Kk..

"ice" ? Now that is a term I have never heard b4! You don't have to explain it cos I know what you mean, but where did that term come from?
.

I love that term. Thanks YS for reminding me which genius came up with it.
I now have 3 terms for preparing rooms - flip, fluff and ice. Whenever someone is checking into a room that has already been flipped, I will always "ice" it first. Make sure everything is how it should be (could have been flipped on a mad-dash-panic full-house flip), a quick dust (could be cobweb season, could be yellow pollen season, almost certainly accumulated dust), check that no-one has used the facilities, re-vacuum if I've been showing the rooms for next year's wedding season. It's a comfort level that keeps me super happy to welcome guests into "their" room.
.

I make the bed and put up the new towels, but wait until just before arrival to clean the bathroom/vac etc (unless the bathroom/room is really messy) because I rarely get "walk-ins" and want the room to be at its peak of freshness on arrival. I want the rooms to look nice if someone from town stops in for something and has never been here - the lookie-loo syndrome.

 

[EmptyNest]

We never went longer than a few days in between guests. But if I had the room ready to go, I wouldn't remake for less than say a few weeks. ANd then, maybe I would just spritz on some Febreeze to refresh a bit.

 

[Skamokawa]

We have a room, just for our personal guests, that is rarely used (too small for B&B). I leave the bed made, and covered with a couple of old sheets, totally covered, headboard, footboard too. Keeps the dust off. I have kept it this way to close to two months. When needed, dust the rest of the room, then uncover and check bed for any fluffing needed.
KathleenM

 

[Somewhere in Paradise]

I always remove all the linens as soon as I can. Then remake when I have time. It seems like guest "smells" seem to linger within the linens.
I like to take off the sheets and febreeze. I always also empty the trash, get rid of dead flowers, fruit and clean out the fridge as soon as possible.

 

[Samster]

No, the beds are made up pretty tight when fresh sheets are put on the bed. I think if they sat unoccupied for awhile, I would pull the quilts or coverlets and freshen those. I try to flip my rooms right after check-outs - I just like to have the rooms done and I do get calls for same day bookings. Today was a busy day though and I didn't get to vacuum two rooms. Tomorrow is another day.....
I check unoccupied rooms pretty much daily - when you live in an old house (even a restored one) and own a second one, you never know if there might be a surprise. Like today when I was flipping a room, I found dead Asian ladybugs way up high in the window weight cord and stuck to the wood blinds that the last person that cleaned the room (my part-time housekeeper) obviously missed. ARrrrrrrrgh!
Also the reason why I "ice" the rooms before check-ins. I thoroughly clean everything when a room is flipped and then hit the room with a Swiffer extendable duster (windows, blinds, furniture, etc.) and Swiffer sweeper (under beds especially checked) before check-ins. I also double check all the lights. We have been having an abundance of rain lately, so all the windows got opened and the "outside" sills got cleaned today on the rooms that I flipped. The other thing that we do here is have the room ready for the guest on arrival - a few lights on, TV turned on to the guide channel with the volume turned down, drapes (and/or blinds opened), snack basket and sweet treat in the room. That's part of our "icing" routine here.

 

[wendydk]

No, the beds are made up pretty tight when fresh sheets are put on the bed. I think if they sat unoccupied for awhile, I would pull the quilts or coverlets and freshen those. I try to flip my rooms right after check-outs - I just like to have the rooms done and I do get calls for same day bookings. Today was a busy day though and I didn't get to vacuum two rooms. Tomorrow is another day.....
I check unoccupied rooms pretty much daily - when you live in an old house (even a restored one) and own a second one, you never know if there might be a surprise. Like today when I was flipping a room, I found dead Asian ladybugs way up high in the window weight cord and stuck to the wood blinds that the last person that cleaned the room (my part-time housekeeper) obviously missed. ARrrrrrrrgh!
Also the reason why I "ice" the rooms before check-ins. I thoroughly clean everything when a room is flipped and then hit the room with a Swiffer extendable duster (windows, blinds, furniture, etc.) and Swiffer sweeper (under beds especially checked) before check-ins. I also double check all the lights. We have been having an abundance of rain lately, so all the windows got opened and the "outside" sills got cleaned today on the rooms that I flipped. The other thing that we do here is have the room ready for the guest on arrival - a few lights on, TV turned on to the guide channel with the volume turned down, drapes (and/or blinds opened), snack basket and sweet treat in the room. That's part of our "icing" routine here..

Me too, Samster....turn on several lamps, and the fireplace for effect. Arrivals love that!

 

[Morticia]

Never gave that a thought! We will dust and make sure the toilet hasn't gotten moldy (weird how it does that even when it is totally scrubbed everyday a guest is in the room) but that's about it. I did have one room that went 3 months without being used this year and that needed a good dusting! And the bathroom needed to be wiped down from dust as well.

 

[YellowSocks]

Yes, my "Ice" includes turning on lamps in both the room and the bathroom... when we had our house for sale there was a list of tips for how to make your house look great for buyers, one was to turn on lights. When someone came to see our house (which was For Sale By Owner for a while) I'd talk to the people at the door while dh ran upstairs and turned on every single light in every single room.
I find it's great when I show guests how to use their lock, then fling open the door... and their room is all lit up and warm and inviting.
I also make sure the cleaning list has been taken down. (We've started using a cleaning checklist so that we're not duplicating our efforts or forgetting something.) I was mortified to find one still taped to a bathroom door one time during check in.
=)
Kk.

 

[bbinnsitters]

Never gave that a thought! We will dust and make sure the toilet hasn't gotten moldy (weird how it does that even when it is totally scrubbed everyday a guest is in the room) but that's about it. I did have one room that went 3 months without being used this year and that needed a good dusting! And the bathroom needed to be wiped down from dust as well..

I did have one room that went 3 months without being used this year

This is what I was talking about - if the sheets are on for 3 months...is that an ok thing?

 

[gillumhouse]

Never gave that a thought! We will dust and make sure the toilet hasn't gotten moldy (weird how it does that even when it is totally scrubbed everyday a guest is in the room) but that's about it. I did have one room that went 3 months without being used this year and that needed a good dusting! And the bathroom needed to be wiped down from dust as well..

I did have one room that went 3 months without being used this year

This is what I was talking about - if the sheets are on for 3 months...is that an ok thing?
.

Not a problem. I keep the heat off in rooms when not occupied so they are refrigerated. I found them to be as nice as when I put them on the bed. I have one of the shred bath guestrooms that is not rented all that often - many times because I have rented the other of the shared rooms as a private bath - and it is always ready. I just dust it and put in the fresh flowers and the basket of fruit. It usually has the fresh flowers when I get the flowers for the other rooms - looks weird if I don't.