The Best Laundry Detergent for Your Airbnb or Vacation Rental in 2023

The right laundry detergent can stretch the lifetime of your bedding inventory and help you stress less about making your guests' stay enjoyable. We’ve picked out the best laundry detergent for Airbnb that can do both!

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The cleanliness of your short-term rental is one of the things that guests will most thoroughly evaluate. So, if you don’t want to risk a three (or less)-star review, choosing a laundry detergent is something that deserves your time and attention.

Low-quality laundry detergent that might cause allergies or rash and ruin your linens won’t do, so we’re here to share our top choices for the best laundry detergent for Airbnb. When it comes to picking the best of the best, the ECOS Hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent has won that title.

Why Do You Need to Carefully Choose a Laundry Detergent for Your Airbnb?

A wrong detergent can cause discomfort to your guests and damage your sheets, bedding, and towels by causing fading, thinning, or yellowing. 

If you’ve invested in high-quality sheets, pillowcases, towels, bath robes, and other household items, you want to maintain them with a proper laundry detergent that will keep them as good as new for a long time.

What can be an even bigger issue is if you use a strong, cheap detergent filled with harmful chemicals that could cause guests to have a rash or allergic reaction. Imagine the effect of such an unpleasant experience on your guests’ reviews.  

Factors to Consider When Buying a Laundry Detergent for Your Airbnb

A lot of different factors make a laundry detergent suitable or unsuitable for short-term rentals, but here are some of the key ones you should think of:

Fragrance – Strong fragrances can bother guests with sensitive noses and might cause allergies to flare up, so use a hypoallergenic detergent with a mild scent. You can also opt for a scent-free detergent.

Strength of the Detergent – Gentle detergent will do a better job at extending the life of linens that are washed often, and it will do just as good a job of removing stains as the strong, chemical-filled ones.

Ingredients – When your linens are used by a wide variety of people, it is best if you choose a detergent with plant-based ingredients. This will help you avoid any allergic reactions some guests would have to certain synthetic chemicals.

Size – Bigger bottles are more budget-friendly, and you’ll get more loads out of them so you won’t have to repurchase the detergent that often. However, if you provide your guests with a washer and dryer, you should leave them detergent pods instead of the big bottle as that will be more convenient for them.

FAQs About Airbnb Laundry

Here are some of the most frequent questions Airbnb owners have about laundry:

What do I need to wash between guests?

After each guest, you should wash all bedding that comes into contact with the guests (including mattress protectors and pillow protectors), as well as towels and bath mats

Do I need to wash duvets, comforters, and blankets after each guest?

The duvets, comforters, and blankets should be washed as often as possible, but the issue can be that they take longer to dry—and you probably don’t have extras, like you do extra sheets. A good solution is to get thin duvets instead of blankets and use removable duvet covers since they can be easily washed. 

What are some of the best wash process tips for Airbnb laundry?

Here are some of the tips that can help you clean more thoroughly and efficiently:

  • Check for stains first, and set aside any item that needs special treatment with stain remover.
  • Wash the laundry on a quick 30-degree Celsius/86-degree Fahrenheit wash. It is still a warm wash so it will do the job, but it won’t take too much time.
  • Doing an extra spin after the washing has finished helps the items dry more quickly.
  • Invest in fast-drying bedding, bath mats, and other items.

How many sets of sheets and towels should I have?

Relieve the pressure of doing laundry ASAP when you have back-to-back bookings by buying multiple sets of sheets and towels. A good rule of thumb is that you have 2-3 sets of sheets per bed and 2-3 sets of towels (a set being two towels per guest). 

Should I hire a laundry service?

A laundry service can be a lifesaver if you rent your property frequently and have a quick guest turnover. You don’t need to use them for all items, just for the more heavy-duty ones like blankets.

The Best Laundry Detergent for Airbnb and Vacation Rentals

We’ve come across some pretty good options for the best laundry detergent for short-term rentals, but after reviewing all the factors, our top pick is the ECOS Hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent.

ECOS Hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent

Here are some of the top reasons why we picked this detergent as the best one for Airbnb:

100% Vegan – This laundry detergent is made of plant-derived ingredients. One of them is the all-mighty coconut—a highly renewable resource with natural cleaning properties that will protect colors and fight stains!

No Harmful Chemicals – This detergent is free from dyes, optical brighteners, parabens, phosphates, and other harmful ingredients.

Hypoallergenic – As the name says, ECOS Hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent is dermatologist-tested hypoallergenic and pH-balanced.

Wonderful Smell – We picked this detergent with the scent of magnolia and lily because it is not overpowering but will leave your bedding smelling like fresh flowers.

Fantastic Reviews – Thousands of customers have raved on Amazon about how effective this detergent is.

Other Airbnb Laundry Detergent Alternatives

When it comes to alternatives, the Seventh Generation Concentrated Laundry Detergent is our top pick for a scent-free detergent, and Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid wins as the eco-friendly option.

If you want to provide your guests with a clear, scent-free, hypoallergenic laundry detergent for sensitive skin, we suggest the Seventh Generation Concentrated Laundry Detergent. This detergent can come in handy if your rental is suitable for families with small children since parents tend to use mild laundry detergents. 

Seventh Generation Concentrated Laundry Detergent is bio-based and 96% of it is made with plant-based ingredients. However, it is still powerful enough to fight any stains. 

The Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid contains all plant-based, biodegradable ingredients; it is phosphate-free, fragrance-free, dye-free, and sulfate-free. Charlie’s Soap Laundry Liquid is even certified to be safer for the environment and is also septic safe. A little goes a long way with this detergent, so it should last you longer. 

Final Thoughts

While fragrance-free detergents might work for some, the majority of people love the refreshing smell of clean laundry. Since we managed to find a detergent that smells amazing but is also plant-based and hypoallergenic, it is no surprise that the ECOS Hypoallergenic Laundry Detergent has taken first place in this category.