Cleaning- One of THE MOST important aspects of being a Vacation Rental Host. Yet many hosts neglect the importance of this when it comes to their listings. According to Hotelbusiness.com: “86% of consumers say cleanliness is the main thing they’re looking for when when they read online hotel reviews.” 86%! That’s a HUGE amount of potential guests! So then how can we keep up our 5 star cleanliness rating, without wasting so much time and money in the process? Efficiency is key.
In this blog post we will go into 5 things you can do to make your Airbnb cleaning process even more efficient than it already is.
1) Stick to a Routine
All businesses benefit when a system and process is followed. In contrast, more mistakes are made when we do things “on the fly”, or without order. Try your best to do things in the same order and the same way each time you clean. This will minimize how often you might miss or forget some important tasks. This will also help when you train someone else to take over the cleanings, ensuring it will be done correctly and efficiently.
2) Have a Checklist
No matter how much none of us want to admit it, our memory is not perfect (My wife can confirm this). Make a checklist of essential things that need to be done during each cleaning. Check this list before, during, and especially when finishing a Turnover. This way you won’t wake up in the middle of the night with the haunting spark of ‘I forgot to leave out towels!’
*A great way to do this is by using the “Checklist” feature on the TurnoverBnB application. This also helps if you are hiring out an Airbnb cleaning service to do the vacation rental cleaning for you.
3) Keep Cleaning Supplies On-Site
The last thing you’ll want is to get to your rental and begin cleaning, only to realize you forgot the toilet cleaner at home! If possible, find a closet space when you can store all of your cleaning supplies. This will speed up your cleaning time, ensure you have everything you’ll need, and make it possible for someone to step in to clean for you if you’re not able to do it yourself.
4) Invest in a Good Vacuum
Hair is a huge problem that can cause guests to really freak out. Using a cheap, old vacuum can make it very hard remove all the hair from your previous guests (And no, you can’t request that all your guests be hairless hehe). Save yourself the head ache and extra work. Buy a good vacuum with strong suction. Also make sure it has the attachments you need for your specific property. We use the Dyson brand (Corded, not cordless, as the battery doesn’t last for all of our property, and we need the hose attachment) But as mentioned, every property is different, and requires different types of vacuums. Just do yourself a favor and don’t cheap out on this
5) Take Before and After Pictures (and time stamp them)
Airbnb guest complaints are on the rise, and many guests seem to be getting refunds for “Made up” issues. “The property wasn’t cleaned when we arrived” is a common ‘made up’ issue that guests claim to Airbnb case managers, and if a host has no proof that this is false, a guest can at times get a FULL REFUND! (Yes it has happened before, costing hosts lots of money)
Having time stamped pictures of before and after a cleaning can give you the needed proof to refute a false claim by a guest, and keep your hard earned income.
*You can easily use the TurnoverBnB app to take pictures of each job. It will save, organize, and time stamp each photo so you’ll be ready for any “issues” your guest may claim.
Although cleaning can be difficult at times, the tips above will minimize the amount of stress, time, and work needed to get your place spotless. It will also minimize the amount of mistakes made in the process. If done right, you can achieve and maintain a 5 star cleanliness rating, significantly increasing your revenue. We wish you the best in your Hosting career!
About the Author: Kinohi is a professional Airbnb Host located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Click here to view Kinohi’s profile!
