How to Manage Linens and Bedding at a Vacation Rental

Laundry is one of the most time-consuming and tedious tasks of all housekeeping chores, whether it is laundering linens to beddings to comforters. Imagine, having guests back to back at a vacation rental. More than that, the more beds you have, the more challenging it can be.

But don’t let laundry be the wrench in your system! The article guides you on:

• How to make Vacation Rental Laundry easier?
• Tips for Laundering Your Vacation Rental Linens

How To Make Vacation Rental Laundry Easier?

Whether you have one or several properties, laundry is probably on top of your mind. It is one of the most stressful tasks in a vacation rental business. But fear not, here are some tips in managing your laundry easier:

Avoid Over Supplying

To avoid excessive and redundant laundry, be aware of the amenities such as bath towels, linens, etc. made available to the guests. Also, keep in mind that guests always do make use of everything made available to them. Therefore, preferably give per guest one full set of bath linens - a bath towel, two washcloths, and a hand towel. And if any emergencies arise, store one or two extra sets for the guests.

Avoid Stains Pro-actively

Offer guests disposable hypo-allergic makeup wipes in the bathrooms. It may seem an additional expense but this will help keep towels looking new, fresh and lessen replacing stained towels in the long run. Moreover, guests will appreciate the thoughtful amenity added, resulting in positive reviews.

Easy Bedding

Material and Color

If you are thinking that white cotton bedding is not preferable? Hold on, let me change your perspective on it. White cotton bedding can be bleached free of stains though avoid using chlorine bleach as it is tough on fabrics. More than that, never directly put bleach on the fabric as you may not know it will leave stains. It is best to use non-chlorinated bleach or hydrogen peroxide-based cleaner.

Comforter or Duvet

If you choose to use comforters for your bedding at your vacation rental, be aware that they are too large for residential washers and dryers. And while washing comforters or blankets is good practice, it can be time-consuming as they take a long time to dry especially when you have a few hours to spare when turning over the unit for new guests. With that said, some vacation rental owners wash their comforters right after a guest checks out while ideally, others wash them every two to three weeks.

Therefore, it is best to consider using duvet covers, preferably white as they are easier to remove and clean in between guests. More importantly, store several comforter/duvet covers as you can easily replace them and clean all the old ones after turning over the unit for the new guests.

Pillows and Pillow Protectors

Washing pillows a couple of times a week is a bit more complicated. It can be time-consuming and might need several cycles of the dryer to get them fully dry, resulting in a weathered-looking pillow. Therefore, why not run the pillows in the dryer for ten minutes before washing. By doing so, it will help kill any bacteria or bugs. An effective option would be adding a wet towel with the pillows to create steam ensuring everything bad will be destroyed.

In addition, you can also consider buying white pillow protector covers with enclosed zips as they are inexpensive and can easily be replaced in case they are badly stained or unable to re-wash.

Supplies

It is important to always make sure you keep all the necessary laundry supplies stocked and locked in a cabinet where guests can’t get to it. And if your vacation rental is providing guests with access to a washer and dryer, be kind enough to leave out detergents for a load or two. Keep in mind, guests appreciate the extra mile you put in, leading to glowing reviews.

Below is the list of things that you should have in your supply closet:

Laundry detergent

Always keep in stock enough detergent to handle laundry in between guests and preferably choose Laundry pods over detergents. Laundry pods are convenient as it is simple to use, pre-measured, and makes it easy to track your supply. And if guests have an allergy, consider using fragrance and dye-free detergent, and fabric softener.

Bleach

In removing stains, add only a tiny amount of bleach. By doing so, it helps keep your linens looking crisp and fresh.

Spot Treatment

If you are using white linens or don’t provide makeup wipes for your guests, spot treatment products are recommended to fight tough stains. Though, make sure to follow and read the instructions found on the product of your choice.

Dryer Sheets

It is preferable to use dryer sheets when drying bed sheets or duvet covers. It can affect the absorbency of bath and pool towels.

Set Up A Linen Closet

It comes as no surprise that most vacation rentals do not have a linen closet. Without a doubt, a linen closet saves time and is organized. If in any event, linens or towels are stained, your professional cleaner can simply grab fresh ones from the linen closet.

Tips For Laundering Your Vacation Rental Linens

1. A second washer/dryer Set

To speed up the laundry process, a second set washer/dryer will work wonders, particularly if you have the space or the budget. But if not, a second dryer will be just what you need as laundry backup tends to happen at the drying stage.

2. cotton/poly blend sheets

The hospitality standard is ideally cotton/polyester blend sheets however the more cotton the sheet is, the softer it is, thus prone to wrinkles and high maintenance. It may be tempting to have sheets made from 100% cotton but know that it’s harder to get that smooth hotel-like. And more importantly, they are not durable and take longer to dry.

To have just the right balance between comfort, durability, and quick-dry, it’s best and ideal to get sheets to blend with 60/40.

3. Don’t wash sheets and towels together

The rule of thumb is never to throw all your linens together in one load. It may be tempting to speed up the process however you risk getting pilling on your sheets and roughness from the towels will lessen the durability of your bedding.

4. Choose quality sheets over retail brands

Keep in mind, your vacation rental sheets are washed more frequently so be sure to select commercial hotel-quality linens that are designed to withstand 100 washings; 60% more cycles than retail brands. In addition, linens are often pre-laundered and pre-shrunk. And to identify the size of the linen are color-coded hem threads which is a huge bonus as most vacation rentals beddings come in multiple sizes.

5. Iron only pillowcases

It would be ideally great to iron all your linens however when dealing with guests’ stays, it’s not simply realistic. As mentioned, cotton/poly sheets are best recommended as they are wrinkle-free. Therefore, ironing your pillowcases is a quick way to dress up your bed and welcome guests to goodnight’s sleep.

6. Be mindful of Linen Par

Did you know? “Linen par” is a set number of linen that a vacation rental should have on-hand at any given time. To simplify, the magic number is three; meaning three fitted sheets, three flat sheets, three pillowcases per pillow, and three towel sets for every guest.

This ensures that with the third set waiting, the cleaners don’t get to the laundry before the next guest checks in.

7. Inspect for stains

To ensure sheets look as good as new, pre-treatment is a necessity. Therefore, before tossing to the washer, make sure you or your cleaning staff keep an eye for stains. A mix of water and a blend of non-chlorine bleach, not forgetting to soak for treatment will just do wonders.

8. Consider triple sheeting your bed

An option to consider is triple sheeting which replaces the comforter with a lightweight blanket and an extra top sheet. Doing so helps lessen the time and cost of bulky bedspreads and comforters to wash.

Related Articles: Vacation Rental Cleaning: Tips & Tricks