Do you have a refresh and upgrade schedule for your STR?

[Pat271]

Hello fellow hosts,

I am in the process of putting together a schedule for performing refresh and upgrade tasks on my STRs. I realize that this type of scheduling is highly dependent on how carefully the STR is being maintained and the quality of the contents within. Nevertheless, there are probably averages that would provide good rules of thumb for the more common upgrades and replacements. I know that apartment complexes have such schedules for maintenance, painting, carpet replacement etc.

After hosting for a few years, this is what seems to be warranted for me as far as maintenance and upgrades, and lessons learned:

Interior painting - Every 5 years

     Although I touch up as needed, baseboards, trim and walls are starting to look a little peaked. A complete refresh after 5 years might brighten them up a bit.

Lessons Learned:

     Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works wonders on wall and baseboard marks

     Children wreak havoc on walls using everything imaginable - dirty hands, pens and markers, food smears, etc. Famous artists in the making!

Kitchen pots, pans, and various other utensils - Every 3 years

     This is dependent on proper utensil care, how much the kitchen is being used, etc. I am starting to see quite a few scratches on my stainless steel pots and pans, as well as rust stains, chips on handles, etc. Rust stains can be avoided with proper cleaning and drying. Pots, pans, and cutlery should be dried immediately after washing, either with the dry cycle on the dishwasher, or manually. However, not everyone, especially guests, will do this.

A complete replacement of kitchen items is not necessary - selective replacement is sufficient.

Lessons learned:

     Corelle cups, bowls and dishes - they hardly ever break or chip, and sticking with all-white allows replacement as needed

     Mid-range quality items - replacing lost, stolen or damaged items can get quite expensive, and low-quality items don’t last in terms of function and appearance

     NO non-stick pots and pans - they start looking old quickly, and chipping may be detrimental to health 

     Barkeepers Friend is miraculous for electric cooktops and stainless steel pots and pans, as well as various other uses

Towels and linens - Every year

     I am constantly replacing these, although there are tricks of the trade to get out stains and keep linens and towels looking nice, many of which have been discussed in this group. Still, especially towels start looking dingy and stringy after dozens of washings, no matter the color. Between my long-lasting linens and ones that seem to get torn, irrevocably stained, or damaged shortly after I buy them, I estimate that I’m replacing towels and linens on average once a year.

Lessons learned:

     Pre-soak stains in Oxiclean, hydrogen peroxide, Dawn, vinegar, baking soda, or similar

     Don’t have guests strip beds - you can easily see where the stains are if they are left on the beds

     Excessive bleaching can cause yellowing

     Provide inexpensive gray or black make-up cloths

Some of this probably also depends on hosting style. I want NO stains and nothing broken in the house, period, no exceptions. Different types of properties and different hosting styles will require different maintenance and replacement schedules

Furniture and appliances - Shoot for “never” (but every 10 years for some items)

I have had to do very little furniture replacement so far. Simple, durable, timeless pieces are key.

I’m thinking, though, that my couches and mattresses will probably need to be replaced every 10 years.

Lessons learned:

     Avoid light-colored, upholstered furniture. My medium-grade, tough brown leather chairs and couches still look like new. My beige couch is a constant headache.

     Avoid thick carpeting. Tile or vinyl flooring with a couple of washable throw rugs has worked for me

     Everything should be sturdy and durable. Avoid delicate items that can break easily

     Avoid excessive “decorating”. A few well-placed pieces of wall art makes for a simple and clean look, and avoids a lot of damages and dusting. 

     The above depends a lot on property and hosting style. For instance you might have extensive collections of memorabilia that guests pay to see. Or you might have an extremely high-end place that demands absolute top-brand designer furniture and amenities.

Deep cleaning - 2-3 times a year

      This is for things like removing and washing light fixtures, cleaning the insides of cabinets and drawers, deep cleaning floor tile, removing stains from the wire grills in the oven, etc. I also lump paint touch-up in this category.

       Much of this depends on the cleaner. A few cleaners seem to deep-clean every time, but many consider the above “extra”, and some won’t even tell you when some deep-cleaning task needs to be done. Items should be deep-cleaned and/or touched up if they look like they need it! Everything should be as clean and fresh as possible at all times. But, on average, I have performed the above tasks 2-3 times a year.

