How to Handle Linens and Towels Between Airbnb Guests

That Cleaning Girl · Airbnb & Rental Turnovers

Linens make or break a turnover. A bed with crisp, clean sheets says "someone took care of this place." A towel with a faint smell says the opposite, no matter how clean the shower is. If you want the full list of tasks that happen around the laundry, read The Airbnb Turnover Cleaning Checklist We Use Room by Room.

Here is how we handle sheets and towels at the rentals we clean across Ellis County and south DFW.

How many sets you actually need

The most common turnover problem we see is a rental with exactly one set of sheets per bed. That means the beds cannot be made until the laundry is finished, and every turnover depends on the dryer.

Our rule of thumb:

• Two full sets per bed and bathroom if you have a day or more between most guests
• Three sets if you often have same-day turnovers
• Extra pillowcases and hand towels, because those stain and wear fastest
• A spare mattress protector for every bed, since spills happen

With spare sets, the bed is made with clean linens right away and the dirty set is washed, dried and folded onto the shelf before we leave.

Why white wins

White sheets and towels look fresh in photos and in person. More importantly, they can be washed hot and treated for stains without worrying about fading. Colored towels look fine until one gets bleached by a guest’s face cream, and then you have a mismatched set.

If you love color, put it in the throw pillows and blankets and keep the sheets and towels white.

Washing sheets and towels

A few habits keep linens lasting longer:

• Wash sheets and towels separately so towel lint does not stick to the sheets
• Do not overload the washer; crowded loads come out dingy
• Use less detergent than you think, since leftover soap makes towels stiff
• Skip fabric softener on towels, which makes them less absorbent over time
• Dry towels fully; damp towels folded onto a shelf will smell by next week

Make sure your washer and dryer can actually handle a full turnover. A small stackable unit can stretch a three-bedroom turnover past the check-in time.

Stains and when to retire something

Makeup, self-tanner, hair dye and coffee are the usual suspects. Treat spots before the wash, not after, because the dryer sets stains for good. Check every pillowcase and towel as it comes out of the dryer.

Anything that will not come clean gets pulled out of rotation. We set aside stained or torn items and tell the host, rather than putting them back in the closet for the next guest to find.

Storing clean linens

Store linens in a closet guests cannot get into, so sets stay complete. Fold each sheet set and tuck it inside one of its own pillowcases. That keeps the fitted sheet, flat sheet and pillowcases together, and makes grabbing a full set for each bed fast.

Label the shelves by bed size. When you have a king, two queens and a set of bunk beds, labeled shelves save time on every single turnover.

Staging towels for guests

Towels should be easy to find and look intentional. Fold bath towels in thirds and stack them on the bed or a bathroom shelf with a hand towel and washcloth on top. Hang one hand towel by each sink. Lay a clean bath mat folded over the tub edge.

Make the count match the guest count. If the listing sleeps six, guests should find six sets without asking.

Throws, blankets and the less obvious linens

Sheets and towels get washed every stay, but the other fabrics in a rental get forgotten. Couch throws, extra closet blankets, kitchen towels, pool towels and bath mats all touch guests too. Wash kitchen towels and bath mats every turnover. Check throws and spare blankets each visit and wash them whenever they look or smell used, and at least every few weeks either way.

Comforters and duvet inserts need a full wash a few times a year, or right away after a spill. A big insert may not fit a home washer, so plan that around your slower season. Keeping one spare insert on the shelf means a stain never holds up a check-in.

Off-site laundry

Some hosts send linens out instead of washing on site, especially at larger houses. That works, but it adds pickup times and a count at every turnover. Whichever way you go, the system matters more than the method. For more about how laundry fits into each visit, see our rental turnover cleaning page.