What consumables do you stock and how often do you restock?

Category: Operations & Cleaning

By: Maria Gonzales

Posted: 2025-12-09T08:32:07.056Z

Currently stocking: toilet paper (4 rolls), paper towels (2 rolls), dish soap, hand soap, shampoo/conditioner/body wash, coffee, sugar, creamer, salt, pepper, olive oil. Is this enough? Too much? What's your consumable setup and how do you handle restocking between guests?

Reply by Michael Thompson:

Here's my "consumables bible" that I've refined over 100+ turnovers: **Bathroom (per stay, not per night):** - Toilet paper: 1 roll per day of stay + 1 extra - Shampoo/conditioner/body wash: Refillable wall dispensers (NOT mini bottles — too wasteful and cheap-looking) - Hand soap: Wall-mounted foaming soap dispenser - Cotton pads, Q-tips in a jar - 1 makeup remover cloth per guest **Kitchen (starter supply, not unlimited):** - Coffee pods: 8 per stay (I use a Keurig) - Sugar, cream, honey - Salt, pepper, olive oil, cooking spray - Dish soap + dishwasher tabs (I leave 4 tabs) - Paper towels: 2 rolls - Trash bags: 1 extra under the current bag - Sponge (fresh for each guest) **Extras that guests LOVE (high ROI):** - Welcome water bottles in the fridge (2 per guest) - Local snack or treat (I buy in bulk from Costco) - Tea selection (4-6 varieties in a caddy) - Wine opener and bottle opener (not technically a consumable but guests always mention it) **Cost:** ~$18-25 per turnover depending on stay length. I restock entirely at each turnover — my cleaner handles it using a checklist. Pro tip: buy everything in bulk from Amazon Subscribe & Save or Costco. My per-unit costs dropped 30-40%.

Reply by James Wu:

I'll add one thing: **laundry detergent.** If you have in-unit laundry, leave a small bottle of detergent. Guests won't use much but they'll appreciate the option. It's maybe $3 per stay and avoids the "is laundry detergent provided?" message. Also, I switched from individual coffee pods to a good drip coffee maker + a bag of local coffee. Guests mention it in reviews constantly ("loved the local coffee touch!") and it's actually cheaper than Keurig pods. Plus it's more environmentally friendly.

Reply by Jake Anderson:

On restocking frequency: for back-to-back bookings, my cleaner restocks everything at each turnover. For properties with gaps between bookings, I do a weekly check where I swing by and make sure nothing expired or ran out. I keep a "restock bin" at each property — a labeled plastic bin in the closet with backup supplies of everything. When stocks get low during a turnover, the cleaner pulls from the bin and texts me to reorder. Usually I batch Amazon orders once a month.