Lessons learned:

     Seal  grout. This has cut way down on the deep cleaning of floor and bathroom tile

     Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works wonders for wall and baseboard marks

Big lesson learned:

     Try to actually reside in your properties as often as you can. It’s amazing what you might see and experience compared to simply performing a walk-through inspection. 

I welcome any comments on the above, as well as discussion of your own experiences.

Do you have a refresh and upgrade schedule?

*Image added by OCM 

[Laura2592]

@Pat271 we do have a schedule and I agree that staying in your space is invaluable. 

Ours is:

1. Pots/Pans and Dishware- replace annually. Guests break and ruin these items more than anything else. I buy a new set of dishes/glasses and/or pots and pans at least once at year, usually at year's end when we have to spend money to cut down on tax payments.
2.  Linens and towels-- about every 6 mos to a year. These also get stained. Pillowcases and towels disappear. We have less of a schedule for this and more of a "watch for a sale and buy bulk." 
3. Plants and seasonal decor-- it depends, typically at least twice a year. We do flowers in the planter boxes in the spring and pine cones in the winter. We just put out pumpkins for autumn and we decorate for the December holidays. Plants die (or guests "help" by playing amateur gardener and repotting them) so we replace them more often than we would like. 
4. Furnishings- ideally we would only refresh when they got old, but we have replaced a bed already and its been 3 years. So maybe once every 3 years.
5. Exterior features- every 3 to 10 years. We just re-graveled the long driveway. As the weeds eventually grow through it, we will have to do it again in a few years. The wood around some of the patio is rotting and that will need to be redone. Dead tree removal is on the agenda for November. 
6. Well and Septic- 1-4 years. We change the UV light on the well annually and pump the septic every 4 years. 
7. Chimney- clean every 2 years
8. Painting- probably every 3 years. We have been hosting for 3 years and I am just noticing that we need some spots refreshed
9. Deep cleaning- constantly. Every time we stay ourselves, we focus on one space to deep clean (fridge, lights, grout, etc.)
10. Improvement projects- annually. We try to do one major thing at the end of each year to improve the look or function of the space. Last year it was repainting the shed and adding a deck. This year its new counters and a new back stoop. 
11. Electronics and appliances-- 5 to (hopefully) 10 years but sometimes technology changes faster. 

[Pat271]

@Laura2592 

Wow, so much outdoors that I don’t have to worry about since I have condos, although I pay dearly for the privilege in my monthly homeowner’s dues.🙄

Like you, I also have plans for larger renovations. The problem is that because of the pandemic and the fact that we stay in our places for a few months every year, a significant dent has been made to our profits, and in turn to our renovation budget. Slowly but surely, though, the pot is getting replenished. I plan to renovate both bathrooms in Maui next, assuming recent labor and supply problems don’t persist.

[Renee499]

@Laura2592  Just a suggestion, most chimneys are not that hard to clean and depending on the use it is very important to clean your chimney every year at the beginning of the season. I clean my own chimney since I invested in the chimney sweep brushes many years ago.  Most people visiting my house do not know how to use a fireplace/woodstove, so I leave fire starters logs for them.  

[Laura2592]

@Renee499 our cottage was built in 1850 and is solid stone, as is the chimney. It requires a tech who is familiar with historic structures and we have one on schedule every 2 years, as is recommended 🙂 We get the full scope with the camera, they crawl on the roof, etc.

And we only leave Duraflames for guests to burn inside. We learned that 95% of the population has zero clue how to safely build a fire, even with videos and demos. So now guests get a firelog and that is it. 

[Brian2036]

@Pat271 

Thanks for the detailed schedule.

We don’t do anything that doesn’t appear to need doing immediately.

Dora thinks that the house should be completely redecorated between every stay but I don’t agree. 

It should be noted that we don’t intend to make a profit anyway, so I really don’t care, unless costs exceed income by a significant margin.

[Pat271]

@Brian2036  Dora is a kindred spirit. 🙂 I am always looking to make improvements to the improvements we’ve just made. My husband is not amused.

