@Brenda357 I was compelled to response to your post Brenda, please consider the cost and expenses to provide you a 4-star experience. As a superhost I spend 3 - 4 hours cleaning my home - vacuuming, scrubbing toilets, showers, tub, and sinks, polishing stainless steel, cleaning microwaves and oven, washing kitchen cabinets, washing floors and windows, and dusting. To sub this out I would be paying 20 - 50 dollars per hour in New England. All of the above cleaning also does not include: the washing and drying expense of towels and bedding( detergent, water fee and electricity), dry cleaning nice down comforters folks stain while eating in bed, broken dishes, trash removal costs, recycling, the cost of all the cleaning supplies and the coffee, tea, sugar and cream I provide.
Also, I live in my home when it is not rented, but I do not return promptly each time a guest departs. So if a quest leaves trash or food out and a couple of days go by before the home is inspected that is a huge issue for pests and odors. The same could be said for host that ask quest to run linens. I do not, but I can assume it helps prevents wet linens from becoming moldy or musty from sitting in a pile.
Recently I had a guest leave food in pots and pans and trash in our home. Because I charged a cleaning fee, he did not feel he should have to do the basic of things to clean up items he used. I find that disrespectful and certainly I would reflect this behavior in a poor rating.
It is somewhat intuitive to assume even though some hosts don't charge a cleaning fee, they probably roll that cost into the hosting fee. Hotels don't charge to clean, they just charge exorbitantly high room rates! All washes out in the end. My two cents!