Cleaning fee

[Devin-and-Sarah0]

What Is An Airbnb Cleaning Fee?

Airbnb doesn’t specify what the cleaning fee is used for. Their policy is ‘Cleaning fees help hosts account for extra expenses they have getting their listing ready before guests arrive or after guests depart.’

Source: AirbnbUniverse.com

If cleaning fees aren’t what you are looking for, then check out our Airbnb kitchen essentials.

An Airbnb cleaning fee is a one time fee hosts charge their guests on top of the nightly rates. It covers expenses such as their time cleaning, the cost of any cleaning products, any incidental items that guests damage, and other expenses.

There are three ways you can use your cleaning fee and it’s your choice.

1. Cleaning while your guests are staying with you. You can choose to clean daily or every few days, but let your guests know beforehand.
2. Cleaning your Airbnb after your guests check out. Most hosts that live in the property and rent out part of their place will choose this option.
3. Hiring a cleaning service. This is normally done when hosts do not live in the property and after guests have checked out.

   Remember, cleaning is just one aspect of your pre-guest check-in. You need to supply all the basic supplies i.e toilet paper, bath towels, hand soap, etc. 

   If cleaning fees aren’t what you are looking for, then check out our Airbnb kitchen essentials.

   How Much Should You Charge For An Airbnb Cleaning Fee?

   This cleaning fee is your choice as an Airbnb host. You should use one of two methods.

   The first method is going onto the Airbnb app and writing down what your surrounding 2-mile competition is charging. Go through the listings in detail and compare the size of your listing, how much they are charging per night and how often they are booking compared to other similar listings.

   If your competitors aren’t booking then it could tell you their cleaning fee or nightly prices are too high. Get a feel for what cleaning fee prices are around you. Use that for a starting guide.

   The second method which you may have to do the first method initially. After a few hosting experiences and taking the time to clean your property. Adjust your cleaning fee to what you think is fair.

   Think about how many hours it takes to clean your property and adjust the cleaning fee from there. It isn’t always about what your competition is doing, but keep that in the back of your mind.

   What Are The Best Airbnb Cleaning Vacuums?

   For us, overall performance in any condition (carpet, pet hair, thick rugs, etc) are very important. Our choices are based on that:

   • Shark Rocket Deluxe Blue Handheld Upright Vacuum Cleaner (Link To Amazon Here)
     • Eureka NEU180B Lightweight Powerful Upright (Link To Amazon Here)
       
       

       • Bissell Cleanview Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner, Orange, 1831 (Link To Amazon Here)
         • Bissell Cleanview Swivel Rewind Pet Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner (Link To Amazon Here)

         • Should I Clean My Airbnb While A Guest Is Staying With Me?

           The standard Airbnb host does not clean their property while guests are staying with them. One of the reasons hotels are much more expensive is that they have to hire numerous employees to clean hotel rooms every day. With that expense gone hotels would be cheaper.

           What Airbnb Cleaning Options Do I Have?

           There are three ways you can use your cleaning fees:

           Cleaning while your guests are staying with you

         •  You can choose to clean daily or every few days but make sure you let your guests know beforehand. Most guests won’t expect you to clean daily like a hotel and the majority of the time will refuse your offer.

           Cleaning your Airbnb after your guests check out

         • Most hosts that live in the property and rents out a private bedroom and or part of their place choose this option. For most major cities in North America, this will be required due to by-laws.

           Hiring a cleaning company 

         • This is normally done when hosts live in a different country and after guests have checked out. Hiring a company can be extremely expensive and quality can be inconsistent. Another alternative to cut costs is to look at your local Craigslist and hire from there.

           Steps To Hiring A Cleaning Service:

           mpany –

           You should always test any cleaning service before you decide to hire them on a regular basis. For us, whenever we first try a new cleaning service, we give them a detailed list of what we expect done. Usually, it will be the carpet, shutters, bathroom and anything else that takes a significant amount of time in between guest check-ins.

           After they are finished, whether they are still cleaning other parts of the property or have left, inspect the quality of their work. Most cleaning services will charge a minimum cleaning hour rate (eg. 2 hours minimum) or a total price for what you want to be cleaned. Inquire beforehand and be sure to give them details on exactly what you want.

