“We felt we needed to wipe down all kitchen surfaces and both kitchen and dining room tables, which were oilcloth covered and somewhat sticky, with anti bacterial wipes prior to using them.”
The property is listed for 10 people yet the kitchen cannot seat that many. We did not think that the house was particularly well cleaned prior to our occupancy and there was no means available to clean the quarry tiled kitchen floor. The decoration was really old fashioned and the attic room was something to behold. However if you put all that aside it was comfortable enough although it really was miles from anywhere. There was little to no wifi and extremely poor telephone signal but this was known upfront and was no surprise. The worst thing was the urine stained mattress which we found when the bed in the attic room was stripped on departure as requested.This was disgraceful and disgusting particularly in these days of covid and we had unknowingly sleptbon it for a week. The owners knew about this as when we brought it up through the agents after departure they said that they could not afford to change mattresses out when this happened. Not a good reply or reason. Perhaps they should use waterproof covers.
Not good.
I do pride myself on keeping to an extremely high standard of cleanliness in Raisthwaite. At each changeover, three adults work for five hours, and Raisthwaite has achieved an over 95% cleanliness rating regularly in the past 4 years.
All work surfaces the the kitchen and dining room and throughout Raisthwaite, are cleaned with anti-bacterial spray. It is possible this does leave a sticky residue on them. All cleaning products are also left in the property for guest to use throughout their stay, including extra hand sanitizer, hand wash and vinyl gloves for Covid safety measures.
The oilcloths are on the tables for visitor convenience and cotton tablecloths and table mats are available on the Welsh dresser for guests to use if they prefer. Very few guests do, as the oilcloths are so practical.
Raisthwaite has a dining room table which seats 10 and a kitchen which seats 8 plus an easy chair.
However, I do acknowledge there is no old fashioned mop and bucket available as I find them unhygienic, smelly and breed germs unless used and cleaned very carefully. We provide a broom with wipe attachments for guests to clean the quarry tiles as they choose, as necessary, whilst staying at Raisthwaite. We use floor disinfectant weekly at changeover days.
Obviously, Raisthwaite is a traditional Lake District farmhouse, as beautifully illustrated in the photographs by Lakelovers. The style and quality of the fixtures and fittings are clearly shown with Ercol furniture and leather suites throughout.
The attic renovation, with open plan en-suite and super king bed has been a guest favourite for the past four years, with a beautiful slipper bath as a centre piece.
It is a secluded woodland Lake District valley, surrounded by traditional fells, streams and ancient trees. It is a very beautiful, tranquil retreat.
Unfortunately, the stain on the mattress in the attic had been only partially dealt with as deep professional cleaning requires the bed to be dried for several days after treatment. I had spot cleaned the stain with antibacterial cleaner, and obviously, used mattress protectors as standard on all beds throughout. The mattress has now been professionally cleaned. All mattress and pillow protectors are changed at every changeover, guests may have accidents whilst staying at Raisthwaite and it is my priority to ensure an extremely high standard of hygiene, cleanliness and care is achieved for every guest. Waterproof covers would most certainly not be a comfortable, practical solution as they are non-breathable and cannot be washed at 60 degrees. Of course, guests may choose to bring their own if they wish.
Likewise, breakages, such as a lampshade broken do happen, as occurred with these last guests, along with a missing towel. I expect such incidents and am happy to report that almost all guests contact me if they have any concerns, queries or need advice.
It is a working farm and my husband and I are regularly at Raisthwaite, and are very pleased to talk to the guests, if the wish. Feedback is extremely important to us so we can continue to strive for the very best guest experience we can achieve.
Property Owner
