Things are changing immensely in terms of how we take trips and vacations. However, one crucial change arising in recent years that has yet to show any sign of slowing down is the popularity of Airbnb.
Airbnb is a website where people can rent their houses or apartments to potential visitors for short periods. It creates a more homey and privacy-based vacation compared to a hotel experience.
Airbnb lodging is also more accessible for younger adults 18+ to book if they are too young to reserve a hotel in certain areas, like Sydney or Melbourne.
Importance of a Clean and Tidy Airbnb
While Airbnb can foster new, incredible vacationing experiences, it also allows opportunities for individuals to make money by renting out unused spaces as Airbnb locations. Shifting your unused space into a place to stay can be a viable investment, especially as Airbnb continues expanding.
Becoming an Airbnb host can be a fantastic business venture, but it comes with many responsibilities, such as providing a clean and welcoming experience. Your Airbnb is a guest’s home away from home.
When guests stay at a clean and welcoming Airbnb, they’re bound to enjoy their vacation more. Of course, trips are truthfully more about the activities than about accommodations, but lodging and where we rest in between our activities play a big part.
There’s a certain degree of hospitality that makes the space more inviting. You want someone to rave about your location, to put it above all the others around you. Consider how you’d feel paying money to stay in a filthy place; it would disrupt your experience completely.
Airbnb cleaning is something easy that will encourage newcomers to become returning visitors.
Read on to help develop a plan to keep Airbnb cleaning easy and increase guest satisfaction. Come along and learn with us if you’ve been doing this for a long time or are just starting.
Preparation Before Each Guest Arrives
If your guests are respectful tenants, you can expect your space to be left somewhat in order.
You’ll usually have rules that ask guests to remove their trash and recycling, empty the fridge, run the dishwasher, and make other departure requests to avoid fines. In most cases, your home will be in a similar shape to its condition before guest arrival.
It is not the guest’s job to make your Airbnb sparkle. As a host, you assume that responsibility. Of course, cleaning up after oneself is the respectful thing to do, but beyond that, the Airbnb host is responsible for maintaining everything necessary for a clean, reputable Airbnb.
Cleaning Supply Checklist
Part of the preparation between visitors is to make sure your guests have the tools necessary to complete departure requests: do they have enough garbage bags? Is there enough dishwasher detergent for them to run it? Is the required garbage bin in the right spot?
Even if your previous guests do a fantastic job taking care of those little things, Airbnb hosts need to have a list of tasks to ensure they remember everything, such as dusting and vacuuming. Writing it down as a checklist or splitting the tasks room by room can help you finish everything quickly.
It’s also crucial to ensure you have all the necessary cleaning supplies. Appropriate sprays for different surfaces, cleaning cloths, a vacuum, mop, wipes, sponges, and toilet bowl cleaners are just a few essential cleaning agents.
You can list the cleaning supplies you have at home and buy duplicates; you will only need a little more. Here’s a list of some cleaning supplies not unlike the ones at home under your counters to start with:
- Toilet Bowl cleaner
- Paper towel
- Dish soap
- Dish detergent
- Vacuum
- Mop
- Extra mop head
- Disinfectant wipes
- Sponges
- Scour brushes
- Dish brush
Pre-Cleaning Inspection
A pre-cleaning inspection is necessary to identify any issues or damages in your Airbnb property. In addition, you want to ensure there aren’t any issues that could pose a safety hazard. Doing an inspection can assist with all of these things.
Pre-cleaning inspections can help pinpoint any damages before your next guest arrives. You’d hate to wrongfully charge a tenant for the damage they weren’t responsible for, like you’d also hate for a guest to sustain an injury due to something you overlooked by skipping an inspection. You can run into legal trouble there, so it’s best to eliminate the possibility.
Pre-cleaning inspections can be as simple as a careful walk-through. Hosts can also adhere to guest feedback; if guests have an issue with the toilet during their stay, the host should start the inspection by checking the bathroom or other malfunctioning appliances.
Linen and Towel Preparation
Just as you might prepare a spare bed in your home with fresh sheets for upcoming guests, you’ll want to do similar linen and towel prep as an Airbnb host. Washing and replacing the sheets on each bed after visits will ensure guests have a fresh bed.
If you’re trying it out, you might hesitate to purchase high-quality sheets for your Airbnb. Consider it; this can be something your guests rave highly about, and higher quality sheets will last years longer than cheaper ones.
In addition to having nice sheets, having enough fresh towels is essential for a comfortable stay. Prepare enough towels for each guest and extras in case of spills, and never underestimate having extra washcloths and hand towels.
Daily Cleaning and Maintenance
Besides ensuring that the place is ready for guests after each visit, you should also spend some time maintaining the cleanliness of your Airbnb property.
Kitchen Cleanliness
If guests are staying in an area you have access to during their stay (they’re staying in a guest house or the basement of your home, etc.), having a daily cleaning for the kitchen will help keep the place sparkling.
Airbnb’s can become squatting grounds for germs since so many people occupy the space at different times. That’s why it’s essential to clean these spaces regularly and consistently.
Kitchens host many germs and bacteria when cooking raw ingredients, which is why daily kitchen cleanliness assists in preventing food build-up and food contamination.
Some of the things you’ll need to stock for your guests include
- Cotton balls and buds**
- Water pitcher filters (if you have a Brita or similar brand)
- Aluminium foil**
- Glad wrap**
- Sandwich bags**
**Please note that you’re not expected to have everything listed here. These are just a few extra things you can include to make Airbnb more convenient for guests; they might even make your Airbnb stand out because you went the extra mile. Do not feel obligated, though.
