Most appliances in a rental don't need explaining. A guest has used a kettle before. They have used a toaster before. What they haven't used is your kettle, your toaster, your oven - the specific one with the one specific thing wrong with it that no amount of general life experience prepares them for.
The mistake hosts make is writing a paragraph about an appliance that works exactly as expected, and nothing about the one that doesn't. Guests don't read paragraphs. They read the first six words and decide if the rest matters. So the fix isn't more documentation - it's one line per appliance, and only a real line if there's a real quirk.
The oven, almost always
The oven is the usual culprit because ovens have more ways to be confusing than any other appliance in the kitchen. Temperature dial in Celsius when the guest is used to Fahrenheit. A broil setting that's actually the bottom element. A dial that doesn't click into place and needs to be pushed in before it'll turn. An igniter that takes four tries and a faint gas smell before it lights.
Write the actual behavior, not a reassurance:
"Oven runs about 20°F hot - set it lower than the recipe says."
"Push the dial in before turning it, or it won't catch."
"Preheat light turns off before it's actually ready. Give it another 5 minutes."
"Top and bottom elements are separate switches. Both need to be on for normal baking."
If the oven has no quirk at all, don't write anything. "The oven works like a normal oven" tells a guest nothing they didn't already assume.
The stove, if it's induction
Skip this section if it's a standard gas or electric coil - guests know those. But if it's induction, one line saves a confused phone call: "Pots need to be magnetic - a fridge magnet should stick to the bottom. Regular glass or ceramic won't heat."
The washer, because of the cycle names
Washers rarely have mechanical quirks, but they have naming quirks. A cycle called "Eco 40-60" doesn't mean what a guest thinks it means, and a machine that locks for ten minutes after the cycle ends looks broken. "Door locks for a few minutes after the cycle finishes - that's normal, not stuck." That's the whole entry.
The dishwasher, if the detergent slot sticks
Most dishwashers are dishwashers. If yours has a detergent compartment that needs a firm push to click shut, or a slide-out basket that's actually the silverware tray and not the cup holder it looks like, say so in one line. Otherwise leave it out.
The coffee maker, which is where guests actually get stuck
This is the one worth never skipping, because every coffee maker is a slightly different ritual and guests have strong opinions about getting it right at 7am. "Water goes in the back, not the top - the lid there is for the filter basket" is a sentence that prevents an actual mess. If it's a pod machine, name the pod type: "Takes Nespresso Vertuo pods, not the small originals - they won't fit."
The thermostat, only if it's not a dial
If guests can turn a dial and get warmer or colder, skip this entirely. If it's a smart thermostat with a app, a schedule that overrides manual changes, or a lock-out feature that resets itself every night, write the one line that stops them from fighting it: "If you adjust the temperature and it resets in an hour, that's the schedule - hold the temperature button for 3 seconds to override it for the full day."
The microwave, almost never
Microwaves are the one appliance that rarely needs a line. Unless the keypad is unlabeled touch-sensitive glass instead of buttons, or the "quick start" is a specific button and not just pressing start twice, leave it alone.
The garbage disposal, if there is one
In places that have them, this is the single most-feared appliance for guests who've never used one before, especially international guests, since they're rare outside North America. One line removes the fear: "Flip the switch on the wall by the sink, not under the sink - it runs for a few seconds, that's normal."
The TV remote, which isn't an appliance but gets the same treatment
Same rule applies even though it's not technically an appliance: one line, only if there's a quirk. "Turn on the TV first, then the soundbar, or the soundbar won't find the signal" is the sentence that saves fifteen minutes of a guest cycling through inputs.
Writing the lines themselves
A good line names the exact behavior and the exact fix, in that order. Not "the oven can be a little tricky" - that's a warning with no information in it. Not "please refer to the manufacturer's instructions for optimal oven use" - nobody is finding that booklet at 6pm with a casserole to make.
The test for whether a line belongs in the guidebook at all: would a guest who has used a hundred ovens before still get stuck on this one? If yes, it's a quirk, write it. If the answer is "no, any adult would figure this out," leave it out and save the guest's attention for the lines that matter. A guidebook with twelve appliance entries that are all genuinely useful gets read. One with thirty generic entries gets skimmed once and ignored for the rest of the stay.
If you're updating an existing guidebook, the fastest way to find these lines is to think back on your last few turnover calls or messages - not reviews, those come after the fact, but the actual mid-stay "quick question" texts. Almost every one of those questions is an appliance quirk you haven't written down yet. TouchGuides lets you drop each line under the right appliance in the digital guidebook, so it shows up exactly where a guest is already looking when they hit the same snag.