Short-term-rental hosts buy table linens like hoteliers with a laundry bill: the cloth must survive weekly turnovers, photograph bright, and replace cheaply. That combination points at a specific kit — and most hosts overbuy decorative cloth and underbuy turnover cloth.
What goes in a turnover linen kit per unit?
| Unit type | Table cloths | Runners | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1BR | 2 wipe-clean | 1 | One on table, one mid-wash |
| 2-3BR family | 2 wipe-clean + 1 white cotton-linen | 2 | White for listing photos |
| 4BR+ / luxury | 2 wipe-clean + 2 white + 1 accent | 3 | Staged shots plus guest wear |
Par level is the hotel rule: two of every working piece, minimum — one in service, one in the turnover basket. The white cotton-linen piece exists for photography days only; guests get the wipe-clean. The broader linen context (cushions, throws that survive guests) is in our Airbnb hosting essentials.
Wipe-clean or washable: which survives turnovers?
Wipe-clean, for the guest-facing table. Cleaning crews have four minutes per surface; a coated cloth gets one pass and the turnover continues. Washable cotton-linen belongs to the photo kit and the luxury tier where a laundry loop exists. The fabric decision and stain honesty notes are in the wipe-clean category guide; the PVC-vs-coated split for high-abuse surfaces is in the waterproof buyer's guide.
Why white for photos and not for guests?
White photographs a room brighter and cleaner than any color — listing CTR rewards it. It also shows every wine spill, which is exactly why guests never see it. Hosts who run one white set per unit for shoot days and refresh it yearly get the listing benefit without the replacement cost.
What sizes fit rental tables?
Rental dining tables cluster at 6-ft rectangles and 36-42 in rounds; the 60×84 in cloth and the 130-140 cm round cover nearly all of them. Keep one size per shape across the whole portfolio — interchangeability between units is what makes par levels cheap. The measuring method is in the rectangle size chart.
What is a 3-unit starter order?
Six wipe-clean (two sizes), three white cotton-linen, three runners: twelve pieces, roughly $90-150 wholesale, one small carton DDP. Replacement economics matter more than the first order: at $5-8 per wipe-clean cloth, a ruined cloth is a $6 write-off, not a $40 laundry-and-replace cycle — which is the entire argument for turnover-grade linen, the same logic event renters use in the event linen inventory guide.
Valvive's PVC waterproof tablecloths are the turnover workhorse — wipe-clean, oil-proof, cut for 6-ft and round rental tables — from 3 pieces per size, mixable with white photo linens in one low-MOQ DDP order. Request a quote; pricing returns in 1-2 business days.