DVC housekeeping problems.....

[Disney1fan2002]

OK, I am going to apologize ahead of time if this gets ugly, and maybe the moderator can move it to the debate board if it does, but I have been wanting to post about this for some time.

I read about the complaints about the conditons of the rooms at check-in, and most everyone blames housekeeping. I do not know how many DVC owners are owners of other timeshares, but as a "timeshare" owner, you and your party are responsible for the cleaniness of the unit during your stay. Ever wonder why there is a broom, dustpan and vaccuum in the closet?

Now, I am not saying it is wrong for you to complian about checking into a dirty room....I am saying that it seems alot of DVC owners feel that they should not lift a finger to pick up a piece pf paper that fell on the floor because they are on vacation. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is the wrong way to think if you are a timeshare owner. It is those owners that cause you to check into a dirty room. The trash disposal is your responsibility also. You should not be leaving trash out in the hallway, I am sure there are trash bins along the property. Bring the trash bag to the bin. I know someone is going to bring up the maitenance fees we pay, and they feel housekeeping should be part of that. I lived in a condo for years. I paid a monthly maintenance fee, that fee paid for the upkeep of the property, the insurance on the property, ect. It did NOT include a daily housekeeper for my unit.

I just remember awhile back someone posted a poll about how much cleaning you do to your room prior to check-out. It amazed me how many people responded that they don't lift a finger. DVC needs to address the housekeeping problems, I think one of the solution is to have a paper that stays in the unit, and it lists what should be done prior to check-out. i.e sweep/vaccum the floors, wipe down counters, load dirty dishes into dishwasher, dispose of trash, ect. This list is in every timeshare unit (other than DVC) that I have ever stayed in.

I know people don't want to be expected to clean during vacation, but if everyone picked up after themselves, and did a light cleaning prior to checkout, alot of the complaints people have when checking in would be gone. Think of DVC as your home, which it is....would you leave your own house like that?

I am not saying DVC does not have a problem with housekeeping, they still need to address it...no one should be checking into a room with a sticky floor.....I am saying, most of the housekeeping problems would be solved if we all did our part as owners.

 

[disny4ever]

I have a hard time accepting the trash bags outside of rooms too. All you have to do is walk down the hall with your bags and dispose of them. Probably a shorter walk then at home. We can all do better.

 

[Dean]

I can't say I disagree with anything you've said but I'm trying to see the actual point. It is housekeepings job to clean the room no matter what and their responsibility if the room is dirty when you check in.

We do keep thing clean during our stay including sweeping, mopping and vacuuming when needed. Moreover, we pick up, clean up, load the diswasher and gather all the dirty linen before we leave. We make a list of any issues with the unit so their are aware of the minor things and can fix them. Whether they do may be another matter.

If someone trashes the unit, they should be charged extra and apparently the Disney resorts do this in extreme circumstances. Otherwise, each guest must decide what they are comfortable with. I know of timeshares that require guests to do some of the things I described above including taking out the trash on departure. Some on this board have said they didn't want to have that imposed on them.

 

[jimh13432]

The trash bags outside the door really infuriate me. My last stay I took the bags I found in the hall and tied them to the doorknobs of the units they were sitting in front of.

This way the trash flew back into their room when the door opened in the morning.

A not so subtle hint to the guests in the room that they needed to do something with their trash.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I have not noticed the trash problem at OKW, so that one might be more specific to the hotel like setting of some of the other DVC resorts. I look at DVC/OKW as my home. I keep it clean just like I do my home! I make my bed, wipe up the kitchen, wipe off the table after use, clean up the stove if I use it, wash dishes and run the dishwasher. I even wipe up the counter in the bathroom. Now these are no-brainer type things that I do at home as well. Just because I am on vacation does not mean I should be a pig! I am one of those who appreciates not having the housekeeping staff in the room everyday. As far as cleaning and timeshares go...Most timeshares require that you clear your own trash and run the dishwasher, and strip the beds before you leave. DVC has never mentioned any of those things, and I know they also rewash all the dishes after each guest. I also have had to wait for a room while it was drying because the pigs in there before us left such a mess on the carpets. Sure, sometimes there is a small bit of mildew or mold in the corners of the tiles, but Florida has that problem. As long as the unit is clean, I don't fret about the small stuff. I can honestly say I have never had an OKW unit I thought was not clean.

