How do you leave the room upon check out?

[tjkraz]

...we always load/start the dishwasher.

I also wipe the kitchen counters and stove/frig quickly....leaving everything neat.

These two comments stand out to me. I often wonder if going to these extremes doesn't do more harm than good.

Regarding the dishwasher, it's my understanding that housekeeping is supposed to wash all of the everyday dishes, silverware and glassware between guests. (It actually does all fit in the dishwasher at once.)

So if guests run the dishwasher half-full, does that throw off the schedule of the housekeeper? (Still waiting for cycle to complete before they can move on.) Or more likely, they probably skip doing a second load. And when housekeeping doesn't wash everything, we start seeing comments to the effect of "I pulled a glass out of the cabinet and it had lipstick on it from the last guest!"

As for wiping things down, similarly my fear is that housekeeping will see things looking "good enough" and not bother to go through their normal routine using cleanser / sanitizer to properly clean those surfaces between guests.

Personally, I tend to leave everything in lived-in condition so that housekeeping knows which areas of the room have been touched and can properly prepare for the next guest. Our last dishes are usually left in the sink and I don't fret about a few crumbs left behind on the counter.

I'm not talking about purposely leaving spills or horrible messes unattended...I just don't want to give the housekeeper an excuse to skimp on proper cleaning procedures.

 

[disneynutz]

These two comments stand out to me. I often wonder if going to these extremes doesn't do more harm than good.

Regarding the dishwasher, it's my understanding that housekeeping is supposed to wash all of the everyday dishes, silverware and glassware between guests. (It actually does all fit in the dishwasher at once.)

So if guests run the dishwasher half-full, does that throw off the schedule of the housekeeper? (Still waiting for cycle to complete before they can move on.) Or more likely, they probably skip doing a second load. And when housekeeping doesn't wash everything, we start seeing comments to the effect of "I pulled a glass out of the cabinet and it had lipstick on it from the last guest!"

As for wiping things down, similarly my fear is that housekeeping will see things looking "good enough" and not bother to go through their normal routine using cleanser / sanitizer to properly clean those surfaces between guests.

Personally, I tend to leave everything in lived-in condition so that housekeeping knows which areas of the room have been touched and can properly prepare for the next guest. Our last dishes are usually left in the sink and I don't fret about a few crumbs left behind on the counter.

I'm not talking about purposely leaving spills or horrible messes unattended...I just don't want to give the housekeeper an excuse to skimp on proper cleaning procedures.

Unfortunately, I don't see housekeeping washing all of the dishes, flatware, cooking forks or other dishes. We have found dirty dishes in the cupboard and twice we have had broken dishwashers.

We always re-wash any dishes, pots, pans, and silverware that we intend to use. Who knows if the housekeeper was ill handling the things that we put in our mouths.

It would be in all of our best interests if DVC would publish the policy but then there would be a published policy that they would be accountable to.

Bill

 

[EPCOTatNight]

Unfortunately, I don't see housekeeping washing all of the dishes, flatware, cooking forks or other dishes. We have found dirty dishes in the cupboard and twice we have had broken dishwashers.

We always re-wash any dishes, pots, pans, and silverware that we intend to use. Who knows if the housekeeper was ill handling the things that we put in our mouths.

It would be in all of our best interests if DVC would publish the policy but then there would be a published policy that they would be accountable to.

Bill

This why using a towel from the pool doesn't bother me. My wife cleans the room, including dishes when we check in and before we leave.

 

[dsneygirl]

I put all the towels in the bathtub and bag up all the garbage, that's about it. Saves the time going around getting every little piece of trash strewn about.

 

[bumbershoot]

It would be in all of our best interests if DVC would publish the policy but then there would be a published policy that they would be accountable to.

Bill

So very much yes.

Of course, I want my own brother to make a list of rules for staying at his house, since he's persnickety about things that I'm not persnickety about. I like having expectations spelled out.

 

[beer dave]

It is nice that people want to help turn over the rooms quicker, but these rooms are not expansive. How long do you think it takes to walk the room and collect towels? I'd say about 13 seconds for a 1 bedroom. About 5 seconds longer than it takes to scoop up a large pile from the tub-- if you could get them all in one scoop-- and if I were collecting towels, I would rather they were hanging on a rod as opposed to on the floor in a tub. Harder to get, and more back breaking.