Bathroom Hygiene
Bathrooms and showers need to be sprayed regularly to keep things hygienic. Additionally, ensure that you clean the guests’ bathroom daily.
Daily maintenance will ensure that your bathroom is free from mildew and mould.
Something that may be overlooked is stocking things in your Airbnb bathroom. It seems obvious, but this can include things you easily forget, especially if you aren’t always using the space. This can boil down to basic things or extra things, which we’ve listed below:
- Toilet paper
- Feminine products
- Hand soap
- Paper towel
- Napkins
- Laundry detergent
- Tissue boxes
Dusting and Vacuuming
Make sure that you also clean the property regularly to avoid the build-up of dust. Make sure that you vacuum first and dust afterwards for the best results.
Trash and Recycling Management
Let your guests know that they’re expected to empty their trash daily. Throwing the garbage out daily will eliminate unpleasant smells and tidy the property.
It is your responsibility to provide guests with enough garbage bags and recycling.
Deep Cleaning and Upkeep
Similar to your pre-cleaning inspection, you’ll want to keep an eye on the following things to keep your Airbnb space up to code through deep cleaning. While you won’t need to perform these cleanings after every Airbnb visit, it’s good to have a schedule so they get cleaned consistently.
Putting them off can result in cleaning taking more time and being more unpleasant, so it’s best to stick to your schedule.
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning
Carpet and upholstery cleaning is vital to keeping your Airbnb space clean and hygienic for guests. While it might look clean enough after regular vacuuming, the human eye can’t see all the dirt particles and allergens that have taken residence and are building up.
Airbnb hosts can tackle deep cleaning the carpet and wiping down the furniture on their own, but if you don’t have the time or easy mobility, there are cleaning services available that you can hire to keep things tidy. While sometimes costly, they are preferable to lighten your workload.
Kitchen Appliance Maintenance
Kitchen appliance maintenance isn’t just a matter of cleaning but also safety. It’s important to detect leaks and other defects that could lead to immediate harm, like a fire starting from an oven gas leak, for instance.
Have a starting list to evaluate your appliances. If previous guests have expressed concerns or problems with your dishwasher, oven, fridge, or another appliance, you’ll want to consider these.
While some things don’t need a replacement immediately, others might. Therefore, it’s important to note the condition of certain items and to pay attention if things get worse because that will indicate replacement is required sooner than later.
You should also perform deep cleaning at regular intervals, as appliances will likely break down sooner if they aren’t kept clean.
While your fridge will always be emptied of food, wiping down the shelves to eliminate any spills or remaining residue will keep the fridge clean and smelling nice.
Washing out your sink and stovetop are other critical cleaning steps, along with scrubbing your countertops. And as much as you despise it, wipe down the outside and inside of your microwave, including the pesky glass dish too!
Bathroom Fixtures and Tiles
The bathroom is another essential room to keep an eye on. Broken toilets, a sink that won’t drain, and grout coming undone must be addressed before each Airbnb guest visit.
While you’ll regularly maintain bathroom hygiene in your Airbnb, looking out for these things will help maintain the space. In addition, finding fixable issues early on can help save you money, so it doesn’t become a bigger problem with a hefty price tag.
A cracked mirror, a spill in the cabinet underneath, and a shower that won’t drain should be addressed sooner than later.
And if you’ve noticed any vermin, bathrooms can be an originating point that you should take care of as soon as possible.
Windows and Blinds
One of the best parts about vacation is indulging in a new view out the window! However, you must evaluate your windows and blinds for more reasons than that.
Window blinds can collect dust quickly, so it’s essential to keep an eye on that. Dusting the window sill is something else that is sometimes overlooked but is easy to do if you remember.
While you might run into a window left unlocked by accident, windows that cause drafts, have a slight crack, or are outdated may be costing you extra money on your heating bill.
So, check out your windows for your and your wallet’s sake to ensure they’re doing their job.
The blinds are, fortunately, pretty easy! Washing them with disinfectant wipes during your maintenance checks can help clean out the dust that builds.
It’s also important to watch out for your curtains and their cleanliness. Washing them regularly can prevent dust from building up. As long as you take care with delicate fabrics, they’ll last until you decide to redecorate the room or until the colour fades.
Becoming an Airbnb host is a beautiful way to make some extra income, and if you do it correctly, you’ll be amazed by the benefits you’ll reap. But, of course, one of the most critical things is to present a clean vacationing experience.
During your vacations, you expect everything to be perfect. Accommodations should be comfortable, clean, and well worth the money it costs to stay there.
As a host, it’s your job to make your Airbnb dwelling as clean and comfortable as possible. You can do this easily by developing a cleaning list, stocking the necessary cleaning agents, and creating a manageable schedule. All of your hard elbow grease will pay off; trust us.
A clean, welcoming Airbnb lodging promises positive reviews that will increase your visitor traffic and the likelihood of guests returning and recommending your place to their friends.
Happy Airbnb hosting, and good luck!
Elevate Your Airbnb With HomeHost
With HomeHost, you’ll always make a great first impression. Our capable team of highly trained cleaners are thorough, consistent, and pay close attention to detail. By offering such a wide range of services, we can cater our cleanings to suit your Airbnb properties’ needs. We always treat your homes with care and ensure that every one of your guests is impressed with its tidiness.
Of course, we offer far more than just our expert cleaning services. With HomeHost, you can automate messaging and manage all your Airbnb properties from one user-friendly dashboard. If you’re interested in our services or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Talk to HomeHost – call 1300 171 718.
