Airbnb Linen Par Levels Explained

Hotels have used the word "par" for a century. Short-term rental hosts almost never hear it, which is a shame, because it turns a vague worry — do I have enough sheets? — into simple arithmetic.

What par actually means

One par is one complete set of linen for the entire property. Every bed dressed, every bathroom stocked, once.

So if your property has four beds and two bathrooms, one par is four sheet sets, the pillowcases for those four beds, and enough towels and mats for two bathrooms. Two par is double that. Three par is triple.

The three positions

The reason par levels are counted in whole sets is that linen is only ever in one of three places:

1. In service — on the bed or hanging in the bathroom.
2. In process — stripped, in the wash, in the dryer, or waiting.
3. In reserve — clean, folded, on the shelf.

Two par covers positions one and two. Three par covers all three, and that third position is what makes a same-day turnover possible.

Choosing your level

ParRight forRisk 2 par A single property with on-site laundry and a gap between bookings One machine breakdown stops the property 3 par Almost everyone. Same-day turnovers, on-site laundry Low 4 par Off-site laundry, back-to-back peak bookings, remote properties Higher upfront cost, more storage needed

What does not multiply by par

Some items are not laundered every turnover, so multiplying them by par wastes money:

• Duvet inserts and comforters — one per bed, washed occasionally. The cover is what gets changed.
• Mattress protectors — two per bed is right. One on, one spare.
• Pillows — replaced on a schedule, not a rotation. Enough to dress every bed plus a few spares.
• Blankets and coverlets — one per bed, laundered between guests only if they were used.

The owner's closet

Experienced operators keep a small extra stock separate from the working rotation, locked away and not touched during normal turnovers. It exists for one thing: the emergency that happens at 2pm on a Saturday.

A sensible owner's closet is one extra set per bed size and half a par of towels. It is not part of your par count, and if you find yourself using it monthly, your real par level is one higher than you thought.

Replacement, not just stocking

Par tells you what to buy on day one. It does not tell you when to replace. A rough guide for a busy property:

• Pillowcases: every 12 to 18 months
• Sheets: every 2 to 3 years
• Bath towels: every 2 years
• Pillows: every 18 months to 2 years
• Duvet inserts: every 3 to 5 years

Buy replacements in the same colour and the same product, and stagger them so a room never has one obviously newer sheet on the bed.