Airbnb laundry facilities are useful only when guests can find them, understand the controls and finish a load before they need to leave. In a London flat, a washing machine tucked behind a kitchen door can be easy to miss, while a washer-dryer can cause confusion if the drying instructions are absent.
Give guests a short guide for the appliance actually installed, then test it from start to finish. This checklist covers laundry guests do during their stay. For cleaning bed linen and towels between bookings, see our London housekeeping and linen guide.
Describe exactly what laundry facilities guests can use
Airbnb includes washing machines in its amenities guidance. Its ground rules for hosts require available amenities and restrictions on access to be accurately described. Check the listing against the real arrangement:
- Location: is the machine inside the flat, in a shared room or elsewhere in the building?
- Access: can guests use it throughout their stay, and are there building access or operating hours?
- Equipment: is there a washing machine, a separate dryer, a combined washer-dryer or a drying rack?
- Supplies and payment: what detergent is supplied, and are any shared-facility charges or payment arrangements involved?
A nearby launderette is a useful alternative, but describe it as a local service. Do not select an in-property amenity merely because a commercial laundry is within walking distance. If a building has communal facilities, confirm guests are permitted to use them before making that promise.
Write instructions for the exact machine
Keep the model number and manufacturer's manual in your property record. Photograph the controls and identify the buttons guests need for an ordinary wash, using the names shown on the panel. Choose the instructions from that model's manual rather than copying a generic sequence from another flat.
Include how to select a programme, where detergent goes, the permitted load and how the appliance indicates that it has finished. Tell guests to follow their clothing care labels when choosing washing or drying settings. A single recommended temperature cannot suit everything they may bring.
Check the detergent advice against the product you supply. Bosch's dosage guidance identifies load size, soiling and water hardness as factors. Use the appliance manual and detergent packaging to write the local instructions; avoid an unexplained universal quantity such as “one cap”.
Leave a readable paper copy near the machine as well as a digital version in the guest welcome information. Guests should be able to start a wash without downloading an app or finding a private owner account.
Explain drying separately
Make it clear whether the appliance washes only or also dries. For a combined machine, record the washing and drying limits separately. Bosch's washer-dryer specifications show models with a smaller drying capacity than washing capacity. Check the actual model before telling guests they can dry a full wash load in one cycle.
Test the drying option with an appropriate load and note the result. Do not promise that every programme finishes within a fixed time: give the information supported by the machine's instructions and display. Explain where the drying rack is kept and where it can be used without blocking access through the flat.
If there is no tumble-drying facility, say so plainly. A photograph of a washing machine does not establish that drying is available. Check that the listing, welcome guide and appliance card describe the same setup.
A guest laundry instruction card to adapt
Complete every field below using verified details. Remove anything that does not apply, and test the finished card before giving it to guests.
- Where: The washing machine is in [location]. You can use it [access arrangements and permitted hours].
- Before loading: Check your clothing care labels and pockets. The load limit for [programme] is [verified limit from the manual].
- Detergent: We provide [product] in [location]. Use [verified packaging instructions] and put it in [correct compartment or location for this machine].
- Starting: Select [programme and settings], then press [button name]. The display shows [verified indication]. See the manual for other fabrics and programmes.
- Drying: [Explain the available drying facility, its separate load limit and the relevant instructions, or state that no dryer is provided.]
- Finishing: Follow the appliance's normal end-of-cycle instructions before opening. Please remove your laundry when the cycle has finished.
- Help: If the machine shows an error, leaks or does not operate normally, stop using it and contact us through [guest contact route]. Please do not force the door, remove panels or attempt repairs.
Add a clear photograph or diagram of the actual controls if it helps. Keep emergency and repair instructions with the management team; the guest card should explain ordinary use and how to get assistance.
Test the guide as a first-time visitor
Ask someone unfamiliar with the flat to follow the instructions without coaching. Can they find the machine, detergent and drying rack? Do the button labels match? Can they tell whether the selected cycle includes drying?
Record confusing steps and revise the guide. Check that the manual link opens on a phone and that any code or link on the paper card still works. Repeat the check when an appliance or detergent product changes, even if the cupboard location stays the same.
Agree a separate housekeeping check for the machine and its surroundings, following the manufacturer's care instructions. Keep supplies in their original labelled packaging, stored according to their safety instructions. Include the appliance and guest supplies in the property inventory so replenishment and reported faults have an owner.
Have a plan when the washing machine fails
Ask the guest for the displayed error and a brief description of what happened, without asking them to dismantle or service the appliance. Assign the issue to someone who can arrange appropriate support. Tell the guest when they will next hear from you, even if the repair time is still unconfirmed.
Check a proposed alternative before offering it: confirm a launderette's current opening hours, services and payment arrangements, or ask a laundry provider what they can actually collect and return. Agree any reimbursement before representing it as approved. Avoid promising same-day repair or a replacement service without confirmation.
Keep upcoming guests informed if the advertised facility will be unavailable, and review the listing while the problem remains unresolved. Close the fault only after operation has been checked, using a clear maintenance handover.
Make laundry part of a reliable guest setup
A useful laundry facility has an accurate description, tested instructions, suitable supplies and a clear route for help. Review repeated guest questions: they often reveal the next detail the card needs.
StayinLondon coordinates guest communication, housekeeping and property operations through its London Airbnb management service. Request a property assessment to discuss how your flat is prepared and managed.
Platform and manufacturer guidance checked on 1 November 2026. The instruction card is a template to complete for your own appliance and property; it is not a replacement for the manufacturer's manual.
