Cleaning protocol mandatory as of November 20

[Michelle53]

Hi all

This article just crossed my news feed, from USA Today. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2020/10/07/airbnb-hosts-guests-face-new-required-mask-c...

 

 Airbnb hosts now must follow mandatory cleaning protocol — or risk getting kicked off the platform

David Oliver

USA TODAY

 

Airbnb hosts and guests are now required to adhere to mandatory mask, social distancing and cleanlin...

According to an announcement from the short-term rental platform, hosts and guests must now wear masks and practice social distancing whil...

Airbnb's "enhanced clean" program was developed in conjunction with health experts and includes a five-step cl...

The steps are to prepare for safer cleaning, clean dust and debris, sanitize with disinfectant, check frequently touched surfaces and reset the room. More details are available here under each step.

Of note: The "enhanced clean" guidance was previously only recommended. Still, hosts needed to follow local government or health authority guidance.

[Michelle53]

Sorry, I had some trouble with the copy and paste of the text.

Here's the key thing. 

Hosts will be prompted to commit to these guidelines beginning next week when logging into their Airbnb accounts; they have until Nov. 20 or could be subject to warnings, suspensions and even removal from the site. Guests must agree to the guidelines when booking listings.

Here's the new 5-step process.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2809/what-is-airbnbs-5step-enhanced-cleaning-process

Step 1: Prepare

Proper preparation can help you and your team clean more efficiently and more safely. Make sure to:

• Ventilate the space before and during cleaning, when possible
• Use disinfectants approved by your local regulatory agencies for use against COVID-19
• Always read the directions and warnings on your cleaning products carefully
• Wash or disinfect your hands, and wear a mask and gloves while cleaning

Step 2: Clean


Cleaning is when you remove dust and dirt from surfaces, such as floors and countertops. Make sure to:

• Sweep, vacuum, dust, and/or mop areas before sanitizing
• Wash all dishes and laundry at the highest heat setting possible
• Wipe down hard surfaces with soap and water

Step 3: Sanitize


Sanitizing is when you use chemicals to reduce the number of bacteria on surfaces such as doorknobs and TV remotes. Make sure to:

• Spray high-touch surfaces in each room with an approved disinfectant spray
• Let the disinfectant stand for the length of time specified on the product label
• Allow the surface to air-dry

Step 4: Check


Make sure to:

• Refer to the best practices in each room-by-room checklist to make sure that all areas are cleaned and sanitized between each stay
• Share these requirements with your hosting team and cleaning professionals

Step 5: Reset


To help prevent cross-contamination, it's important to finish cleaning and sanitizing a room before replacing items for the next guest. Make sure to:

• Wash your hands and replace gloves before replacing guest supplies, linens, and cleaning kits
• Safely dispose of or wash cleaning supplies and protective gear
• Don’t re-enter a room once it’s been sanitized
• Empty and/or clean your equipment (ex: vacuum, microfiber cloths) between each turnover

[Helen350]

@Nick 

"Don't re-enter a room once it's been sanitized."

- Could you please clarify how this works in SHARED homes? (I home share, some hosts let multiple rooms with shared common areas in houses they don't live in themselves.)

- I could blitz the kitchen before the guest arrives.... But I re-enter to make a cup of tea umpteen times a day! So might the guest. Or the lodger from another platform. I can't completely clean & sanitize my kitchen EVERY time I nip in for 5 mins. And are the GUESTS supposed to do likewwise to protect ME???

- And hosts then run the risk of being accused of only having  cleaned to 99% - or less - of what the guest expected.

How do owners of antique, valuable furniture, (not me!) sanitize it with 'approved products'? - Could that not ruin a valuable antique? @Huma0  

Even if hosts were to run around behind guests, sanitizing after them all day long, this action would rather contradict with social distancing, would it not?   

@Michelle53 @Laura2592  This thorny topic is also being discussed over on "Airbnb Updates" https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Introducing-new-COVID-19-safety-requirements-upda... 

[Michelle53]

@Helen350  Thanks for the redirect. I posted this before realising that it was already posted through Catherine's latest video.

Sometimes, I get tripped up by the posting dates. European format - dd-mm-yyyy and US format mm-dd-yyyy.

[Huma0]

@Helen350 

Good questions. 

While I have no problem sanitising kitchen and bathroom surfaces, door handles and light switches etc. spraying my vintage and hand painted furniture with disinfectant and allowing it to air dry is going to be a problem (although I have been using sanitising wipes on the drawer handles/wardrobe knobs etc.) The information above says to spray the high touch areas, so I don't know if this means the surfaces of all wooden furniture. I wouldn't interpret it as that because, if I think about the furniture, only the dining table and chairs get touched frequently, but what about things like wooden hand rails on staircases etc.?

Once I've sanitised the guest room, I still have to re-enter it to show it to them, as there are things to explain. Then there are the communal areas... Like you said, some of the recommendations are quite impossible in shared spaces.

What I am finding more difficult than the cleaning is maintaining complete social distancing with my guests. They are just not going to wear masks in the house all the time. As long-term guests, they see my house as their home, not a public space.

I do spend some time socialising with my guests, although how much varies from person to person. We're not up in each other's faces, but totally avoiding each other is very difficult when you have long-term guests who have often chosen to stay with a live in host because they don't want to be alone all the time. Often I am their friend and sometimes I am a more like their mother.

What do I tell the girl who is crying all day because of boyfriend troubles and can't call her mum who recently died? "No, I'm not going to console you and feed you and look after you because we can't be in the same room."? 

I am already finding that guests are shocked when I won't hug them goodbye!

[Laura2592]

Yes I saw this too. We are already on the "enhanced clean." One thing I didn't see mentioned is the wait time between guests. Originally if you opted in to the enhanced clean, you had to do 24 hours between guests. We have been adhering to that. Don't know if that is required with this new effort or not.

I am just waiting for the day when its discovered that COVID can't infect you from a surface....ah, the hours of my life I want back.

[Emilia42]

@Laura2592 They are getting closer and closer to that day every day.

[Jennie131]

I have respiratory issues, and have been advised by my physician that I cannot wear a mask when physically active, such as exercising or strenuous cleaning. Since we have to wash walls and ceilings, take down drapes and wash them between guests, I will need to hire someone to do the cleaning for me since a mask is required. This, as well as mandating 24 hours between reservations will force me out of business. I have already been told by guests that a $50 cleaning fee was "too much for one night" and in Airbnb, the customer is ALWAYS right. I cannot find anyone who will be willing to clean my 3 bed, 2.5 bath house for less than $100.