           Is The Cleaning Fee Included In The Airbnb Price?

           The cleaning fee is part of the booking total and is non-refundable. In the Airbnb search results, your guests will see a nightly rate which includes the cleaning fee divided by the total number of nights in the reservation.

           How Do I See The Total Price Of An Airbnb With Cleaning Fees Included?

           While you are traveling and looking for places to stay on Airbnb, nightly prices can be deceiving. One minute they are one price and when you want to finalize your booking the price increases. That is because you are not using the “Map Feature” on Airbnb.

           Most people will search for a listing with the left side of the app which only shows what style of home it is (entire condominium, share room, private room etc), the title, price per night not including cleaning fees, and the guest ratings.

           Do this instead, after searching the city you want to stay in, on the top right side it will have “show map” and by default, it will be turned off. Turn it on and a map shows up on the right. With the map turned on you can search the area on the map and coordinate where you want to go, what you want to see, and the best part. Cleaning fees are included.

           What If I Don't Want To Charge An Airbnb Cleaning Fee?

           Not all Airbnb hosts feel comfortable charging a cleaning fee. If you choose to not charge a cleaning fee here are some alternatives.

           Ask your guests to tidy up after themselves. You can send a short message via Airbnb app the day before they check in or even while they are checking in.

           Most importantly, write your cleaning expectations in your Airbnb guidelines. Mention you don’t charge a cleaning fee and be very specific with special requests such as asking your guests to strip the bedding before checking out or to do their dishes before departing etc.

           The second alternative which is less invasive, but tends to not work so well is to put all the above information into your welcoming book.

           A welcoming book is a binder letting guests know anything about your place(front door code or wifi password), directions to the grocery store or local favorite restaurants etc. At the front of this book add your cleaning expectations and Airbnb guidelines.

           What If I Can't Clean My Airbnb Because I'm Not Living There?

           State this in your Airbnb listing that you are not at the property to clean daily. You will have to hire either a cleaning service company or someone off Craigslist to clean after a guest checks out.

           Explain your cleaning expectation for guests and make a detailed guideline for all guests. In your Airbnb profile be sure to include a way for your guests to contact you in case the property is dirty.

           What Does An Airbnb Cleaning Fee Cover?

           Hosts ultimately choose what the cleaning fee covers. It covers host expenses such as their time cleaning, the cost of any cleaning products, any incidental items that guests damage, and other expenses.

            What Should You Do If Your Guest Wants You To Clean Your Airbnb?

           Here is how to cover yourself when it does happen. Specify in your Airbnb profile that you do or do not clean while your guests are staying with you. If you don’t specify, it could cause confusion for a guest that’s brand new to the platform and think it’s similar to a hotel in that nature.

           If a guest does ask you to clean. Document the conversation whether it is on the Airbnb app or via text message. Politely state your profile guidelines saying you do not clean while guests are staying and only before a guest arrives. Even go one step further and mention it is much cheaper than a hotel.

           How To Use Your Airbnb Cleaning Fee To Discourage One Night Bookings

           With cleaning fees, you can look at it as being divided among the length of guests stay. $50 cleaning fee for a single night is $50, but amongst a 5-night stay most would look at it as $10 per night. If you set your cleaning fee higher it tends to discourage guests who book one night at a time, but the great benefit is if you end up getting a single night booking last minute then your overall profits will go up.

           Thank you for stopping by AirbnbUniverse.com If you are wondering how we set up our other Airbnb rooms, check out our kitchen, bedroom, livingroom, and bathroom essentials

[Christine1]

@Devin-and-Sarah0, thank you for this comprehensive and very well written contribution to this forum. 

As a long time experienced home based host, I  would like to endorse the advice which you have given. At the time of writing I would agree with the thorough detail and the quality of advice you have given.

I think you have given a really clear picture, particularly for newer hosts who may not yet fully understand how this cleaning fee tool can most effectively applied, or not. 

It is also extremely clearly expressed for the benefit of guests as well, and particular paragraphs could be reliably quoted by hosts when they are explaining how guest charges are calculated. 

Thankyou for referencing your sources.

Much appreciated. 

Christine from Wombats Studio at Glenbrook