What are your cleaning tips?

[Lizzie]

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all good. :)

The cleaning process is something that all hosts go through, either by looking after it yourself or managing a person/company to take care of it. 

A few months ago, @Sandra created a great thread on ways to clean grouting, which led to a more general topic on how to remove stains, where many of you shared fantastic tips. With this in mind, I thought it would be useful to start a new discussion where we can share tips with each other on how you prepare your listing ready to receive your guests. 

How do you prepare your bathroom, shower, floors/carpets and towels/linens ready to receive your guests? Do you do it yourself or you use a cleaning service? Are there any special details you always make sure are ready? Do you normally have quite a tight turnaround to get your listing ready for your next guest?

Please share your tips below and I looking forward to hearing your responses. :)

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Lizzie]

Hello, @Andrea, @Amy, @Huma, @Dee, @Clare, @Jude, @Helen, @Lilian, @Dieneke, @David, @Helga, @Robin, @Lawrene, @Tim & Holly, @Cormac, @Kim & Jen, @Mariann, @Gerry And Rashid, @Jeet, @Cynthia & Chris, @Karen & Brian, @Rachael, @Alice & Jeff, @Dev, @Branka & Silvia, @Steve, @Wendy & Frank, @J Renato, @Linda, @Marit Anne, I thought you might be interested in this topic, it would be great to hear your thoughts on this. :)

[Andrea]

I don't do same day check out and check in new guests. Too stressful with my work, and since I rent a room in my apartment I really appreciate that private evening!

I've become a real neat freak, and my motto for cleaning is that the guest should feel as if they are the first ever to use the space.

Always super clean. Toilet brush is replaced as soon as I see a bit of discoloration. Pump dispensers (transparent/translucent) for hand lotion, shampoo, shower lotion are always topped up if contents are lower than max. 1 cm from top. I also check and remove any dried product stuck outside the pump head and underneath (running water and toothbrush).

Very important that all surfaces are wiped dry and the shiny ones have to sparkle!

Toilet paper - always a new roll! plus some extra on the shelf.

In the bathroom I leave make up remover pads, some Q-tips in a closed container, a little pack of tissues you can just pop in your bag, and if I get any extra cosmetic, body, or hair product samples I'll leave them as freeby too.

In the guest room I have a Nespresso machine which I always bring back to factory condition cleanliness, replace the water.

Electric tea kettle is emptied and turned over to drip dry. Treated for lime build up before it really becomes apparent.

Of course Nespresso cups, little glass containers for tea, for brown sugar cubes and white sugar cubes are always filled. Napkins too as well as the water bottles in the super clean little fridge too.

Then tacky but nice (at least I'd like it as guest) some little Dutch caramel wafel cookies wrapped and tied up in cellophane as a welcome gesture.

With the way I place or hang things  I kind of geek out ;)

When installing exhibitions it's usually important to line things up the same way that graphic design is arranged - line it up with something, don't do slightly diagonal or crooked, do it properly diagonal or crooked so it looks intentional, or lay it perfectly straight.

So I have this system where my towels or dispensers in the bathroom are lined up or centered with the darker grout of tiles or with other elements. Toilet paper  with the glued down starting edge toward the wall just looks nicer. And the same with the reserve rolls on the shelf - no paper ends visible.

All towels hang completely straight. 

All little containers and dishes in the room on the placement section on top of the fridge.... House manual, little tray, everything, haha.

Sounds crazy, but the same way that it looks nicer in photographs, it all makes it lookscalm, organized, and fresh.

My personal problem is that I love this 'hotel look' so much that I do it in my own bathroom too!!! ummm.... daily... 

[Jude]

Silly question, @Andrea - how do you treat for lime buildup?  It's a bit of a problem where I live and I've yet to discover a good solution!

Jude

[Andrea]

@Jude

"how do you treat for lime buildup?" Not silly at all!  :)

Don't allow it to build up.

My guest stays are usually only 2-4 days 90% of the time, and the occasional 5 or my max of 6. So the build up is relative.

