An Airbnb host sparked debate after guests cleaned the property and asked for a waiver of the $130 cleaning fee, challenging the host’s policy.
Conflict stories between Airbnb guests and hosts are not new at all. While most of them try their best to avoid reaching a tipping point during their stays, there are some demanding renters who annoy the living daylights out of the property owner. It can be the other way around as well, but this one bizarre incident recently sparked an online debate after a woman was asked for a waiver. Host Mrs. Messy, aka @mrsmessytiktok, took to social media, complaining about how her guests cleaned the Airbnb before checking out and insisted on not paying the cleaning fee preset by the homestay's platform.
“They told me they had cleaned the house themselves and asked me to waive the $130 fee,” the text overlay on a widely circulating video read. Mrs. Messy can be seen cleaning her apartment with a vacuum after her guests had left. The businesswoman showed herself doing the cleaning to prove her point that the waiver demanded was unjustified.
“Let’s vacuum clean just one room and see how clean they left the place,” it said further. While asking for opinions from her viewers, the TikTok influencer wanted to check the amount of dust her guests had left behind. It was shocking for the woman, who likes to describe cleaning as her passion, to see the results of her findings. After sweeping through the carpet flooring, she showed a massive pile of dirt sucked by the vacuum cleaner.
“If you like staying in a dirty hotel room, more power to you,” Mrs. Messy later remarked while referring to the standard cleaning practice she had been following before a new guest checks in. Even though the video creator made it clear that she had in the past hired a professional cleaner, others argued that she was overreacting.
The video has managed to cross over 15 million views on social media sites, sparking a debate among the online scrollers. Disagreeing with Mrs. Messy, @saraceratops10 wrote, “I figured cleaning fees would apply only if the place was a disaster, but general cleaning should just be part of being a host. The profit should be enough to cover that.” Adding to it, @jazzthegoldendoodle questioned, “You can vacuum a house daily and still fill the canister. Why? Because dust comes through air vents, doors openings, etc. Give them their deposit back.” To this, the woman replied, saying that she had returned her guests’ cleaning fee.
@mrsmessytiktok #airbnb #airbnbcleaning #cleaningasmr #cleaninghacks #vacuuming #vacuumingasmr ♬ Summer 91 (Looking Back) - Noizu
In a separate video, another Airbnb host, MountainMama, aka @airbnb_mountainmama, explained the dilemma faced by both the owners and guests while renting a place. She shed light on the rising cost of renting amid the hosts’ constant struggle to “meet their guests where they’re at.” The woman claimed that she had to pay $275 for each cleaning service that she booked for her large cabin. To cover the expenses, she charged a separate $150 cleaning fee to her guests.
“As a business owner, I have to meet my customers where they’re at. Not all customers are educated or in tune with the fact that we have to pay our cleaners a good amount of money, not only to keep them but… to routinely clean a residential home as if it’s a model one,” the host said. “Literally, nothing goes under the rug,” she added, admitting that the extra professional cleaning costs help to keep it affordable for the average guests.
@airbnb_mountainmama Replying to @hardfreedom No silly, $150 cleaning fee! Listen how I read the room 🫶🏼 #airbnbhost #hospitality #smokymountains #cleaningfee ♬ original sound - AirBnb Host | MountainMama
You can follow Mrs. Messy (@mrsmessytiktok) and MountainMama (@airbnb_mountainmama) for cleaning and lifestyle content, respectively.