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Hotels call it the par level: the number of sets of each linen item a property needs in circulation so that there is always a clean one ready, whatever the laundry is doing. Hosts usually learn it the hard way, on the Saturday when the only clean fitted sheet is in the washing machine. This guide gives the par levels for one unit up to ten, explains the three-set rule and the situations where it breaks, and sets out towel counts per guest so you can order or hire the right stock the first time.
The numbers come from how we stock Airbnb linen hire and laundry in London for hosts and operators, where getting the par wrong costs either a late check-in or a shelf of idle linen.
For every bed: one set on the bed, one set clean and ready in the cupboard, one set in the laundry. Three. That is the minimum that lets you strip a bed and remake it immediately, every time, with the dirty set going into the wash afterwards rather than before.
Two sets works only if you launder and dry between every check-out and check-in, which means a same-day turnover depends on a washing machine, a dryer and three uninterrupted hours. One late check-out, one slow dryer or one guest who spills a bottle of red wine, and you are buying sheets in a supermarket at 1pm.
Four sets is the comfortable level for a bed that turns over more than twice a week, for any property without a dryer, and for any host who is not on site. It absorbs a stain that needs a second wash, a guest who extends a stay, and a bank holiday when the laundry is closed.
Per bed, hotel style: a fitted sheet (or a flat sheet and a mattress protector), a flat sheet or a duvet cover, a duvet cover if you use a flat sheet underneath too, two pillowcases for a single, four for a double or larger (two to sleep on and two for the decorative pillows guests actually sleep on), and a mattress protector. The protector is part of the set because it is changed every stay; a mattress with no protector is a mattress that needs cleaning every few weeks, as our guide to cleaning a mattress explains.
Sofa beds count as a bed if the listing says they sleep guests. Stock them at three sets like any other bed; “the sofa bed set” being the one you never have is a classic.
Per guest per stay: one bath towel, one hand towel, and a bath mat per bathroom. For stays of four nights or more, or for a listing pitched above budget, add a second bath towel per guest. Then apply the same three-set rule to the towel count, because towels take longer to dry than sheets and are the first thing to run short.
Worked example for a one-bedroom flat sleeping two with one bathroom: 2 bath towels + 2 hand towels + 1 bath mat per stay = 5 pieces; times three sets = 6 bath towels, 6 hand towels, 3 bath mats in circulation. Add tea towels (two per stay, three sets, so six) and, if you provide them, face cloths.
| Units | Beds (typical) | Bed sets | Bath towels | Hand towels | Bath mats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 studio, sleeps 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 bed sets if turning over 3+ times a week |
| 1 one-bed, sleeps 4 with sofa bed | 2 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 3 | Sofa bed often needs a different size |
| 1 two-bed, sleeps 4, 1 bathroom | 2 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 3 | Mixed bed sizes: keep sets labelled by size |
| 1 two-bed, sleeps 6, 2 bathrooms | 3 | 9 | 18 | 18 | 6 | Second bathroom doubles the mats |
| 3 units, mixed | 5 | 15 | 30 | 30 | 9 | Shared stock can drop to 2.5 sets per bed if the laundry cycle is reliable |
| 5 units, mixed | 8 | 22 | 44 | 44 | 15 | Central store plus a spare set per unit on site |
| 10 units, mixed | 15 | 40 | 80 | 80 | 28 | Hire rather than own; par held by the laundry |
The ratio falls slightly as the portfolio grows because stock is pooled: ten units do not each need their own spare set if one central store and a daily laundry run cover them. Below three units there is no pooling and the three-set rule applies per bed in full.
A par level only works if the clean sets are findable. Store linen by bed size on labelled shelves (king, double, single, sofa bed) rather than in one heap, fold every set the same way with the pillowcases inside the duvet cover so one bundle is one bed, and keep towels separate from bedding. In a one-bedroom flat the store is usually the top shelf of the wardrobe or an ottoman bed; in a studio it may have to be a locked box, which is a point in favour of hiring with delivery timed to the changeover. Keep a laminated card on the shelf saying what the par is, so a cleaner can see at a glance that a set is missing rather than discovering it on the next turnover.
Everything above assumes you own the linen and run the laundry. With hired linen the par is held by the laundry rather than by you: clean sets are delivered on a 14 or 21-day cycle and used sets collected, so the question becomes how many sets you need on site between deliveries, not how many you need to own. For a single unit that is usually two sets on the shelf plus the one on the bed; for a portfolio it is the delivery schedule that sets it. Whether owning or hiring is cheaper for your property is worked through per changeover in should you hire or buy your Airbnb linen?.
Count the stock once a month. Linen walks: a towel goes to the beach, a pillowcase gets used as a laundry bag, a sheet is binned after a stain. A par of three that has quietly become two is how the Saturday problem starts. Keep the count on the same checklist as the changeover; our Airbnb cleaning checklist has a line for it.
Want the par level set and held for you? Get a free quote with your bed sizes and turnover and we come back within one working hour.