 

[lenshanem]

I would never leave my trash in the hall, but I think you are going a bit over the top. Aren't DVC dues one of the highest out there? I'm sure soemone can correct me on thsi if I'm wrong. For the amount of dues I'm paying I except a clean toilet, shower and floor tiles when i check in. I am not going to continue to pay that high of dues and be expected to clean the bathrooms at the start and finish of my trip. I do belive though that it is everyoen's responsilbilty to take care of the rom and not damage anything. As far as sweepinga dn vaccuming that is for the comforst of yourself while in your room since daily housekeeping si not provided. i don't believe it was put there for us to do the job of housekeeping before we leave. Am I wrong? Are we also excepted to dust, etc.? This is the one topic that makes me upset about DVC. Nothing else really does. If I wodul ahve known that cleanliness and maintencce of the rooms was going to be such a problem I maybe woudln't ahve jumped in so quickly. I coudl handle a list with basics, like pulling off sheets, etc. but if it goes into anything more invloved than that then I think they need to lower our dues.

 

[perdidobay]

I really don't know who to blame in my last stay at WDW (OKW). Both parties involved I guess.
I got out the coffee mugs from the cabinet above the microwave in our studio. They were (obviously) dirty.
Now, did the last guest put them up in the cabinet dirty..or did housekeeping? But, does not housekeeping check all the glasses/mugs, even if they are in the cabinet, for cleanliness?
I always put my used glasses/mugs in the sink before I leave so they will know they are dirty, I don't wash them because I feel they should be cleaned in super hot water, such as in a restaurant's machine or a dishwashing machine.
As far as anything else, I gather all the trash and bag it. I place all the dirty towels in the tub and pull the spread way back on the beds we have used.
I turn down the temp and turn off the lights.

My pet peave would be the mold in the grout of the tub/shower...it only takes a minute to spray the area with a bleach product to kill the mold.

I too can't understand people who go to the bother to bag their trash and don't take it to the trash room.
At my condo, people will take their trash to the trash room, and leave the bags sitting on the floor when the trash shute is right in front of them at that point!
I guess they believe in the trash fairy.

 

[floridafam]

You make some good points, but....

We took the trash down to the trash room at VWL a few times and the trash can they have in the trash room is only about twice the size of the one that is in the room. It gets full pretty fast. They should at least have a big trash can like the kind we put out to the curb every week. What do people do when it is full? Leave it there or just start setting it outside their door?

I don't mind cleaning up after myself or paying for daily housekeeping. I do mind checking into a dirty room with hair covering the bathroom floor, crayon on the tv sets, stuff spilled in the kitchen and broken jacuzzi jets that people can cut their fingers on. We always do a light cleaning before check out, no matter where we stay. I just can't leave a place messy. Sure, this might make it a little easier on housekeeping.

I still think they aren't doing their jobs some of the time. I have seen complaint after complaint about housekeeping at VWL and BCV and it is very frustrating. Our room at the YC was spotless a few weeks ago. Our room at VWL was awful.

Some of the dues go toward housekeeping. Why pay that portion of the dues if they don't do what they are paid for?

I refuse to wipe someone's body hairs up off the bathroom floor or out of the tub when I check in.

Again, I agree, we can and should pick up after ourselves but housekeeping does need to improve. I guess I'm still a little upset about the condition of our room on our last trip. Sorry.

 

[debbiebones]

I couldn't agree with you more! I agree, that we should complain if the unit isn't up to par upon checking in, but I also think it's OUR responsibility to keep things clean. Just like it's our responsiblity to not destroy the furniture, etc.

Part of the problem is, these vacation homes are huge compared to the hotel rooms that housekeeping has to take care of and it takes a lot longer to clean a 2 bedroom villa! In fact, the front desk said it took about 4 hours to clean each one. Now, I can't believe that housekeeping actually spends that amount of time on each room because there's a lot that can be done in four hours. But I think if we kept up on the messes we make, it would be a lot easier for housekeeping to get their job done.

I noticed when we checked in, someone had splashed grape juice or red wine down one of the kitchen cupboards. If that had been me, I certainly would not have left it for housekeeping to take care of. I have a housekeeping service that comes every two weeks to my home and the night before they come, I feel obligated to at least straighten things out so that they're not wasting time cleaning up our messes. Their job it to CLEAN... floors, toilets, counters, change sheets, etc.

Guess everyone has a different definition of what housekeeping should do.

