Is cleaning the host's responsibility or the guest's responsibility DURING a stay?

[Carmen60]

I understand that hosts should / must / have to provide a clean space before a guest checks in for their stay.

But are hosts responsible for cleaning the accommodation for the guest daily or is it the responsibility of the guest to clean for themselves daily during their stay?

[Yulianna0]

@Stephanie0, yes, I host shared space, not much work for me to keep my own house in order:) 

And did you tell your guests about lights on? I had two boys that didn’t turn off lights when they were out, I could see it from the window, but I didn’t enter the room and left lights on. At least everything is Led, so no much expenses. 

[Dixie7]

Hi Stephanie, I understand how it gets to you when guests leave lights on in every room. I've had some leave lights on inside & outside, heaters on and fan on in the ensuite and they've gone out for the day. I know it gets me pretty uptight and makes me feel like they're totally taking me for a fool. Unfortunately, some people just have no decency or respect for other people's property or the conservative use of amenities. And if you've ever seen how some people leave hotel rooms, you would not like to be the poor person who has to clean up after those slobs ... and some people are just plain slobs. I'm probably a fuss pot but my pride wouldn't allow me to leave a hotel room or as an Airbnb guest anything other than absolutely spotless. I will continue to charge a cleaning fee as it takes me 2-3 hours to clean after each booking and that is to thoroughly clean every inch of my place for the next guests.  

[Mandi-S-Just-Business-Ro0]

Includ e these things in your rules

[John1080]

For an in-home shared situation, the guest should be cleaning up after himself during the stay, but ultimately it is up to the host to decide that and also make it very clear in the listing details and the pre-approval message what is expected of the guest as far as cleaning. 

I think at minimum, the guest should be doing up his own dishes and replacing items used/removing clutter. However, I would not ask the guest to clean as in sweeping, dusting, etc. That can be done after the guest checks out.

For longer term stays of a few weeks or more, I would, as a host do a once a week cleaning of the room including sweeping and dusting just for the sake of hygiene.

[Mandi-S-Just-Business-Ro0]

Here's some time savers.

The majority of my guests are long term.  Give them too many big fat fluffy towels. Like 6 or 8 per. I keep them in a plastic bin under the bed. That way it feels generous. And they do laundry less often...

Leave cleaning materials and broom and dustpan visible and rags paper towels within easy access.

Triple bag garbage cans .

Minimize carpets. They trap allergens and odours..

Clean with clean smelling cleaners . Apparently that clean feeling starts with the nose....

Use a toilet blueing agent AND a bowl cleaner. The inpeccable toity: behold!

Buy essentials like toilet paper in bulk and stack it within easy reach. Some guests seem to eat them, they go through so many!

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[Cormac0]

@Carmen60

after reading some of the post on here, I wonder why some guest want hotel standards and services at bargain basement prices?

If you want Hotel standards and services, you know where to stay in a Hotel.

What’s the point for host doing everything an hotel does if they are getting fifty percent less income then an hotel for the same accommodation and services?

One of the arguments put forward by the hotel industry is that Airbnb et al are taking away their business, which would appear to be the case if hosts are willing to capitulate to the demands of some guest

Why should hosts work for very little when it would appear some guests only want to contribute to your overheads and not pay market value for your accommodation and services.

[Jessica2209]

If you aren't making money, then don't do it. Hotels have a lot more overhead and that is why they charge more. But, if you feel like it's not worth it, then don't do it. And honestly with the increased prices, I find hotel suites cheaper than AirBnBs now and less stressful.

[Toney4]

Help-  a guest just ended a stay at my property and did not clean the bathroom or vaccume the carpet.  they left two days early and did nto ask for a vaccume  to clean the carpet.   I do not charge a cleaning fee.

Also she left hair all over the bathroom shower, floor and did nt clean the other parts of the bathroom.

Otherwise she was a great guest. 

How many stars should I give her for cleaninless?    I don't want to make a big deal out of it but i feel slighted because she left the bathroom a mess and did nto once ask for a vacume over the 3 months she was here.    I don't want to be petty, but fair.   

[Sarah977]

@Toney4  I had a look at your listings. "Guests must clean the space before departure" is much too vague. You need to be very specific about what you expect your guests to clean. Otherwise you're leaving it up to the guest's interpretation. Some might think that just means taking out the garbage, washing the dishes and not leaving a mess behind them. So you need to list exactly what your expectations re guest cleaning are.

If this guest didn't leave the place a dirty disaster, I would not mark her down for cleanliness at all. Most hosts expect to do the heavy duty cleaning themselves and consider it part of our jobs. And guests expect that as well. Vacuuming, washing floors, and scrubbing down the bathroom are normally host responsibilities- either they do it themselves or they have cleaners who come in. Expecting a guest to clean well enough for the next guest is not really practical, nor normal.

[Toney4]

Cool.  Thank you.   I still find the tooh past all on the4 mirror and walls disgusting..

[Sarah977]

@Toney4 Yeah, as a host dealing with the whole gamut of humans, there may be times when we have to deal with less than palatable cleaning jobs. I've been lucky- most of my guests leave their space really clean, but if you read through posts on this subject from other hosts here, you'd be thankful that toothpaste and some hair was the most disgusting thing you had to clean up 🙂 One host said she has a special pair of tongs she uses to pick up filthy underwear left behind and deposit in the garbage. And that's far from the worst.

[Oxana19]

If you are charging hotel prices + cleaning fees, NO, it’s not guest’s responsibility to clean up, it’s Yours as a host.

if you provide accommodations at a reasonable rate, well below what hotel charges, then you should ask for a deposit and advice a customer in advance that they should leave the place as they found it ( just like with a rental) in order to get their deposit back. Host must provide cleaning supplies, vacuum, etc...

[Sarah977]

@Oxana19  The problem with that idea is that there would be disagreement over whether a guest left it clean. The host finds it a disgusting mess, the guest is under the belief that they cleaned well enough. Not everyone's definition of "clean" is the same, by a long shot.

[Mandi-S-Just-Business-Ro0]

Some guests are meticulous. Some guests aren't. I expect my guests to pile dirty linen on the bed, turn off the appliances, and leave the key. The rest I clean. Sometimes very clean guests make me complacent, as if I might miss something!

[Tara248]

Most AirBnB hosts these days are getting a good cheap cleaner like myself to come and turn over for next checkin I am one myself