When we first arrived at Emily’s place, I was disappointed to find that it did not appear very clean. The sheets had crumb-type residue as well as small dog-like hairs on them and the pillows did not smell fresh, but rather as if they had been slept on. The carpet in one of the bedrooms seemed dirty; there was hair enough (blond and mine is brown) so that it gathered on my foot when I walked over it. The bathroom smelled like mildew with a slight urine odor, the towels reeked of mildew as if they had been left wet in a washer and then dried. None of the beds had a top sheet at all, only a bottom sheet and comforter, and I generally found this gross. The place had the appearance of not only a shabby cleaning job, but also a shabby construction job, which lent to the feeling of “yuck.” Lastly, they recycling bin had been left full under the sink and one of the odors revealed itself to be the old compost left in the bin long enough to grow mold and reek, this may have contributed to the flies that had taken up residence. I am a fan of composting as much as anyone, however—I don’t want to find it left in the bin for me to dump.

After sleeping on the disappointing arrival (I want to do things with a clear head) I wrote an email to Emily, and outlined what I had found. I had just finished and walked out the door (with my husband and 5-year-old) when Emily appeared outside, she was visibly upset (and obviously having an immediate emotional reaction given the timing) and she stated that “the floor had been cleaned with a toothbrush, the place was clean” and “So sorry it is not up to your standards” and I was “more than welcome to wash (myself) the sheets and towels if I felt they were not clean.” Clearly we were not going to agree on any other outcome. I was wrong in her eyes and that was that.
Later, I contacted the Air bnb and sent them the pictures (I took after getting home that day) and they agreed that cleanliness was an issue and worked with me to resolve the matter. I could not change locations (Seattle in August is BUSY), which was what I would have liked to do. However, Air BnB was awesome and acted as an intermediary with Emily. They arranged for her to have the place cleaned, and that was a huge relief. We bought ourselves towels,

I wish that Emily had come to me and said, “I am so sorry you are uncomfortable, how can we resolve this?” I would have gladly worked with her. Instead her attitude and general lack of willingness to help left me without an alternative. In fact she NEVER spoke with us again, not to say she was sorry, not to ask if things had improved-nothing.