[Renee499]

I do airbnb with my house when I am away. I am a travel agent and I also own a house cleaning business but I began helping my neighbors with their cabins.  They bought the cabins from my in laws a few years ago and did some updates.  They booked through their website and a few years ago began using airbnb. This summer they asked me to help with their cleaning (their housekeep is terrible!) and we have developed a very good relationship and now I am helping with the hosting.  We are currently having conversations about upgrades (these cabins are pretty rustic)  and décor.  I am not sure if they have ever achieved becoming a superhost before but they did this quarter! We will be working on some of the updates this winter on the two cabins that are not winterized to begin the season in the spring with a bang!

[Cathie19]

@Pat271 , I don’t have a listed schedule for upgrading and maintenance - probably because with a WHS background, maintenance schedules are already in my head. Garry and I work from opportunity,  routinely as well as cyclically - due to our climate.

For example: If we see that sealant around sinks darkening or grout around tiles, we aim to remove and replace it when we have a gap in bookings. This is the same for undertaking water pressure cleaning of driveways, as well as paths and pavers in courtyards and the shared gardens. This way it avoids tasks turning into major chores…. 

We are regularly pruning and adding plants but have specifically two serious arboreal inspections of trees a year. One at the end of the Dry Season, before the monsoon and Cyclone Season. Again at the end of that Wet Season. Ensuring only healthy palms and other trees etc are in the yard.  We routinely have the berries removed from the trees to limit fruit bats. Berry removal happens between stays, but if necessary, arboreal work will have me blocking days to ensure everything runs smoothly. In fact, we have ten palms being felled next week, so deliberately blocked the calendar.

The interior paint work gets touched up as needed and possibly repainted every three years. Colour is the same throughout to allow regular touch up without fear of not being able to match a colour on a quick turnaround.

Light and fan fixtures get regularly removed and cleaned. Essentially a mini spring clean in a turnaround cycle. If I have a longer STR about to start and a short gap following with the next guests, I work those bigger clean jobs earlier. Air conditioner filters are sprayed with hospital grade aerosol disinfectant between bookings, and lightly wiped,  but the a/c filters (inside) are removed and cleaned at least every two months. Monthly if in the “build up” so they run at maximum efficiency for cooling and cost. We have all air conditioners professionally cleaned annually (inside and outside units).

Professional pest control annually, with our own checks and upkeep as needed. Termites in trees and gardens is a part of the Top End fauna lifestyle..…

External painting as needed and that includes outside furniture, fences, gates etc.

Due to the harsh climate from bird life and strong UV sunlight fading, we would be lucky to get 18 months to two years out of our pool umbrellas. We would only get 1 year to 18 months out of external fabric decorations such as Tibetan flags. Bali flags maybe three years.

So things such as Bali flags, Tibetan flags, bed and general linen (all) has me purchasing when it’s on special and putting it aside for when I decide the change needs to happen. That way I always have my regular rotational supplies plus extra new as needed.

Kitchen supplies and general furnishings also as needed. As I’m the cleaner, I get to see if something is deteriorating or not, or if it is beginning to look tired. I always have spare interior scatter cushion covers, but they maybe rotated or new purchased yearly. Especially the pool outside cushions. Bed pillows themselves are date stamped and replaced before they reach that expiry.  So essentially, I have those lists in my head with each turnaround clean. 

It’s the big stuff like heating, cooling, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms and fire extinguishers that I make sure happen. Clearing gutters before storm season etc etc.
Fire PPE is every six months to ensure the regulators are working etc. This I do myself as I’m not a commercial business - but I maintain the same routine as if one.

We use the equipment ourselves and I turn on electrical appliances after a stay and also turn TVs etc on when I’m taking photos of the prepared rooms before each check in. That way I have evidenced proof that items work (TV / air ons etc) at time of check in.

FYI: I keep a universal remote control on hand, in case a tv remote goes on the blink between cleanings.

[Pat271]

@Cathie19  Excellent write-up, Cathie. You filled in some of the items I forgot, like pest control (once a quarter for me, more often if warranted), and filter changes (once a month for my heavily-used HVACs).

For indoor ceiling fans, besides occasional cleaning, I use a nifty tool to wipe them after every guest. It is L-shaped with a long pole topped with a Swiffer duster. Works well and saves my arms and shoulders. 🙂 

[Sarah977]

@Quincy  Who chooses the photos for these topics? I don't know about anyone else, but I don't undertake painting projects in nice clothing. 🙂