Now launched in the U.S.: Airbnb’s new enhanced cleaning protocol

[Airbnb]

Many of you have asked for more guidance around cleaning your spaces during COVID-19 and beyond, so we wanted to let you know that our enhanced cleaning protocol is now ready and available for hosts in the U.S. (with other countries and regions to follow). 

The cleaning protocol offers in-depth, expert-backed guidelines for cleaning every room in your space. Hosts with eligible listings who commit to the protocol will get a special highlight on their listing page, so guests know they’ve committed to following higher standards for cleaning. We know you may have questions about how the program works—like who’s eligible, how the special highlight works, and what to do if you can’t commit to the protocol—and we’ve done our best to answer them in the Resource Center. 

None of this would have been possible without the feedback so many of you provided here and in our global listening sessions. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and for being part of our host community. 

If you host in the U.S., you can commit to the protocol now

Learn more at Airbnb.com/cleaningresources

[Colleen253]

Wait a minute. I stand somewhat corrected. I just took a closer look and The Epic Tome (18 pages!) isn't even the whole protocol. See, even I didn't read it. 

'This guide is a simple summary of the handbook. It is not comprehensive and not intended for use without first reading the entire handbook which
includes important additional information about cleaning, Airbnb's enhanced cleaning protocol, and other statements by Airbnb'.

Once again, very little info, not the whole thing. So it remains that at no time, it appears, does the guest ever see what the 'committed host' is actually supposed to be doing. What a joke. So, no fear, 'committed hosts', the guest doesn't know you're working your hands, house and furnishings down to bare nothing bone with each cleaning, and you don't have to wash those curtains, baseboards, ceiling, yadayada after all. They are clueless.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

I have just read the UK protocol. What a load of rubbish! Frankly if any host claims to be doing this then they are  most likely lying. As an example for Outdoors we would need to:

Using a multi-surface cleaner, wipe down hard surfaces, including:

• Patio walls

• Window screens

• Doors

• Windowsills

• The ceiling

• Parasols

• Lighting fixtures

• Pool or hot tub surfaces

• All outdoor furniture including tables, chairs, patio bars, shelves, outdoor fridges and barbecues/grills.

Our patio is bounded by the house walls and a Victorian garden wall. You can't wipe down bricks! The window sills are stone. You can't wipe down rough stone. The ceiling? Well I don't know if wiping down the sky works but perhaps I just wave the cloth at it.

[Debra300]

@Mike-And-Jane0,

I looked at the UK version of the cleaning handbook, and it's practically the same as the US version.  I thought they would have consulted with NHS or the Eurorpean CDC, but they just exchanged some British terms for US words (rubbish instead of garbage), and changed some Zs (zeds) to Ss (sanitize vs. sanitise).  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Debra300 At least its good to see that Airbnb recognise the correct spelling of words in English.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Airbnb Has any thought been given by Airbnb to actually checking if hosts are sticking to the cleaning protocol?

Also I wonder if hosts recognise that they are opening up themselves to being sued if they claim they are following the protocol but fail to do so? Will Airbnb make it clear to them that they must follow it 100% or be at significant risk?

[Caroline70]

I am agreement with many of these comments. Most of the cleaning we do anyway, but we rent out our 5 bedroom house and there is no way I could take down the curtains and wash them (they actually can't be washed, just dry cleaned) between guests, also that is imcompatible with the idea that people sit on the sofa, and if upholstered you can't wash that.

I have researched this and the advice I have found is this:

• COVID-19 is spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes
• It can also be contracted from touching objects contaminated with coronavirus
• Soft surfaces like clothes, pillows and Doonas are least likely to carry the virus 
• Researchers have confirmed contamination lives on these fabrics for 24 hours
• Washing laundry at 56°C or hotter and tumble drying clothes will kill the virus
• The virus dies also on clothes and cushions sooner than on hard surfaces
• COVID-19 can survive on glass, stainless steel and plastic for up to three days

 With this knowledge it seems to me that the best way to reduce risk is the policy of having at least a 4 to 5 day gap between bookings, leaving time at the beginning and the end to protect yourself/your cleaner and your guests and cleaning in the middle period.

You do not need to wash your clothes on the hottest cycle, you can keep saving the planet at a lower temperature, especially, I imagine if you steam iron your linen as I do.

I would be great if Airbnb would look at the protocol again taking all the comments here into account, as this science dictates that gaps between bookings is a really helpful step.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Caroline70 The fundamental mistake in the protocol is that whilst it correctly quotes the CDC their guidelines are for situations where the previous occupant is suspected of having Covid19. Given that there are very few people in the UK with Covid 19 and even fewer in places like NewZealand and Australia the whole protocol is way over the top.

As a host you can specify any number of days pre and post each booking if that is the way you want to go but it would be commercial suicide for many and, given the low number of infections in the UK, way over the top for me.

[Caroline70]

I completely understand that, I am not advocating it as a requirement, but it is an option and one that hosts who take that route at the moment are not getting credit for.

