Cleaning tips from seasoned Hosts

[Jenny]

Hi everyone,

As usual in the Community Centre we want to let you know about another round-up of great tips from great and experienced Hosts,  like  @Jue0, the Host Advisory Board member from Nairobi, Kenya, who takes us into a very important topic when it comes to hosting: Cleanliness.

Having a very clean accommodation will probably help you get great reviews and avoid one of the reasons why guests leave negative reviews. And to succeed in this endeavour, @Jue0 and more experienced hosts shared these amazing guidelines:

1. Creating a cleaning strategy

Whether you do your own cleaning or hire cleaners, it’s vital that your space is thoroughly cleaned between every guest, every time.

• It’s important to have consistency and checklists for the cleaners. Helps them, because it becomes a routine.
• If you hire a cleaner, run through the cleaning process yourself, so you know exactly what needs to be done and what to include in the checklists.
• Make sure you schedule enough time between bookings for a thorough job.
• Find a second cleaner or create a backup plan in case your cleaner can’t make it one day.
• Consider investing in periodic deep cleans to make routine tasks between bookings less intensive and more efficient.

2. Starting with the basics

Juliette emphasises the importance of targeting certain areas while cleaning.

• Begin with high-traffic areas. “The kitchen and bathrooms are really important, because they’re the most utilised spaces,” says @Jue0. Once the bathrooms are spotless, it’s on to the kitchen.
• Next up: the bedrooms. @Jue0's  cleaners open drawers, look under beds and make sure nothing is missed. 
• Finally, address the beds. @Jue0's routine? “The mattresses have protectors, the pillows have protectors, and you change the whole set. ”

3.Focusing on details

• Think like a guest. For example, Tammi, a Host in Seattle, says, “The shower curtain often gets forgotten. I have a plastic liner, and I spray it and wipe it down after every guest. I also replace it every month or two.”
• Don’t miss high-touch areas like light switches. “Those things can get nasty, but you don't notice them because you’re used to them,” says Host Adam of Atlanta. “A bit of rubbing alcohol should do the trick.”

4. Avoiding a hairy situation

Guests never want to find someone else’s hair in their space.

• Sue and John, Hosts in Salt Lake City, have a tip for tackling stray hair: “After I wash all the bedding, I take a lint roller to the sheets, pillowcases and blankets”, they say.
• Laura, a Host in Cottonwood, Arizona, suggests a mop swap. “Clean bathroom floors on your hands and knees,” she says, using a scrub brush or a microfibre cloth. “It’s quicker and easier, and you won’t miss any hairs.”
• And remember to clean bathroom drains between every guest.

These are some of them, if you want to see even more tips, visit this article from the Resource Centre.

I'm sure many of you have great polished cleaning tips that deserve to be on this list, please share them in the comments so we can gather all the best practices to keep our listings clean as a whistle. 🔆

Jenny

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jenny Has Airbnb abandoned the Covid cleaning routines? Some of these practices do not seem to be in compliance with the Covid routines (which of course were stupid at various times!)

[Angela1418]

Our cleaning tips are allways very carefull

[Fred13]

Excellent list really. Just to add in case it wasn't mentioned or I missed it:  glass windows, make sure they are as clean and bright as everything else.

[Stephanie2534]

Thanks so much!  This is a great list.  I wonder if anyone has a checklist that I can provide to the person who cleans the home?  I did clean the first time myself, but I did not look under the bed and I didn't clean the drain!  

Stephanie

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Stephanie2534 there are loads of Airbnb checklists under insights then cleaning.

[Gpa3]

"I'm wondering if anyone has a cleaning checklist that I could provide to the person who will clean my home. Although I did the cleaning myself the first time.

[Robin4]

@Jenny 

It's a few years since I last posted this checklist of mine here on the CC which both I and my cleaning help fill out for each guest.

It's just a laminated sheet with items we check off in Texta as we do them......

When all the items on this list have been checked off I take a date stamped picture which I slot into the 3rd page of the house rules folder for each guest arrival. I then wipe clean the laminated sheet ready for the next cottage turn-around.

It might seem like doing this is a waste of time and stating the bleedin' obvious but, the great thing about doing this is, it keeps me focused and makes sure that I don't overlook anything.

Many times I will be part way through a turn-around and I will be interrupted by something or other and it's easy to deviate from the script as it were when these interruptions happen. 

What started this off, I had a guest come to the house one night and ask for a bandaid strip....she had cut her finger. I told her there were plenty in the medicine cabinet, but she told me she had looked in there and it was empty!!! I gave her a strip and asked if I could just check for myself and sure enough there was not a thing left in there, Scissors, tweezers, gauze, burn cream, Aspirins, a pressure bandage all the bandages......best part of $80 worth of first aid......gone! I had not ever thought to check it after each guest but, I sure do now, I have discovered you can't leave anything to chance.  

It's just a small thing but it's the little things that make hosting a better experience for both guests and me. For guests who are staying for 2 nights or more I include on page 4 of the house rules folder the 7 day government forecast for our area......

 

It's only a small thing but guests do appreciate it!

Cheers.........Rob

@Mike-And-Jane0  @Gpa3  @Stephanie2534 

[Jenny]

This is great @Robin4 - I could use one of these for my own home just to keep me right!