How to Clean Your Airbnb

Introduction

The current guest leaves your Airbnb at 9 a.m., and the new one checks in at noon. You're in a three-hour time crunch, and there's plenty to do to get your place ready for the new arrival. 

You could just give it a quick sweep and call it a day, but you don't want to lose your Superhost status. After all, cleanliness is essential in garnering positive reviews, eventually resulting in a better host reputation and more bookings. 

Now, the pressing question on your mind – how to clean for Airbnb and how to do it well. Don't worry, Rinse has your back. 

The Essential Airbnb Cleaning Checklist

Start with a walkthrough of your property to make a mental note of areas requiring more or immediate attention. Then, go through the following checklist to tackle all rooms one by one: 

Bedroom Bliss 

The more the bedroom in your Airbnb reminds a guest of a fancy hotel, the higher the likelihood of positive reviews. Do the following for a hotel-like bedroom experience:

• Replace the bedding, such as sheets, comforters, and blankets, with freshly cleaned ones. 

• Make the bed, including the following: a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, pillows, a duvet cover, and a top sheet. 

• Dust the light fixtures and furniture. 

• Vacuum the floors, rugs, baseboards, and window sills. 

• Wipe all surfaces, such as nightstands, bed frames, dressers, and mirrors.

 

Revitalized and Refreshed Bathrooms

The bathrooms can make or break a guest's experience in a vacation rental. Our tip is to clean in a back-to-front order, i.e., from the shower to the toilet to the sink to the floor. Here's what to do: 

• Clean the toilet, shower, and sink thoroughly. Scrub off any stains or dirt. 

• Wipe the mirror with an appropriate glass cleaner. 

• Replace the used towels with fresh ones. 

• Restock amenities in the bathroom, such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, dental floss, and a fresh bar of soap. 

• Take the trash out and put a new liner in the bin. 

• Mop the floor with a disinfectant cleaner. 

Sparkling Clean Kitchen

Moving on to the kitchen, give this area a refresh, too. Your guests might not cook, but they'll definitely pop in here for a quick cup of coffee or snack. Follow this cleaning checklist for the kitchen: 

• Take all remaining food out of the refrigerator. 

• Scrub off the grease and food particles in the oven, microwave, refrigerator, and other appliances. 

• Clean the countertops, stovetop, and faucet with an all-purpose cleaner. 

• Wash and organize all cooking utensils. 

• Restock kitchen supplies like dish soap, paper towels, matchsticks or lighters, garbage bags, and napkins. 

• Sweep and mop the floor.

A Welcoming Living Room

The living room is where guests will probably spend most of their time, so cleanliness is a must here. The checklist for the living room is as follows: 

• Vacuum the floors, carpets, rugs, and upholstery. 

• Dust the blinds, vents, light fixtures, window sills, baseboards, and shelves. 

• Wipe the TV screen and other glass surfaces, such as mirrors. 

• Disinfect the remote control and other objects that are touched frequently. 

The Extra Mile with Delightful Touches

What differentiates a regular host from a Superhost? The additional beautification touches. Here's what you can do to make your vacation rental memorable for guests. 

• Place welcome chocolates or flowers to welcome your guests. 

• Add complimentary water bottles, snacks, or a basket of toiletries in the bathrooms. 

• Provide add-ons like a hair dryer, phone charger, first aid kit, etc. 

• Provide extra blankets and pillows in the closet. 

Deep Cleaning Your Space Between Guests

How to clean Airbnb when your guests are on their way to the airport and will arrive in under 24 hours? Prepare yourself for a long day. 

Start with decluttering the space and removing garbage. Then, vacuuming all possible surfaces, including the floors and the stairs. A wet-dry vac is a lifesaver since it can also be used to spray and clean any hard-to-reach places. 

Tackle the bedrooms by replacing the sheets and cleaning all surfaces. As for the bathroom, clean the toilet and shower thoroughly using disinfectant. Don't forget to wipe down all surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner. 

Take a quick look at the kitchen to see what needs restocking. Then, clean it thoroughly, just like the bedroom and bathroom. 

Finally, disinfect the doorknobs, light switches, remote controls, and other high-traffic areas. For an added welcome appeal, sweep the deck area or the porch. 

Maintaining Cleanliness During Guests' Stay

Keeping the Airbnb rental sparkling clean during guest stay is just as important as preparing it for check-in. Keep fresh linen and towels on hand to replace dirty ones, and leave cleaning supplies in the vacation rental for the guests' convenience. 

Communicate guidelines with the guest on how to use the space optimally. For example, instruct them to throw their trash out at the end of each day and wipe down kitchen surfaces after using them.

​If you hire Airbnb cleaning services, run them through the checklist you used when preparing for your guests' arrival.

Outsourcing Cleaning Services for Airbnb

Sometimes, the DIY cleaning approach just doesn't work. Maybe you're a vacation rental owner with a full-time job or just detest the idea of working a lint roller or a vacuum cleaner. 

Either way, an Airbnb cleaning company can take the task off your hands. Hiring housekeeping for Airbnb means you can rest easy knowing your rental is in good hands. 

A house cleaning service is already well-versed in the basics of Airbnb cleaning. So, you can expect them to do a stellar job. They also bring their equipment and tools, saving you the hassle and cost of renting or buying them. 

You don't necessarily have to outsource all Airbnb cleaning services. You can simply outsource laundry and dry cleaning to a professional service like Rinse. We will pick up the dirty laundry, clean it, and deliver it to your property. 

Similarly, you can hire a cleaning company for monthly deep cleans. The same goes for lawn upkeep and pool maintenance.

At the end of the day, you're left with a cleaner Airbnb without spending half your day on property management and continue being a stellar Airbnb host. Sounds like a dream come true, doesn't it? Get in touch with us at Rinse to outsource your first cleaning job today.