Your cleaning tips and advice

[Stephanie]

Hello everyone,

Cleaning is an essential element of a host’s life and can really make a difference in whether a guest enjoys their stay or not. Here in the Community Center it’s one of those things we all have in common and is shown in the many great conversations providing tips and solutions: 

What are your cleaning tips? / Grout cleaning / How do you keep your home smelling fresh?

One of the tricky things when starting is to know how to calculate your cleaning fee, or charge one at all. Maybe you have a designated cleaner and so this provides a useful guide or you calculate it time/expenses. 

Do you have any cleaning tips or routines that help you to prepare your listing? Do you have a cleaning fee on your listing, if so how do you calculate this?

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Sharon683]

No complaints so far.  Anyway the smell in the pillows is so faint not even my dog can smell it. I also lite lavender candles the day of my guests checking (if I'm home) and they love it! It is a big hit with me. 

[Martina885]

Dear AIrBnB Hosts,

My home is close to San Francisco, California.

I need to replenish my sheets and towels and I am looking for ideas of the most luxuries linens and their websites. 300 threat cotton/linens and upwards. Any ideas and experiences are greatly appreciated. Warmly, Martina martinakonietzny@gmail.com

[Mary996]

John Lewis in the UK. Not sure about California @Martina885 

I have a glazed linen cupboard which displays my lovely colourful towels and bed linens.

[Janet1446]

Hi Martina, try comphy bedsheets, hotels use them, and since I switched to them, I use only those. 

https://www.comphy.com/collections/bed-and-bath?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA6byqBhAWEiwAnGCA4OyDDGzGYImsL79K...   

[Joanne38]

My cleaning tip - because I am pet friendly - I put a stocking over my broom after I have finished vacuuming and resweep the floors, especially under the beds.  The stocking picks up the dog, cat and human hair that the vacuum has missed.  Great to use to do any high cobwebs first.

I always run a fabric brush over my sheets as I put them on the bed and then the doona - it picks up the odd person or pet hair.

I don't charge a cleaning fee but I do leave all cleaning products in the premises.  Most people make a good effort if they have access to cleaning products.  Nothing frustrates me more then when we stay in an Air BnB and they have not left kitchen spray or a reasonable amount of dish clothes and tea towels.

I always have at least 10 tea towels in my unit.  Recently we stayed at a home that was 6 bedroom, 4 bathroom and slept 12 people - 2 tea towels provided for our 2 weeks stay.  Lucky we had packed a dozen of our own - but if a listing says all linen supplied - please consider leaving a sensible amount of tea towels and more than one dish cloth.

[Jue0]

Hey Steph, 

Thank you for initiating this...

I'll share a few tips already up at the Resource Centre,

https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/cleaning-tips-from-seasoned-hosts-28

Cleaning tips from seasoned Hosts
A spotless space helps keep guests happy and earn great reviews.

By Airbnb on Mar 9, 2023·3 min read
Updated Mar 9, 2023

A clean place can lead to glowing reviews. But a lack of cleanliness is one of the top reasons for a negative review, according to Airbnb data. Try these tips from established Hosts to keep your place sparkling clean.

Creating a cleaning strategy
Whether you do your own cleaning or hire cleaners, it’s vital that your space is thoroughly cleaned between every guest, every time.

“It’s important to have consistency and checklists for the cleaners,” says Juliette, a Host Advisory Board member in Nairobi, Kenya. “It helps them, because it becomes a routine. Proper housekeeping really works.”

If you hire a cleaner, run through the cleaning process yourself, so you know exactly what needs to be done and what to include in the checklists. Make sure you schedule enough time between bookings for a thorough job, and find a second cleaner or create a backup plan in case your cleaner can’t make it one day.

Cleaning for guests requires much more attention to detail than you might use when cleaning for yourself. Consider investing in periodic deep cleans to make routine tasks between bookings less intensive and more efficient.

Starting with the basics
Juliette emphasizes the importance of targeting certain areas while cleaning.

Begin with high-traffic areas. “The kitchen and bathrooms are really important, because they’re the most utilized spaces,” says Juliette. Once the bathrooms are spotless, it’s on to the kitchen, where her cleaners wash all the dishes. “We do a really thorough cleaning,” she says.
Next up: the bedrooms. Juliette’s cleaners open drawers, look under beds, and make sure nothing is missed. “Then we strip the beds, air the house, completely open up the windows, soak the bedding,” she says.
Finally, address the beds. Juliette’s routine? “The mattresses have protectors, the pillows have protectors, and you change the whole set,” she says.

Jue, (Juliette) 

Nairobi, Kenya, 9th March, 2023

[Carla1633]

Please do NOT use fragrant cleaning products which can ruin guests' vacations.  I recently experienced a plug-in air freshener that gave my sister and I sore throats.  Unplugging them and airing the house did not remove the fragrance because it had been absorbed by the fabrics.  A second place used a floor cleaner that was so fragrant and left such a thick film we wondered if the cleaners had not diluted the product as instructed.  My CPAP absorbed the odor and I still smell it a month later each night when I turn on my CPAP.  You may like the fragrance and need to mask an odor in your house, but give your guests prior notice, or just give them the option of boiling cinnamon sticks or lemon on the stove when they arrive. 

