What People Leave Behind

I used to travel with a down pillow. Once I took my daughter and Sven to a Vassar reunion. I was too busy keeping track of them to keep track of my pillow, which disappeared from the dorm room, minutes after our departure. I know this because I called up and no one could find it. This experience made me realize guests will contact us if they have lost something and want it back.

I’m fascinated by how many people leave stuff behind when they stay at a B&B. This year we have accumulated quite a treasure trove. If someone emails me to request that I return a lost item, and it is here, I will do so. No request, no return. Here’s the list for 2011, so far: striped pajama bottom, child’s pajama bottom with horse pattern, four lots of packaged shells, a bottle of premium vodka (now stored away for this guest’s next visit), a rag doll, books. I have written about what people leave behind in past blog posts. My favorite is from 2009.

The Hatley child’s pajama bottom provides the opportunity to mention how important it is for children to wear clothing that is not treated with flame retardants. On the Web site, Hatley explains why: “Industry standards dictate that if a piece of kids' or infant clothing is going to be fire-retardant it has to be coated with a chemical. Hatley tries to keep its clothes as natural as possible using mostly natural fibers. In order to maintain compliance with industry standards our clothes are snug fitting instead.” So, now I know where to shop for clothing for my grandkids!

Have you ever left anything behind? What do you think I should do with the unclaimed shells? Are you aware how devastating flame retardants can be for our endocrine system?