I agree with "hopefully they wash all the dishes". If I was doing the cleaning, (and my work is production based) I would disregard whether anything was clean or dirty, and just do the complete job. That way every room is done the same, and there is no thinking involved. Makes the job easier. I wouldn't like the DW running when I got in. It makes a wrinkle in the program.

 

[disneynutz]

It is nice that people want to help turn over the rooms quicker, but these rooms are not expansive. How long do you think it takes to walk the room and collect towels? I'd say about 13 seconds for a 1 bedroom. About 5 seconds longer than it takes to scoop up a large pile from the tub-- if you could get them all in one scoop-- and if I were collecting towels, I would rather they were hanging on a rod as opposed to on the floor in a tub. Harder to get, and more back breaking.

I agree with "hopefully they wash all the dishes". If I was doing the cleaning, (and my work is production based) I would disregard whether anything was clean or dirty, and just do the complete job. That way every room is done the same, and there is no thinking involved. Makes the job easier. I wouldn't like the DW running when I got in. It makes a wrinkle in the program.

If it's an issue, then they should post a small sign. Housekeepers have an incentive program to leave work early with pay if they finish their section early.

Bill

 

[crisi]

It is nice that people want to help turn over the rooms quicker, but these rooms are not expansive. How long do you think it takes to walk the room and collect towels? I'd say about 13 seconds for a 1 bedroom. About 5 seconds longer than it takes to scoop up a large pile from the tub-- if you could get them all in one scoop-- and if I were collecting towels, I would rather they were hanging on a rod as opposed to on the floor in a tub. Harder to get, and more back breaking.

I agree with "hopefully they wash all the dishes". If I was doing the cleaning, (and my work is production based) I would disregard whether anything was clean or dirty, and just do the complete job. That way every room is done the same, and there is no thinking involved. Makes the job easier. I wouldn't like the DW running when I got in. It makes a wrinkle in the program.

I don't throw the towels in the tub to turn over the room quicker. I do it because I don't want to hang towels - which is time consuming for me - only to have housekeeping pull them off the racks (leaving towels on the bathroom floor and coming back to find magically clean and hung towels is one of the reasons I LIKE daily housekeeping). And the towels - after our morning showers - are strewn all over the room. We have to pick them up to find our stuff, hanging them takes time - so into the tub they go.

Likewise making the beds - I don't do it for housekeeping, I do it to find my stuff. Cleaning out the fridge and the cupboards is the same - its part of the inventory of "what goes, what stays" - not really to make housekeeping's job easier, but to make mine easier while we pack up.

I suspect that the reality of people's routines is the same - there are a number of things they do not really to help housekeeping, but because its easier for them during the packing stage to make sure that all their park maps and daily schedules that aren't going home as souvenirs end up in the trash and the remote for the TV goes on top of the TV so it doesn't end up in someone's carry on in that last mad grab. That it also makes housekeepings job easier if the TV remote is somewhere findable and there aren't park maps all over the room is a bonus. After all, almost no one cleans the bathroom so housekeeping won't have to. (some DVCers do clean it on arriving).

The dishwasher I'm running to turn the room over faster, and the sofa I leave out or take the sheets off of if I need the space and fold back up (sheets into the tub with the towels) - both of those I do for the next guest - there are too many stories of dirty hideabed sheets and coffee cups with dried coffee and lipstick marks.

 

[conandrob240]

Believe it or not, but I actually make up the bed before we leave. Plus I like to pick up everything and leave the room in as good a condition as to when we arrived. Now my DW gets mad at me when I do this and she has been known to come behind me and pull the covers back down . I just like a tidy room.

Not only is this weird but it is really NOT something you should do. If the mouse keeper sees a made bed, he or she might assume it hasn't been used and neglect to change the sheets.

I also am pretty grossed out by a guest washing and drying the dishes and putting them away. Sorry, but I can't assume everyone is sanitary and practices good hygiene. I'd prefer you don't touch my dishes! Ick!

We throw out anything we brought that we don't want. And leave the room. Period. All this pre- cleaning cleaning is just silly.

