Cleaning, Cleaning, Cleaning and checking.

[Cormac0]

Hi Folks

Commentary:

Having spent the first few months cleaning my apartment before guests arrived, I then engage a cleaner to do the job, I explained that EVERYTHING needs to be checked.

This time round I did the cleaning myself to keep my hand in, and what do I find, finger marks on the cutlery and food residues on my cooking pots.

Don't misunderstand me my cleaner is excellent and I’m very happy with her, she just dropped the ball after all what guest would put back cooking pots back in the cupboards in that condition or put the cutlery back in the draws without washing them first?

Cleaning for domestic use is not the same a cleaning for paying Guest so please no more comments about why guest should pay A cleaning charge.

EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE CHECK,

EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE CHECK,

 WHEATHER ITS CLEAN OR NOT THIS IS A VERY TIME-CONSUMING ACTIVITY BUT A NESSECERY ONE.

I’m sorry about the polemic but I’m steamed.

Regards

Cormac

ECK III

ECK VIII

[Linda108]

@Rene-and-Zac0   I am so glad that you "inspect what you expect" when it comes to cleaning.  I have seen so many posts in which hosts countering guest complaints that the space was not clean by stating it was "cleaned professionally".  To me, clean professionally should mean the host has completed and verified confidence the cleaning person or company does the right job.  Kudos to you!

[Ange2]

@Linda108   I ask guests to leave everything they wash on the draining board and NOT to put anything away.  My place is cleaned professionally and it includes taking everything out of the cupboards and checking and re-washing cutlery, glasses, plates, pots and pans etc. I also check everything after the cleaning crew has finished.

I have had a guest or two say my place is not up to standard because someone has prepared dinner and has yet to clean up, literally less tha half an hour between the two.

[Matthew285]

Wow! It never occurred to me that a guest would do that!

Thanks for the reminder. I will have to add this to our growing checklist of things to do when doing turnover for our listing.

[Christine615]

Omg - yes. This.

Hair (someone earlier mentioned). It gets on everything. I literally lint roller sheets before and after I wash them. There is still hair. I now clean the bathroom and still lint roller the floors and tub to eliminate all the hair (I think it clones itself and grows new hairs on its own - sigh).

I tell guests I will strip the beds because it allows me to check of damage. In one case a guest was very "busy" (found underwear in the bed and something foreign on the floor mirror).  That's when I started cleaning with  gloves on. I also wipe down surfaces even if they aren't normally used. Some guests are pin neat. Others have sanitary habits that don't mirror mine. I do say "return the apartment the way you found it," but then discover guests have broken water glasses and haven't reported it (but I then find glass shards in weird places like behind the toilet.)  Why take water glasses into the bathroom when there are disposable cups provided. Sigh.

One guest hosted teens for Junior Olympics and let them eat junk food in the bedrooms. One threw up on everything, then used bath towels instead of paper towels to clean up and threw five of them away - brand new towels bought only the week before. We found chicken wings under the antique bed and the freezer filled with cheap ice cream bars. No healthy eating for those athletes. I thought it was limited to that group until a group of grown women rented the apartment and I found cashews behind the bed, red wine spilled on the linens, rug, wall and comforter and the recycling bin was filled with wine bottles. Another group stayed for a single night to attend a sports game but left Doritos crumbs on our beige couch (luckily a removable slip cover), and a 30 gallon trash can filled with beer cans. Plus they used a white towel provided for drying dishes to clean up mud tracked on the floor - ignoring the 409, the shop towels and the paper towels in the same vicinity.

So we - as hosts - have a large battle when people rent our personal space and treat it like its a disposable trash can.

So if guests wonder why there is a cleaning fee, I tell them it meets the Airbnb minimum cost of paying a young woman to help me with the laundry (we even iron the sheets after they are washed). I raised the fee from $25 to $50 because it takes 2 hours to clean and sanitize the apartment if the people are neat, 4-6 hours to deep clean the apartment if they are not. So the cleaning fee only covers the cost of laundry help. I clean and inspect everything else. I use vinegar and baking soda to remove stains from dishes, silverware and glassware, lint roller for hair, a steam cleaner on the floors, etc.

Still, I've had a guest who rearranged my cabinets and silverware drawers during a short stay.

As for the person on the thread who said they expect sparkling windows for $150 ..., these days $150 won't even get you a room at decent hotel, let alone three bedrooms (which is the case at my space). If hosts had to sparkle the windows after every guest they'd need to charge $400 a night because it would require taking the unit offline for a few days to "resparkle" everything. Or - at $25/hour which is the Airbnb requested rate, charge $100-$125 for a cleaning fee (I'm being facetious, btw).

Expectations for Airbnb seems to run the gamut and I'm learning that no matter what you do, you can't please people who can't be pleased. But those people should go to a hotel.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

Are you sure you are tight enough on your rules @Christine615? 