Interesting, I didn't realise the measures in the handbook was for dealing with a situation where an occupant had developed COVID 19 in situ. Obviously in that situation things would be very different. I had thought this was what we were expected to do between each booking because we wouldn't know if someone had been present who was asymptomatic.

Having thought about this further, I have decided that I am going to ask guests who play the games we provide or watch the DVDs or read our books (we have literally hundreds of books) etc just to leave those items out when they leave so I know they need extra attention.  I hope that would also be reassuring for guests. I couldn't be sure that I had cleaned every page of every guidebook or every inch of every map otherwise. I will continue to leave the oils, spices etc that I have always done, and clean the bottles between bookings but warn them in advance in case they would prefer to bring their own. Our house sleeps 9, I literally couldn't do the level of cleaning they suggest in less than three solid days . Two of us needed 5 hours to do a changeover pre-COVID, and that's without washing ceilings. I feel the pain of the gap between bookings but I feel more secure with it there. I think that is partly because this is our home, so we have lots of stuff here, it isn't an emptier holiday home. Hosts are best placed to risk assess their properties, but I was just saying that we should get credit for taking other measures that help avoid cross contamination.

Our tiny village has just had a new case, so I also think I can't rely on hoping that the UK figures are low enough not to worry. The real horror of this disease is not being able to tell.

Good luck to everyone.

[Marie22]

@Caroline70   Are the Europe protocols different than those in the US? You stated that your protocols were for dealing with a situation where an occupant had developed COVID 19 in situ. I have found nothing in ours to state that. Unless I am missing something, our protocols are to be done for each guest. Has anyone heard differently?

[Caroline70]

@Marie22 It was the @Mike-And-Jane0 response that I was replying to that suggested that, I am afraid I do not know the source of their information. My original post contained information on how long the virus sticks around on various surfaces. My point, and the point of many others in this thread is that it is impractical to manage those guidelines in a 5 hour changeover, and sorry to bang on about curtain washing, but some of the suggestions are inpractical even with days to changeover. My conclusion is that it is a contract of responsiblity between host and guest to ensure that cross contamination is avoided, and so to read the known facts about transmission and act accordingly, using all the extra cleaning protocols and checklists that you can, but also commonsense and giving guests clear guidelines according to your individual circumstances. Guests also have a responsibility to cancel if they are unwell, or suspect they may have been in contact with someone who is unwell. We also need to consider the health and welfare of those who work with us, and their families. My case is different from many others in that I rent out my home, not a holiday let, so one of my biggest issues is that it contains way beyond the essentials of a holiday house. It presents some extra challenges, which is why in addition to cleaning I feel I have to have gaps between bookings of 5 days. We are lucky to have somewhere else to be to make this a possibility as I am painfully aware of how difficult it is not to have the income from the lettings.  I am not judging anyone who doesn't feel able to have breaks in bookings, I just feel it is one thing the armory of preventative measures that Airbnb left out of their booklet.

[Marie22]

According to Airbnb Support, the way to opt out of the cleaning protocol if you signed up and now regret it, is easy. Your listing page now has a new tab "Cleaning".  Go to it and look for the option to Opt Out.  If enough of us say NO WAY - maybe they will give us guidelines that are doable!

[Dean175]

I have always cleaned and sanitized.  There are too many variables to completely sanitize a place. I’m not going to sign up for the cleaning protocol designation because I’m not going to commit to providing gloves, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes etc.  We will continue to clean and sanitize and to follow the protocols to a practical degree.

[Sylvia593]

Totally agree with the new enhanced protocols.

Should you require cleaning in London and South East England kindly contact us on

**[solicitation removed inline with - Community Center Guidelines]

We offers a wide range of cleaning services to suit any business and any budget. Our highly trained staff will ensure your environment is pleasant, safe, and healthy. For your peace of mind, we carry
comprehensive general liability and property damage insurance. Looking forward to hearing from you. 

[Fab-And-Ben0]

I have found THE HARDEST PART about running an AirBnB home is finding GOOD CLEANERS....honestly seems like cleaners are just in this to make quick big bucks.  I know it is not easy work and may not make enough money if not doing multiple cleanings a day.  But I have just had a hard time finding good quality affordable cleaners.  Not to mention the loss of cleaners affected by the pandemic who went into other jobs and understandably the lack of availability cleaners have now.  So, now with COVID and enhanced cleaning, I'm just worried it will be hard to enforce cleaners do the sanitizing.  I just learned today that CDC has them on the hook for following these guidelines anyways.

How are you all able to find good quality cleaners and screen them?  Also, how are you handling the increased cleaning costs?  Its unthinkable to pass on a $140 cleaning cost to guests at booking.  That is a quote I got from a cleaner today.

[Lisa723]

@Fab-And-Ben0 by paying more than average. FWIW, the cleaning fee for our house that looks like it's about the size of yours is $200. It goes entirely to the cleaners. (And we have not committed to the enhanced cleaning protocol, as you have-- I can't imagine how that could reasonably be done for $140.)