"Time-Saving Tips & Willingness to Pay: Low-Maintenance Rugs for Rentals"

[Sai-Vinay0]

Hi everyone,

I'm constantly looking for ways to streamline the cleaning process between Airbnb guest stays. We all know maintaining a sparkling clean space is crucial, but it can be time-consuming and impact our bottom line.

One idea I've been exploring is using low-maintenance rugs in rentals. Specifically, I'm curious if hosts have experience with spill-proof, easy-to-clean rugs that are also pet-friendly.

Here's my main question:

Have any of you found that using these types of rugs saves you time and money on cleaning between reservations? Were you willing to pay a bit more upfront for a rug that could potentially reduce cleaning costs and minimize damage worries in the long run?

I'm also interested in any other general tips you've discovered for minimizing cleaning time between stays!

Thanks in advance for sharing your insights!

[Marie8425]

I have carpets in the bedrooms I rent.  The rest of the house is tile for me that is my easy answer. Haha  I don't even do area rugs.  I do accept pets but I make very clear my bedrooms are not dog kennels..Either they need to take the dog when they go out or it can if social hang out in the living room with my dogs, where I work but have the ability to open the door to an enclosed yard if they need to pee.

[Ana2038]

@Sai-Vinay0 , I only use indoor/outdoor area rugs in our listing. These rugs (at least the ones I purchase) are easy to maintain and easy to replace (very affordable). Some of the indoor/outdoor rugs look more expensive than your standard indoor area rugs. The material used to make these types of rugs are easy to clean and dry quickly. They can be used for both indoor and outdoor whereas some area rugs are only indoor use. I use a quality rug pad under the indoor/outdoor rug to give it some height and comfort as most indoor/outdoor rugs are very slim in height. But they are sturdy. We have a total of 3 different rugs we use for our listing. We clean them periodically, (we have our own carpet cleaner) and rotate them out depending on color scheme of our listing.

Best—

[Miriam968]

@Ana2038 That’s a good idea. I’ve thought about getting one of those area rugs that you can throw in the washing machine after removing it from its padded base. I just don’t know if it would be worth the expense. 

[Rebecca]

Great question here @Sai-Vinay0 - you've got some replies too! 

Do any of the replies help you make a decision about using rugs in your property? 

Looking forward to hearing from you! 😊

[Mary1523]

Hi, not sure why you have rugs in the first place unless its for decor (nice) or to save the carpet. My cleaner hates rugs as she says they are tripping hazards for people who are elderly (which i get). So the rugs I do have, they are all low maintenance wearing. ie wool which wears very well or cotton jute which can be washed every couple of months. And the darker the better, so any stains aren't seen.... I have rugs to basically save the carpet btw, otherwise I would have way less of them

Here's my tips I have learnt (I believe i posted this somewhere else some months ago):

- Go for dark coloured, small patterned quilt covers in darker colours. Saves on ironing and reduces the visibility of stains/dirt (I know some hosts go for white and wash every time, but I have 8 beds to changeover so I don't change quilt covers every guest visit). Of course sheets get laundered. I do white for queen beds, and coloured sheets for single beds so i can quickly tell the difference.

- Go for darker coloured towels etc. Saves time spraying and soaking stains from white towels

etc.

- Used to have fabric covered dining chairs. What a pain to keep clean. Now have metal black chairs, no cleaning required

- Have signage indicating you would love people to take their shoes off when in the house, not everyone follows it, but it can save time if they do follow it

-Always provide vaccuum/broom so guests can self clean, which helps you!

- If you don't need back to back bookings, push your checkout to midday or beyond. The later you make it, the more likely your property will be left in a better state and less cleaning. I have experimented with this in the 8 years of hosting and can attest this works in my region anyways

- Mats at the entry to all doorways so at least some guests will wipe their shoes/feet especially in rainy days etc

- Spiderwebs (maybe this is an australian thing) but i get rated down when i have them around. I have to manage expectations on this because its a farm and we do spray every 6 months or so.

- Kitchen labelling. I know some hosts don't like this, but I've labelled all the cupboards etc in my kitchen. This saves on cleaning time because then guests will at least put back everything where found, rather than me spend hours of cleaning time putting it back where it should have gone. And i ask them to empty dishwasher since they dont check out until late! And wipe down benchtops/cooker as a courtesy. Most do, which helps if they like to have a clean kitchen at home!

- Provide some carpet cleaning spray, boy does mine get used alot. I don't want to know where but clearly guests do have accidents...

-Goes without saying i assume you have 3 lots of linen so that you don't have to wait for something to be washed. And that you have water proof pillow protectors and mattress protectors, and multiples so that you dont have to clean that hard stuff in real time. Plus its hygienic. 

- Be clear on your exit rules if you want guests to strip beds etc or not. We've decided to ask them NOT to as it actually causes more cleaning issues. They'll end up stripping mattress protectors off, electric blankets which we then have to put back on.

Btw I'm against having those shower squigees even though I know it helps clean shower glass. I just think its a bad look, my guests are usually on holidays, not want to be reminded of cleaning! 

Hope this helps!