cleaning: how often?

Hugo144
Level 2
Maldonado, Uruguay

cleaning: how often?

Hi everybody! I am from Uruguay, Punta del Este, I am new to this business and I want to start hosting (I am currently working on getting my listing ready). It is a small private bedroom with a tiny hallway and a bathroom. My question is how often should I clean the place, since -from what I've read in Airbnb- the topics always seem to be cleaning before one guest arrives and after one guest leaves, and it seems sort of unusual to clean the place during the guests stay. Shouldn't cleaning be done once a day, like in hotels? Do you have to lay beds or do you leave it to the guests? Especially for the bathroom, should I allow days before cleaning it? 

I'd appreciate your comments and I'd very much like to learn from your experiences. Thank you, dear community!

8 Replies 8
Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

Frequency of cleaning during the stay is up to you, @Hugo144, however, most host agree to at least a weekly cleaning if the guest is staying 1-3 weeks.  If the guest is long term, over 4 weeks, then many hosts will provide cleaning products and expect the guest to clean for themselves.

 

Almost no host cleans every day like a hotel.  As for the bathroom, is it shared with you or private?  If shared, then you should ask the guest to store personal items in their room and consider lightly cleaning the bathroom frequently.

 

Some hosts do not make the bed as may be the custom of their area, but most host make the bed with clean linens. Hope this helps!

You insight is very useful, you covered nearly every cleaning point in a few words! Thank you, Linda.

Marzena4
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

And how much cleaning you do, @Hugo144, might depend on the prices. I can't imagine a budget stay place expected to provide full-time service. Though you will probably meet guests with unrealistic expectations. Also, state how much you clean in your house rules to avoid problems (though some guests will never read etc...)

// "The only person you can trust is yourself"

What you say makes a lot of sense, Marzena, you can't expect a hotel-like service for a fraction of its price. But mentioning the cleaning routine beforehand in the house rules sounds like a very good idea, I'll do that for sure!

You were a great help, thank you!

Rene-and-Zac0
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

@Hugo144 Hola Muchacho! And with that, I just maxed out my Spanish, so I will continue in English. 

Cleaning is THE most important aspect of any listing second only to safety and security. 

Keeping your listing at a higher level of cleanliness will be reflected in your guest reviews. Great reviews about being very clean are excellent for your business. One single review saying your place was filthy dirty islike a karate kick to your stomach. You will battle that one bad review about being clean for the next three years or more.  I hold my staff to an almost unrealistic level of clean. I am fair. I train, explain and correct. Every single expectation is clearly laid out for the housekeeper in a detailed check list. The house keeper cleans before and after each room is occupied. If the guest is stay for up to seven days, I leave extra towels and sheets. Any visit longer than a week, I offer to freshen up the place with a basic maid service for$40. Good Luck!

’You know it’s hard out here for a Host’

Rene and Zac,Thank you for your great advice! My place is small and it should be easy to clean, but I guess it's hard to figure out your guests expectancies when you are a newbie.

@Hugo144

My listing is a private room + bath in my home, and I usually have long-term guests (up to 4 months). I provide bi-weekly bed sheet changes and clean towels thru out the guest's stay. I also do a quick vacuum of the floor and under the bed every week (usually when I vacuum the common areas). I state that I may enter the guest room during the day to open/close windows or to change sheets or occasionally vacuum. It's also a way for me to keep an eye on the room & bath to make sure the guest is following house rules and check for any damage. The guest is responsible for cleaning up and picking up after themself. I also clean the bathroom about once a month but the guest is responsible for basic hygiene and cleanliness. I do not allow the guests to do laundry of the bedding or towels I provide because I do not trust them to wash/do laundry to my standards. In the end, my expectations for guest behavior and attitude is more or less what I would expect from any house guest in my home - whether the guest is my sister, my friend, a distant cousin, or an Airbnb guest.

 

I don't claim to be anything like a hotel, and my listing description is extremely detailed about what I do and don't provide. Also the pricing is reflective of what I offer. IMO, if guests want daily housekeeping and hotel-level services & amenities they can always go to a hotel that meets their expectations and pay hotel prices 🙂

Jessica and Henry: thank you for sharing your experience. It's enlightening for me in so many ways. I am impressed by how open and generous you are to share your knowledge. Thank you again!