 

[chalee94]

How do you leave the room upon check out?

slowly.

sadly.

 

[chalee94]

All this pre- cleaning cleaning is just silly.

seriously, i agree. i put used towels on the floor and try to leave out the linens for the pullout if they were used so housekeeping knows. that's about it.

 

[heynowirv]

1-Dirty towels on the bathroom's floor
2-DW loaded and running
3-Sofabed left open(So mouse-keeping knows it was used)
4-open items in fridge trashed.....
and that's all folks

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

seriously, i agree. i put used towels on the floor and try to leave out the linens for the pullout if they were used so housekeeping knows. that's about it.

Feeling better and better about how to leave the room.

 

[3dog2kidmom]

I am not going to waste valuable vacation time doing someone's job for them. We take our stuff and leave. Dishes in sink, towels on bathroom floor or in tub. That's it.

 

[TisBit]

As others have said, I do not do anything "special" when leaving. We might consolidate trash only out of convenience for us packing, not for housekeeping. We generally load the dishwasher as we use dishes, so the dishes are there. Here is my opinion on running it, they give you ONE dishwasher detergent....if they wanted me to run it they should give me more. We usually don't even have that one left at the end of a week. So, we aren't buying soap to run it. Towels, well they are usually in the bathroom somewhere, floor/tub/hanging....wherever they were left after our shower.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

You don't have to do anything except vacate the room by 11 AM.

The others are just describing what they do to help housekeeping get the room ready for the next guests. They hope their efforts will allow the next guests to get into the room early and that they'll pay it forward - and thus they might have a better chance of getting in early themselves next time.

I totally agree.

We make sure dishwasher is running when we leave.
All used towels in the tub
Trash consolidated.
But I do not strip the beds.

Hopefully this helps someone else get into their villa a little earlier and starts their trip off with a little bit of pixie dust.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

I was so glad to hear that so many DVC'ers are considerate of the mousekeeper's time and of the next guests' comfort. We, too, leave the unit in reasonable shape - towels in the bathtub, dishes started in the dishwasher, etc. It makes me feel that there is a good chance that the people before me were as careful with the unit for my sake as I try to be for the next guests.

 

[sssteph]

slowly.

sadly.

Hah , agreed.

I take out recycling daily, so the day we leave I do that as well. We tend to have a lot of glass or cans because we are beer/wine drinkers.

I put all the trash in the trash cans and put the used towels in a single pile.

If I've used dishes I wash them, however, we don't often stay in a 1 or 2 bedroom so this isn't usually an issue.

This may not be popular however, I don't tip the housekeepers. We pay for housekeeping as a portion of our dues. I will tip if I ask for something extra, like towels or coffee and they are delivered. Also, I tip the bellhops for their services and storing/watching bags.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I was so glad to hear that so many DVC'ers are considerate of the mousekeeper's time and of the next guests' comfort. We, too, leave the unit in reasonable shape - towels in the bathtub, dishes started in the dishwasher, etc. It makes me feel that there is a good chance that the people before me were as careful with the unit for my sake as I try to be for the next guests.

I'm sure you didn't mean to make it sound as though the members that don't clean the villa before they leave aren't considerate or careful. Right?

We do pay the housekeepers, don't we?

I'm just thinking about my next visit. We will be there 4 days (5 nights). And we are using the 4 days/4 parks ticket. That means every day we are there we will be at a park. By the time we leave, we will simply want to leave. I won't be interested in searching for the trash room. Or making sure I bring extra dishwasher soap. Or finding cleaner to wipe down the counters.

Does that make me a bad member?

 

[DebbieB]

I'm sure you didn't mean to make it sound as though the members that don't clean the villa before they leave aren't considerate or careful. Right?

We do pay the housekeepers, don't we?

I'm just thinking about my next visit. We will be there 4 days (5 nights). And we are using the 4 days/4 parks ticket. That means every day we are there we will be at a park. By the time we leave, we will simply want to leave. I won't be interested in searching for the trash room. Or making sure I bring extra dishwasher soap. Or finding cleaner to wipe down the counters.

Does that make me a bad member?

As long as you don't leave it trashed, I don't think other members care what you do.