I never just leave on and only rinse off a product.  I always also wipe  or lightly work it over tiles, armatures, and all metal parts using worn spongy kitchen pads. The ones with the slightly harder scrubby bit on the bottom. Once they're too soft and not nice enough for the kitchen, they're relegated to my cleaning inventory. The perfect cleaning accessory - still still clean well enough but doesn't harm glazing or metal surfaces. Old tootbrushes taken regularly to connecting parts of sink, shower, and bathtub armatures are like magic wands.

This also cuts down on the amount of product needed, plus it's much nicer to the environment.

It sounds like more work, but I've gotten quick at it. Besides, it takes so much more time and elbow grease to remove hard caked-up lime in crevasses and corners if it's been allowed to build up .

In my own bathroom I squeegie (guess that's misspelled...) the glass walls and the terrazzo shower floor, then quickly rub over the armatures and the more difficult water collecting corners with an old towel. Again, sounds like more work, but I don't have to fully clean  as often because it never gets so bad.  Believe me, I actually do not like to clean, so a bit at a time to me feels like so much less work psychologically. 

I've noticed that window/glass cleaners are great for cleaning just about anything, even lime that hasn't settled. Vinegar is great too.

Cleaning hack shower head: attach bag with vinegar over it with elastic and leave overnight. 

I also have the lime buster Antical or Silit Bang for lime. They're absolutely great products, but not the most environmental ones, so I usually only use them on older lime build up.

I noticed something recently when cleaning my electric water kettle using liquid product, namely the pure and undiluted liquid is pure dynamite. Next time I need to get rid of crusty lime I'll carefully test it on that. Pretty errosive though and rubber gloves only!

Well, hope there's some helpful answer in there for you somewhere.

[John]

My Mom had it down.  Good old white vinegar!   For really tough scale on plumbing fixtures, an old-school plumber turned me on to pickle juice,  yep,  pickle juice.  Works like a charm!  You can make a great all-purpose cleaner-degreaser by mixing white vinegar, dishwashing liquid and water in a spray bottle.  Beats off the shelf and expensive cleaners every time.

[Philip And Lauren]

Hi Jude, 

Citric Acid works really well on hard water stains. I just mix up some of the powder with a little water and use a toothbrush to apply. 

[Wendy & Frank]

@Jude,

Put a glass marble in the tea kettle when you're using it.

No lime will be deposited.

[Bruce]

im going to try that now brb

@Wendy & Frank

[Sandra]

Water softner.

[Wendy & Frank]

You shouldn't drink water treated with softener.  The sodium levels are off the hook!

[Chealsea]

Hi Jude,

We have this problem as well.  For bathrooms I really like using the Mr. Clean "magic erasers".  There are some amazing lime away like products out there, but if you are on a septic system, it is probably best to avoid those or use sparingly.  I found that if I do a very thorough cleaning with a lime away product (usually only need to do once) to get rid of any heavy settlement than I can use the magic erasers to manage the deposits the rest of the time.

Hope this helps.

Chealsea

[Celia]

Re Lime buildup - use Viacal - it has a much nicer smell than vinegar , which is the other alternative.

 and after i have cleaned the shower doors i dry them with a tea towel ( the linen kind which leaves no fluff , unlike the towelling kind - ditto for the stainless steel kitchen sink - dried with a tea towel 

[Spencer]

Toilet bowl cleaner. The Works Original is the best brand. But be careful, it’s super strong. 

[Lawrene]

Quick turnarounds often here, and like @Andrea, I want guests to feel they are the first to use the space. Bit unique in that I have to carry all cleaning supplies including water and mop, and all replacement supplies, including firewood, one kilometre on a footpath. Don't feel sorry for me for one minute. It is an amazing trail! But my trick is to always have a compartmentalized bag and bucket ready to go in order to save time and 2km round trips up and down the path. If your situation is similar, you might try that. Thanks, @Lizzie for including me here, and thanks @Andrea and @Alice & Jeff for the tips!