Cleaning hacks to effectively make your Airbnb guest-ready

While most of us already know how to clean our own homes, being an effective Airbnb host means stepping up your game to ensure your property is spick and span. While there’s nothing wrong with traditional cleaning methods, most Airbnb guests expect a hotel-standard level of preparedness when they check in to your Airbnb.

The high turnover of guests is the nature of short-term rentals, and it won’t hurt to have some cleaning tips and tricks up your sleeve to make it easier for you. We’ve listed some of the ideas you might like to keep in mind so you can have an easier time getting those five-star reviews for your Airbnb.

Stay away from clutter

A homey Airbnb is always charming to guests but not if the place looks too cluttered. Guests would want some empty spaces too, so be sure to make room for their items as well. Too many decorative items mean more guests possibly toppling something over and you wouldn’t want that to happen. As a rule of thumb, make sure that you have some accent pieces to spruce up the place but not so much that it looks too cluttered without any remaining space for guests to leave their items.

Give the kitchen and bathroom a bit more TLC

The kitchen and the bathroom can be a cleaning challenge given their function. Therefore, a good tip for starting hosts is to look at the stove closely along with anything else that might have some residual food that can be left behind. Think about the inside of the oven or the microwave. Since food is perishable, pay special attention to cleaning thoroughly which will also minimize the possibility of an infestation. 

In the bathrooms, mirrors and shower dividers need a closer look as water stains are often overlooked. Disposing and replacing the shower curtains every couple of months is advisable since mould can grow with the moisture. After some months, simply washing them may not be enough. Hair is also undesirable not just in the bathroom but any part of the house so make sure you have removed it and have used a lint roller for other surfaces where hair could stick.

Surfaces are often overlooked

While wiping down surfaces is a given, good Airbnb hosts take this to another level by closely inspecting metal and glass surfaces. These types of materials can leave fingerprints behind and no guest wants that when they choose to book your property. This is why hosts must double-check metal and glass surfaces just to see if any marks were left behind. Guests can leave a less than stellar review on cleanliness if they find some of these marks that they weren’t responsible for so it’s best to have a good metal and glass cleaner handy when you choose to rent out your property on Airbnb.

Ventilate and remove residual smells

While not all guests will opt to eat inside your property, the kitchen is there for a reason and guests may use the space to prepare and eat meals. Therefore, some food smell might linger if they do decide to whip up lunch or dinner. After each guest has checked out, it would be a good idea to open the ventilation to air out the residual scent that may have been left behind. Air purifiers can also do the job. Lighting some scented candles or having a good room spray will do wonders to get rid of any extra odours lingering in the air.

Towel and linen colours matter

Hotels have white linen for a reason. White linens look cleaner and it helps guests feel more at ease knowing that there are no hidden stains in their beddings. White sheets can be bleached when it gets a stain so sticking to this colour will be advantageous and stop you from purchasing new ones every time a small blot appears. Coloured towels, on the other hand, is the go-to choice for most hosts. While getting stains on the sheets is less likely to happen, this can’t be avoided on towels. Some guests might use towels for make-up removal (though it might help if you have some wipes ready for this purpose) for example, or for drying dyed hair. In this instance, coloured towels will do well in hiding some pigments stuck to it even after washing.

Organise and have a routine

Not everyone will have the same routine when cleaning their Airbnb but sticking to one can help you save time and remain on top of things. For example, keeping your towels, linens, and supplies in transparent boxes and labelling them can help you find them more easily. It saves you the trip of going upstairs with linen in hand only to find out that it’s queen size instead of twin size. It will also help you locate and differentiate between kitchen towels, hand towels, and bath towels. Having a routine that you can easily look at will help you determine if it saves you more time to load the washer first before dusting your furniture, so by the time your laundry is finished, you have squeezed in some other chores in between.

When it comes to keeping your investment property clean to make your guests happy, it’s really about focusing on what matters most to guests. The linens, kitchen, and bathrooms are most notably highlighted because guests wouldn’t want the places where they eat, sleep, and groom to be unhygienic. Ironing the towels, for example, isn’t nearly as crucial as making sure that no hair has been left by the previous guest. When cleaning your Airbnb, try to look at it from a guests’ point of view and you can’t go wrong.

Kieran O'Neill
Kieran O'Neillhttps://hometime.io/
Kieran O’Neill is the Co-Founder and CFO of Hometime based throughout Australia and New Zealand. Hometime specialises in Airbnb property management by partnering local Hosts with homeowners and services in their regions. Find out more about Hometime on their website: www.hometime.io
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