How to Get Stains Out of Airbnb Sheets and Towels

That Cleaning Girl · Airbnb & Rental Turnovers

White sheets and towels make a rental look fresh, but they show every stain. Makeup, self-tanner, coffee and red wine are part of hosting. Knowing how to treat them during a turnover saves linens and keeps guests from finding a stain on their pillowcase. Seasonal weather brings its own stains, which we covered in Dust, Pollen and Red Clay: Keeping a Texas Rental Guest-Ready, but laundry is where most of them get handled.

Here is how we treat linen stains on turnovers around Waxahachie, Ennis and the south DFW area.

Treat before you wash

The most important rule: treat stains before they go in the washer, and check them before they go in the dryer. Heat from the dryer sets most stains permanently. Once a stain has been through a hot dryer, it is much harder, or impossible, to remove.

On every turnover, look over sheets, pillowcases and towels as you strip the beds. Set stained items aside, treat them and wash them separately if needed. Then check again as items come out of the washer. If a stain is still there, treat it again and rewash instead of drying. It adds a few minutes, but it saves the linen.

Makeup and self-tanner

Makeup is the most common towel stain in rentals. Foundation, mascara and self-tanner rub off on towels and pillowcases.

• Apply a little dish soap or a stain remover directly to the spot
• Work it in gently with your fingers or a soft brush
• Let it sit for a few minutes
• Rinse with warm water, then wash as usual

Self-tanner can be stubborn. It may take a couple of rounds. Keeping dark washcloths or makeup wipes in the bathroom helps prevent these stains in the first place. A small, friendly sign that says they are there for makeup works better than a rule about towels.

Coffee, tea and red wine

Drinks spilled on sheets or duvet covers are common, especially in rentals where guests have coffee in bed.

• Blot, do not rub, to lift as much as you can
• Rinse from the back of the fabric with cold water
• Apply a stain remover or a mix of dish soap and water
• For wine, an oxygen-based stain remover works well on white linens
• Wash in the warmest water the fabric allows

Blood

Blood stains need cold water. Hot water cooks the protein and sets the stain.

• Rinse with cold water as soon as possible
• Apply a little dish soap or an enzyme stain remover
• Gently rub the fabric against itself
• Rinse again with cold water before washing

Hydrogen peroxide can help on white linens, but test it on a hidden spot first. Check mattress protectors too. Blood and other stains often go through the sheet, and a protector that is washed every time keeps the mattress itself clean.

Grease, oil and lotion

Body oils, lotions, sunscreen and food grease leave yellowish spots, especially on pillowcases.

• Apply dish soap directly to the spot, since it cuts grease
• Let it sit for several minutes
• Wash in warm or hot water if the fabric allows

For yellowing on pillowcases over time, a regular soak in an oxygen-based cleaner helps keep whites bright.

Keeping whites white

Even without stains, white linens can turn dingy over time. A few habits help:

• Do not overload the washer, so linens can move and rinse well
• Use the right amount of detergent, not more
• Wash whites separately from colored items
• Use an oxygen-based whitener now and then
• Dry fully, since damp linens stored on a shelf can develop a musty smell

Hard water can make whites look dull. If your linens are graying, a water softening additive in the wash can help.

When to retire a linen

Not every stain comes out. If a sheet or towel still shows a stain after a couple of treatments, take it out of rotation. A stained pillowcase on a guest’s bed is not worth the savings of keeping it.

We set aside linens that will not come clean, place them in a bin in the owner’s closet and let the host know what needs replacing. Retired linens can become rags for the cleaning closet. Keep a simple count of what you retire each season so you know when to reorder before you run short.

Stains are part of hosting

Stains are part of hosting, but they do not have to reach your next guest. Treat early, check before drying and retire what will not come clean. For how laundry fits into each visit, see our Airbnb turnover cleaning page.