I had posted that I learned a lot about cleaning having an Airbnb. I hate cleaning and have a cleaning service in my primary residence. It was clear after a few rounds with them at our Airbnb we needed to be working on some of the cleaning ourselves in addition to having a cleaner come in. We collect a lot of feedback from our guests via a suggestion box. One of the biggest challenges is meeting what I call the "personal cleanliness expectation" or PCE. PCE consists of general big ticket items like clean floors and counters, non-sticky tables, no dust bunnies, scrubbed toilets, etc. But each guest has there own individual "PCE" items-- if they see one, doesn't matter for some how nice the big ticket things are. You lose a point or more as they signal "not clean enough" to the guest.
Now some of these PCEs are over the top, so bear with me. But this is what I have discovered. I am sure a lot of other hosts will chime in (at least I hope so.)
First, bugs. Our cottage is on a big rural wooded lot. So bugs get inside. Spiders when its cold, flies and mosquitoes (and fireflies!) sometimes when its warm. Crickets any time. We have a big porch and a little vestibule between the screen and main front door. Crickets especially will wait and hop in when the lights are on. Some guests will say that the place isn't clean if they see a bug, alive or dead. This is something we work very hard to manage, but nature is gonna be nature out in the country under the trees.
Anything that is supposed to look distressed. We have a very rustic reclaimed floor in one of our bathroom made of old barn wood. Personally I love it. Its got old paint and goes well with the vibe of the house. It gets mopped and cleaned with all other floor surfaces. But one guest said it looked "old and dirty." Likewise the bedside tables in one bedroom are chalk painted and shabby chic. One guest left a comment that they weren't "crisp and new" looking (they aren't, nor are they supposed to be). If you look at all the fancy "luxe" places on Airbnb they have a very specific type of look-- white, open, clean edges, new-appearing. So be careful if your place invites a different aesthetic.
Baseboards and picture frames. Yes its common sense to dust them. But one guest told us that she does the "white glove test" on those areas before giving out 5 stars. (Good to know.)
Dark furniture. Some guests see dark, heavy furniture as "dirty" even when its not. Grays, beiges and bright colors seem not to evoke this reaction. Same with dark counters. Why? No clue.
Areas behind shelves/washer dryer/pieces of furniture. I know-- who goes behind that stuff? Guests do, especially if they have small kids or pets with toys. We were appalled to discover that the area behind the washer and dryer in our laundry room was super gross. It took some effort to move the machines and clean but now we have a long swiffer type duster thing that helps.
Your personal stuff. We had a drawer in a piece of furniture in the bathroom where we left a tube of our almost brand new toothpaste by accident. Guests found it and were unhappy... it seemed like we should have cleaned better.
Stoves and fridges. Yes, they should be clean. They should be very very clean all the time. If your place is spotless otherwise, but certain guests open a stove or fridge and sees any evidence of muck, your place is not clean enough to meet their PCE. Same goes with a microwave.
Smells. We have a solid stone built cottage with 18" thick walls (about 45 cm). We can't vent to outside for a fan without paying an exorbitant amount. We can't fit a recirculating fan under the hand built hickory cabinets because they aren't a standard size. So we don't have a toaster or allow deep frying. Why? The smells. We found out the hard way that some cooking smells (really burnt toast is the worst!) really linger in a place with 18 inch thick stone walls and only ceiling fans to help move odors along. If your place does not smell fresh right upon opening the door, its not meeting someone's PCE. This is particularly true in a place that allows pets as not all of your guests have them and no one wants to smell someone else's wet dog.
Please feel free to add what you have found!