I'm also curious...how many of you leave housekeeping a tip when you're just getting trash and towel service? I'm wondering if the tips are less than they would be for those who have daily maid service in a hotel room.

thanks,

Deb

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'm wondering if the trash thing has anything to do with the relative location of the trash can/room. I know that when we were at OKW, there was a big trash can outside the unit that we would go by every morning on our way to the car or bus. So it was an easy habit to just grab a little bag of trash and drop it off there on our way out. At BCV, the trash room may not be "on the way out" for people, and they're too lazy to walk a few steps out of their way (ironically, the trash room was "on the way" for me there last year, so, again, easy habit to grab a little bag of trash every morning on my way out).

 

[crisi]

The only trash bags we saw outside the doors during our stay were obviously put there by housekeeping (the cleaning cart was only a few doors away, and there were several trash bags in the hall close to one another, but none further down the hall). Please don't be quick to assume the trash bag was left by a member and not set there by housekeeping during their cleaning....

As we were checking out, the housekeeper knocked on the door. "Don't clean anything," she said "we will take care of it, you are on vacation." I still did the dishes (if the dishes in the dishwasher are clean when she get there it is faster - and it isn't a huge deal), and tidied up (because that is the easy way to find all my own stuff). But I'm not pulling even my own hair out of the drain, scrubbing the toilet, or vaccuuming before we leave. Sorry, that's what I pay dues for. And that isn't what Disney seems to expect. I will do things to keep the place livable while I am there (we pulled out the vaccuum once to clean up the floor when it got full of potato chip crumbs, we wipe the countertops every day, get our dishes done and run the dishwasher, wipe the microwave when it needs it. I managed to spill coffee grounds all over the kitchen floor and I certainly didn't leave them there for four days).

I expect DVC housekeeping to normally operate like my housekeeper at home. (And yes, I leave my house like that all the time - otherwise why would I pay a housekeeper). Change the linens. Make the beds. Vaccuum. Dust. Clean the bathrooms. Wipe down the kitchen. Do any dishes. Mop the floors. Wipe fingerprints off the windows and TV. If they do this between guests, there shouldn't be people coming in to coffee rings on the counter or hair in the drain.

I do agree with someone who posted here a while ago that the length of time between cleanings is probably what contributes to the wear and tear on the rooms - stains on furniture are harder to remove if they've been there for a week before anyone treats them. But Disney has made that decision to only do a full cleaning once a week - and - while they provide a vaccuum and a mop - they aren't exactly providing the materials for me to scrub the bathroom grout or treat stains.

BTW, my 2500 square foot house with four bathrooms inhabited by two children and six million toys only takes my housekeeper three hours to clean. I really hope it doesn't take DVC housekeeping four hours to clean one of those units.

 

[shelbyjosh]

Sounds like there are some LAZY vacationers out there! What is the big deal about loading AND running the dishwasher and vacuuming before you leave? I must admit I have never swept or mopped. I do vacuum everywhere the morning we leave and load/run the dw on the way out the door. Why is it so difficult to take a bag of trash to the can? I would hate to see some of their houses if this is the way they treat their "home away from home". I just had to vent. It ticks me off to see the way people take care of "community property" and expect to be cleaned up after. If this was their expectation, why don't they just stay at a hotel where they can be tidied up after????????

 

[pnelson]

I guess I have to disagree with the main poster. Beyond taking out the trash and cleaning up after myself during my stay, I am not going to do a thorough job of cleaning the unit. I expect housekeeping to do that when I leave. Checking in, I also would not want to rely on someone else cleaning the unit either. It was never explained to me when I bought DVC that I would be responsible for a thorough cleaning of the unit. But there is no way I am scrubbing toilets and bathtubs when I leave.

 

[dvc guy]

I have no intrest in cleaning and doing chores while on vacation. I use dishes for breakfast and they go in the dishwasher so we don't run out . I did vacum once while my son dropped a bag of cheerios on the floor. Wipe up coffee and jucie from the table yes, mop and clean bathrooms NEVER. How about all the people who pay cash for rooms, do you thing they clean up, I think not.

 

[JudithM]

Originally posted by Disney1fan2002
I read about the complaints about the conditons of the rooms at check-in, and most everyone blames housekeeping. I do not know how many DVC owners are owners of other timeshares, but as a "timeshare" owner, you and your party are responsible for the cleaniness of the unit during your stay. Ever wonder why there is a broom, dustpan and vaccuum in the closet?

We have always had very good experiences with housekeeping at OKW. One time we checked into a room with a musty/mold smell, but that was not necessarily housekeeping's fault. I will say housekeeping, engineering & the front desk took excellent care of us in that situation.

