If you’re staying overnight at a hotel, you’ll be checking into your room after some much-needed shut-eye. But what about the sheets? Depending on the hotel, it may cost extra to have your bed linen cleaned and de-stinked before you check in. Here’s everything you need to know about hotels charging for stinky linens and how to prevent them from rearing their smelly heads again in the future.
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What do hotels charge for stinky bedding?
Stinky sheets are a common complaint among hotel guests. Many hotels offer a “sheet charge” simply as a preventive measure so that the cleaning crew has a set amount it can charge for de-stinking the bed. The charge can vary from hotel to hotel, but generally, a stinky bed sheet costs anywhere from $1 to $12 extra per night. Why do hotels charge for stinky sheets? Stinky linens often indicate that the hotel regularly cleans the bedding with a soapy solution. But a dirty bed sheet doesn’t necessarily need to be washed. Instead, hotels often dampen the sheets and re-use them.
The solution may also be a result of improper room-cleaning techniques. If your sheets have a particularly intense, pungent odor, you may have a bedbug infestation lurking under the mattress. Of course, you can’t always know for sure, so hotels may charge you just as much as they would if they assumed you had a stinky bedsheet.
How to avoid paying extra for stinky linens
If you’re staying at a hotel that charges extra for stinky linens, try to avoid bringing your dirty clothes into the room. If you have to wear something that reeks, keep it outside the door or in the bathroom. Also, if you must bring your stinky items into the room, securely close the door and keep the bags as far away from the bed as possible. If you can, put the bags on the floor and stand over them, rather than sitting on the bed. Another way to avoid a stinky room? Before you sleep, open the windows and use a floor fan. Blowing air through the room helps clean it and remove any lingering odors.
The bottom line
Stinky bed sheets are a common complaint among hotel guests. Many hotels offer a “sheet charge” simply as a preventive measure so that the cleaning crew has a set amount it can charge for de-stinking the bed. The charge can vary from hotel to hotel, but generally, a stinky bed sheet costs anywhere from $1 to $12 extra per night. If you’re staying at a hotel that charges for stinky linens, try to avoid bringing your dirty clothes into the room. If you have to wear something that reeks, keep it outside the door or in the bathroom. Another way to avoid a stinky room? Before you sleep, open the windows and use a floor fan. Blowing air through the room helps clean it and remove any lingering odors.