Check Out the Carbon Monoxide Detector on Airbnb
In May, six tourists died of carbon monoxide poisoning while staying at an Airbnb-rented property in Santiago, Chile. This was not an isolated incident. In 2018, a couple who traveled to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico also died after unknowingly inhaling gas emitted by a heater in their Airbnb rental.
While Airbnb encourages hosts to install carbon monoxide and smoke detectors – and makes them available to eligible renters for free – in fact, according to its website, the rental platform requires neither. (However, in some cities and states, such as New York and California , detectors are required in most homes anyway.)
However, these guidelines are rarely followed and some homeowners may choose not to install properly working detectors. With that in mind, here’s a quick safety guide for those of you traveling during the upcoming holidays: be sure to check your listing for carbon monoxide and smoke detectors before booking Airbnb. They should appear in the list under the Amenities section. If you see any of these crossed out, it may be worth reconsidering your booking, especially if you are traveling with children or the elderly.
Even so, the property with the detectors is not a guarantee that they are actually in working order; If you’re staying with Airbnb, it doesn’t hurt to do a quick check to make sure they’re working when you first arrive. (If they don’t work, it is worth alerting the host as soon as possible so they can remedy the situation.)
And if you’re wondering how to recognize a CO build-up space, the CDC recommends watching for signs of “headache, dizziness, weakness, indigestion, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion.” Unfortunately, CO is odorless and colorless, which means you can easily confuse your headaches or dizziness with symptoms of something else (like altitude sickness ). If you are using a fuel-fired heater , make sure it also has adequate ventilation.