I encourage anyone who has a housekeeping &/or engineering concern, issue, problem, etc. to contact the appropriate CMs. If you are not sure, then call the front desk. DVC CMs DO CARE. However, please do not come back here & complain about housekeeping, etc. without having tried to solve the problem while you were at DVC.

 

[lisareniff]

Really, now! There is no excuse for Disney to give someone a dirty room. It is their responsibility (no matter how it was left).

I have never seen anything that outlines what is expected of us as users of the property. My assumption is to tidy up after myself (and family) but not clean. By this I mean I would put things back where they belong, clean any spills (as they occur), clean the counter, run the dishwasher when we were leaving, and perhaps make a pile of dirty linens. I would not clean (floors, tub, sink, windows). I consider that housekeeping's job.

JMHO,
Lisa

 

[WDWMom]

I kind of understand both sides on this one. On one hand I always expect to be placed in a clean room. No matter how dirty it was before. But I don't really want to wait till 11 pm for housekeeping to get it clean so I can move into it.

Since housekeeping has a budget and therefore a set number of cleaning personnel ; if DVC owners and guests get progressively sloppier we can expect to either get
A) rooms that are not properly cleaned or
B) rooms that are not available at check in time.

Having guests do the basics should help alleviate the pressure being put on houskeeping to have rooms available at check in. We always do light housekeeping during the week. I Have three children and they tend to drop food. The bug problems in Florida are well documented and I have no interest in ever returning to a room with crawly things in it. So we tidy up each day. No rubber gloves or anything, just a basic pick up of our room. Takes like 10 minutes.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by shelbyjosh
I do vacuum everywhere the morning we leave and load/run the dw on the way out the door.

Houskeeping will just vaccum the whole place again anyway. There's really no reason to vacuum on the way out. Each unit gets a full cleaning between guests.

I agree with not leaving a mess. But why waste time trying to do the housekeeper's job?

I remember once reading a post from someone who always put the bed sheets into the washer on the way out, and started the washer. The intension was good. But, in fact, bed sheets are commercially washed and sanitized between guests. So, in this case, the housekeeper had to deal with sopping wet bed sheets. It would have been much better to leave the sheets on the beds, so that the housekeeper could strip them off in mere seconds.

 

[Helene4]

Whooah!!!!!! What did I get myslf into?????? We will be spending our first time at the BWV & BCV in Dec. and are new members. We paid as much for our points here as we did for our two bedroom timehare in Cancun, were I get daily maid service, daily towel exchange, and which does NOT take 4 hours per villa to clean. The price for both places was a small fortune. Don't tell me go help is hard to find. It sounds like they are not even trying. We are NOT expected to clean up either before or after we arrive. Perhaps the floors should not be carpeted, this way no musty Florida smell. NO EXCUSE for houskeeping not cleaning up the room before the new party arrives. Otherwise why do they mkeus wait for 4pm check in???????

 

[wilderness01]

I am not a lazy person but I feel that it is solely the responsibility of the housekeeper to have the unit cleaned. How people choose to stay during their stay is their business and no one else's. It is no different than judging how your neighbors live.......even if it does tick you off.

With that said, I do vacumm when I am there if my kids spill or the floor is unclean and I also wipe down the kitchen counters/table. I put the dirty towels stacked all in one place and throw out the garbage. I have never used the stove or any of the dishes so I do not touch any of that. I throw out any unused food from the refrigerator and wipe out the microwave if it needs it. Although I have only microwaved 1 time and the food was leftovers in plastic containers so there was no mess. Still, I wiped it out. I think it was more than fair to the housekeepers. I wouldn't want to be left a mess to clean so I don't leave them a mess to clean. But that is all I will do. I do feel I pay dues and it is their job.

Where is it posted that it takes 4 hours to clean a 2 bedroom unit? When we were at the Beach Club last year there were 2 housekeepers cleaning a unit (I don't know what size) and their carts were there for at least 3 to 4 hours with the door cracked open. The people's belongings were still in there as the unit was right across the hall from ours and you could see when the 2 ladies walked in there and I was walking out of our place. I am not saying they were not doing their jobs, but the door was cracked, you could hear the tv blaring and there were 2 ladies cleaning for what seemed like forever. I made several trips in and out of our unit and over all those hours each time I would come or go the door was always cracked, the tv always blaring, audible laughter and you would see one or another go in and out. I have a 3900 square foot house and my 2 housekeepers get it all cleaned in 5.5 to 6 hours. How could a DVC unit take 4 hours to clean and then SOMETIMES a guest checks in and the unit is still dirty in some places? Doesn't make any sense now does it? Just wondering.