[Rhys66]

You are so right! Those plug in things are stinky *I ask myself what bad smells are being masked here?

We mention in our listing we use scentless cleaning products and hypoallergenic toiletries 

[Teri52]

I use a dust buster in the bathroom particularly to get up bathtub, sink and toilet hair! It is easy and gets the job done - then also kitchen around couches and even the rug inside front door. It gets into spaces maybe missed by vaccuum cleaner.

[Larry241]

I have a swiffer steamer and love it. I use wet swiffer pads and completely mop the floor. It adds a great scent and the floor looks great. I use it every time between guests

[Rhys66]

This can be done by a service with a bonus for 100% complying with your demands for perfection ;  )

We offer 1 night or more- things have to be changed over with no waiting for laundry.

We have a complete set of linens stored in premises. There is a set of bed linens in a closet for Guests *that's never been used so far  *adds comfort for Guests knowing they won't be caught out.  

Pillow protectors and mattress protectors are "Must Haves" in a double set at least, it saves the pillows and mattresses *# 1 it's sanitary for your Guests.

We share the clean- one of us going in first to open all windows turn on all exhaust fans remove trash and all fresh food products applying a disinfectant to all porcelain and steel in washroom and eating areas.

I'm usually the middle phase person because I have the eye for detail, I make up the bed then do all dusting straightening and sanitizing *I wear magnifying glasses on the tip of nose to scrutinize every surface while doing the straightening and refilling *I make note of what amenities the guests really enjoyed or didn't utilize *these are things we add to notes about our guests on the notes section of the reservation so when they return or we have guests with similarities we tweek the supplies (I learned this doing riders for musicians * Be mindful Not all guests are on a holiday **These touches give the business traveler comfort when they are away from home. 

My husband can clean a washroom like a boss! He's on his hands and knees and chasing every spec real or imagined out of that room, Replaces all towels then he vacuums and washes all the flooring sparkles all the lighting and windows and lastly the exterior entrance and outdoor areas.

I set up for next stay while making my shopping list for restocking our supplies lastly the antiseptic wipe on all touch surfaces *while doing the white glove inspection and making every linen straight- I close all the windows leaving exhaust on.

*Our cleanliness rating is 5.0 with perfection mentioned in Guests reviews *We love that Guests really do care about being in a clean space more than say our proximity to a 5 star restaurant 

[Margaret1361]

Hi Stephanie.

Thanks for your cleaning tips.  I honestly don't know how else one cleaned.  I always clean my house fron top to bottom and when l checked that cleaner does not do what to do well l changed and gives room thorough cleaning.  

My home is family home and there are 2 listing so l can not understand the complaint that other present in the house.  Have been hosting for 5 years and no complaint in the past.

[Latissha0]

Thanks so much for your cleaning tips!

[Jordann7]

Firstly, a routine deep clean once a month where there are 48 hours between bookings really helps housekeeping help thoroughly keep a clients home at tip top shape.

As a housekeeper that cohosts for several clients here is my take on grout:

-Standard clean between regular check outs and B2B (back to back, same day check out and check in reservations) at a flat rate cleaning fee: I have an electric scrub brush and reusable cleaning rags(rags designated for each area of cleaning- bathrooms/kitchens/windows etc.). Before the cleaning I like to spray down the area with my homemade cleaning solution that is naturally antibacterial/antiviral/antifungal and let sit for about 5-10 minutes. After this initial spray and sit, I like to saturate surface again with solution and use the electric scrubber. After this a wipe down of surface with a dry rag. Then once more a spritz with homemade sanitizer solution and wipe with dry rag.

-Deep cleaning at a scheduled time with 24-48 hours between guests (typically midweek during a slower period of the month such as between typical paid nationals holidays/standard school days off) that is done at an hourly rate with an objective of certain projects and budget. Deep cleaning grout with the electric scrubber is great or a hard bristled hand scrub works. Make a solution of 80% white vinegar and 10% water. With this solution mix in Barkeepers Friend powder (comes in premade paste but I prefer powder) and mix for a paste that resembles pancake consistency. Take a rag and smear into grout. Let the paste dry, then spray with cleaning solution(everyone has their preferred but for deep cleans I actually use more harsh chemicals so I use a bleach bathroom purchased spray). After paste is moist again I use the electric scrubber. Once scrubbing is complete, rinse area with water and wipe dry. I'll then proceed to clean the area again as I do in the standard cleaning as described above.

For keep the home fresh smelling- I find again a different technique done in standard and deep cleans that works in combo. Each standard clean I try to cycle a little extra something not typically washed every clean such as throw blankets/throw pillow cases/cushion covers etc. and a little project clean to focus 30 minutes on just so that there is no consistent build up between standard cleans and deep cleans. Like pulling everything out of a cupboard and vacuuming out then wiping down. Keeping windows open during the clean is great and ceiling fans left on at all times of cleaning and after locking up. The guests can turn them off at any time during the stay but keeping on allows circulation of air and that helps with smells and general surface build up. Some people are sensitive to synthetic and natural smells so also having an air purifier with clean filter helps.