While cleaning is not a “fun” and “sexy” topic to talk about when arranging your vacations, as with anything else, it’s important to communicate about your expectations when discussion about your exchange arrangements to be sure that each exchange has a happy ending!
Discover HomeExchangeWe asked in a poll on our Facebook groups last week about how HomeExchangers deal with the cleaning situation when they’re arranging an exchange and these are based on the top voted options in our poll.
How HomeExchangers manage the cleaning situation
- Most of our members make the bed to prepare for the arrival of their guests and ask their guests to leave the used sheets collected in one place to be done by the host after the exchange.
- Our host members also take care of providing and washing the towels, they just ask that their guests leave them in one place after they’ve been used.
- Most of our members ask that their guests just to leave the home as they found it upon their arrival.
“My exchangers have always left the house looking like they were never there, as we do at their house.”
- Linda, 44 exchanges
Everyone has their own way of doing things
Of course, everyone has their own way of doing things, we also have many members who don’t leave any specific instructions for cleaning and they trust that their exchange partners to take care of their homes as their own.
We also have many members (both as hosts and guests) who prefer to have the option to have the cleaning done professionally so that they don’t have to worry about it during or after the exchange. Some members ask their guests to contribute to the cleaning fees while others prefer to pay it themselves (as always, this should be communicated and agreed upon before finalising the exchange.)
“If we are being hosted for guest points I always ask if they have a cleaner we can pay for. HomeExchange is just so inexpensive considering the alternatives that I'm more than happy to pay for someone else to clean. It makes the holiday feel like one the whole time.”
- Susie, 43 exchanges
Some prefer to leave specific instructions on how to clean the apartment before their guests’ departure and others prefer to do the cleaning themselves.
The key is to discuss about this with your exchange partners
Like for the other aspects of home exchanging, there are no specific rules: every HomeExchanger has his/her preferred way of making the cleaning arrangements, and that's perfectly fine! The most important thing, as we always remind you, is communication. We strongly recommend you discuss this before finalising the exchange with your exchange partner, to make sure you're both on the same page!
A guide to help you prepare for your exchange
If you feel like you need a little reminder about what to communicate on before an exchange, don’t hesitate to read our second HomeExchange guide about preparing for your first exchange. Even if it’s not your first time, it could still be a useful reminder for you ;-)
Discover the second guideIn this special context that we’re in with the pandemic, we’ve also summarised here some cleaning tips that official sources have shared.
Join our Facebook groups to share your opinions about these kinds of topics in our weekly polls!
HomeExchangers in English
HomeExchangers in French
HomeExchangers in Spanish
All About Home Exchange
