Airbnb charges extra $150 'cleaning fee' after guests leave one Hershey kiss wrapper and beds unmade: 'This is all normal cleaning'

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jul 1, 2026 11:45 AM EDT

Have you ever been scammed out of a fee in an Airbnb situation? 

Fees are getting out of hand. They are so often tacked onto things that don't need to be tacked onto. And the only one who suffers is the customer. If you're not willing and able to fight back against them, then you're losing out on a lot of money. People will take advantage of you if you're not careful, and you'd hate to end up in a situation that you regret. That's what happened to one family who was staying in an Airbnb when their host clearly tried to take advantage of them. Cleaning fees on Airbnb can already be outrageous. But to ask for even more than that, due to standard-issue cleaning? That's a pretty big ask. Nobody wants to feel like they've been made the fool, and nobody wants the wool pulled over their eyes. You can't point to something and say something that clearly isn't happening without everyone feeling a little delusional. That's gaslighting. There are clearly two different realities happening here at the same time, and it's difficult to square those without everyone spinning out. That's where the internet comes in, to provide more opinions and therefore more base layers of reality. That's what happened here, on the Mildly Infuriating subreddit. A family shared their story to the internet, where it was met with empathy and understanding. 

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  • The pictures were sent by the cleaners after we requested photos of "the state we left it in" The messages she said: "The trash was not thrown it was full, there was a pan full of used oil. Food stuck all over the table runner and in the kid bedroom upstairs there was foil with a burnt side with substance. My cleaner charged me an extra $150 due to the sever dirtiness.
    via MasonL52

  • AirBnB trying to charge an extra $150 for "severe dirtiness" and being left in an "upsetting state"

    Cheezburger Image 10643612672
    via MasonL52
  • If you took pictures before you left please share because what i walked into was very upsetting and it needs to be cleaned very thoroughly due to the used foil with substance. I have families and children that stay here."
    via MasonL52
  • po Tope Chico HARDSELTZE LATTE
    via MasonL52
  • "The trash was clearly not disposed. The table runner had food stuck all in it. That was thrown away. The room had that very strange foil. No one has ever left my home in those state and it is not the cleaning service job to dispose of oil. You could have reached out you did not. The living room was disgusting with
    via MasonL52
  • Cheezburger Image 10643613696
    via MasonL52
  • crumbs all over the floor. I've never had my house left in such a terrible condition. This is all she provided but I myself stopped by and visibly saw the mess. If you have proof you didn't leave it that way then please send pictures."
    via MasonL52
  • Cheezburger Image 10643614208
    via MasonL52
  • In fairness to her, we did leave a pot of oil. We didnt want to dispose of that on the property or down the drain, but thats on us. We disposed of the other garbage bags and left them outside, we forgot the one final one in the trash. The rest of the dishes were done, the towels left out and piled like requested, we spent plenty of time cleaning.
    via MasonL52
  • Cheezburger Image 10643612416
    via MasonL52
  • Then the "d g thing". The couple in that room said they never even saw what was left, but the owner is essentially saying theres left over meth, which is insane. I can guarantee our friends didnt casually sm ke meth in their room. Are we being absurd not entertaining this? Has anyone else dealt with this after renting a BNB. We were there for two days.
    via MasonL52

  • Sometimes it feels good to feel a little outraged. You have a bone to pick, and you'd like to pick it. There can be a certain amount of catharsis in this. It can feel good to get some validation about what you're feeling, and to know that you're not crazy. The world can make you feel a little crazy sometimes, and that's not your fault. It's a tough space out there, and there are constantly people trying to take advantage of you. But it can be difficult to parse out just what that stuff means and where it can come from. Keep scrolling to read this full story and get an idea of what was going on here.

  • Commenters gave their takes and opinions.

    getmybehindsatan A strange foil? Isn't that a Dove chocolate wrapper? Edit: a poster below has correctly identified it as a Hershey's Kiss with almond.
    via getmybehindsatan
  • icannotbelieve99 This is all normal cleaning. If the cleaner is charging her more for this, that's between her and the cleaner.
    via icannotbelieve99
  • Bright_Honey3500 lol looks like a chocolate wrappers anyways, i can't stand airbnb hosts and their insane cleaning fees. just don't reply to them they'll move on
    via Bright_Honey3500
  • Valturia They charged 150 extra on top of what? Lol Airbnb is such a scam. All of this could've been cleaned in less than an hour.
    via Valturia
  • Upset-Selection 9300 Zoom into the labels in the bin, clearly Al. Don't pay a thing and report to Airbnb, they likely won't do anything. so then out them on any social you can
    via Upset-Selection9300
  • WonderfulTruck5894 That's why you should just get a hotel with those prices lol
    via WonderfulTruck5894
  • Loendemeloen Isn't the job of the cleaner to clean? What's even the point of the cleaner then?
    via Loendemeloen
  • backward There are a lot of attempts by AirBNB owners to s k extra cash by claiming unacceptable items or trash etc have been found. It's a known problem, but AirBNB basically does nothing to help end users who are scammed. They've often. needed to be provided with overwhelming evidence of fraud against a property owner before they're on your side.
    via backward
  • TheDarbiter Didn't you pay a cleaning fee when booking? How could they ask for more money on top of an already ridiculous fee? I hate air bnb.
    via TheDarbiter
  • illepic Unless I need to stay with 10 of my homies, I'm never touching AirBnB ever again.
    via illepic
  • chickentender666627 This is why people should stop utilizing air bnb and vrbo. I don't want to clean every surface either so I do hotels.
    via chickentender666627
  • drunkguynextdoor I won't use Airbnb - too much petty bulls 1. It's so much easier to book a hotel where the only extra charge might be the mini-fridge, but everyone knows not to touch.
    via drunkguynextdoor

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