Hair - it definitely reproduces and migrates.  I thoroughly vacuum the sheets before stripping the bed, wash, dry, roll and vacuum both sides, again, in strong light. 

Water Glasses - I have a strict safety rule about glass anything in the bathroom. Broken glass = blood all over. 

You can clean that entire huge place in 2 hours? It takes 3 full hours to properly clean & prep the one 500 sq ft room plus full  bathroom we rent, in our house. A cleaning fee will never cover it. Nor will the rent we charge cover the $12 - $15 worth of breakfast food we provide, plus the 11% tax we have to include. 

I love it when a guest rearranges things - I always learn from looking at things from their perspective.

[Christine615]

I thought I was ... but I've now re-written the rules to make it clear what I expect and that it's not a motel - it's my home away from home. But sometims people are just --- well -- a bit inconsiderate and it's hard to predict before hand. Now I have to spell out "don't eat in the bedrooms, wash your dishes and put them away, bag your garbage, etc. sigh.

I have cleaning that place is down to a science. I have two to three sets of linens and mattress pads and blankets/covers and towels, a washer dryer on site that will actually handle large loads (thank goodness) , a steam cleaner for the hardwood floors, an Oreck vaccum, etc. Cleaning supplies in more than one place and a ton of lint rollers.  We have area rugs instead of wall to wall carpet because it's easier to clean hardwood floors. And we lucked out and found out that Ikea slipcovers fit our couch for when a guest does something they're not supposed to - like use it for an extra bed.

No - a cleaning fee doesn't cover it (can't imagine it covers cleaning for any place), but I'm slowly raising my price to compensate for the amount of work and I no longer allow "one day" rentals. I don't want to be a "hotel." My college intern helps which is a blessing and I pay her the cleaning fee.

I will say though - rearranging my silverware drawer was odd since the pieces are in a silver tray organizer. But I did like the one guest who, when putting dishes away, organized them in a way that worked better.

I'm six months in. Next summer will be the ultlimate test when the traffic is higher.

You provide breakfast food? My neighbor has a carriage house and she charges extra to provide food. I don't want to add "shopping" to my list of things to do so I provide coffee, tea and basic condiments and expect guests to bring their own food if needed. I did in Paris then left anything unused for the host (who was thrilled). But certainly didn't expect her to feed me herself.

I'm learning. And developing a thicker skin. 🙂

[Linda108]

I love your attitude, @Christine615.  While we often seek general rules, it really comes down to individual host attention.  I think the one size fits all does not work in this sharing economy.  The guest takes risks that often provide excellent outcomes.  But so does the host and we need to allow for our learning curve and our target market.

Thank you for your posting.

[Christine615]

Thanks! I find the community to be comforting (shared experiences, joy and misery 🙂

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

Hi again @Christine615

I have rulea about food in the beds, a no brainer. I have a dozen sets of bedding and towels, extra pillows, comforters, etc. Mattresses and pillows have waterproof covers under the slips. I buy only highest quality, it is cheaper in the long run. We do not use any rugs at all. They are a liability for me and I believe that there is nothing nicer than our hardwood floors. We bought a commercial washer - yes! you are so right about how convenient it is to be able to do large things and large loads. 

Also, I prefer guests that stay no longer than a week, and cannot imagine having a long term guest - that would be a tenant. 

I provide food, yes. Breakfast breads, fruit, granola, milk, almond and soy milk, yogurt. Many coffees and teas, hot chocolate. Coffeemaker, French press, water heating pot, teapot. I also have a well stocked bathroom. I get what you mean about shopping - however we are a half hour down the mountain to the highway and a bit more to get to a grocer.

Our guests do not come here to fun around and go places for the most part. They come here to peacefully relax and totally get away. They are responsible for their own dinners and at times it becomes a group thing with us, which is a lovely bonding thing with exceptional guests. We tend to have a lot in common with our guests, and we offer fun optional things included in their stay, like sky shows, hikes, nature study, and full concierge service. We've even taken guests to the theatre for a play or a concert. This is not work, it is one of the most fun things we do. 

[Amy4]

My cleaners improved when I created a detailed checklist, which I print each time and expect them to physically check-off with a pen as they complete each item. It looks something like this (with checkboxes in front of each item):

_ Open curtains and shake them

_ Turn on the lights

_ Strip bed linens and place in tote

_ Dust or damp wipe all furniture surfaces

_ Damp wipe windowsills, shelves

_ Clean mirrors and windows
_ Make up the bed with fresh linens

_ Sweep/Vac (pay special attention under the bed & sofa)

_ Empty wastebasket and replace the bag

Etc.

I have a small area at the bottom of the checklist that says "Double Check" and there I list the things most often overlooked:

Double Check:
_ Under bed
_ In drawers
_ Trash emptied

I also provide an incentive: I pay a base rate that's slightly below going rate, but I give a bonus that brings it above the going rate if they use the checklist and don't miss anything. 

Hope this helps!

Amy