The Ultimate Cleaning Checklist for Your Airbnb

Update since covid: Please follow the below link for recommendations from the CDC through Airbnb for the best Covid-19 cleaning guidelines.

Things have changed a great deal, and now of course many many more surfaces need to be cleaned regularly with disinfectant. We fully and wholeheartedly suggest you follow guidelines from the experts during this time. 

Airbnb's Current Advanced Cleaning Protocol

Now, if you wish, you can feel free to read my more anecdotal ramblings on the topic of cleaning for your Airbnb below. 

Okay, so this is not a design-related post, but I do feel it's important enough for me to spend some time diving into this topic.

Let's talk about Cleaning!!

My husband has always preferred to stay in Airbnb's when we travel, and as a result, we've stayed in LOTS of them all over the United States and in various countries around the world. (Italy, Australia, Canada, and so on.) 

Most of the time, they've felt clean. There was one particular AirBnb that stands out in my memory as feeling the opposite of clean. There was hair in the drain and dirt and dust and hair on the floors.  There were also no forks in the kitchen. Plus it was hot in there. Plus the host left all kinds of passive-aggressive labels that she clearly made with her label maker, all over the apartment. "Don't leave the lights on while you use the hair dryer! You'll blow a fuse!!" Literally. It felt like she was watching me. And yelling at me. 

Okay clearly there were all kinds of lessons of what-not-to-do in this rental, but it was the dirty factor that truly pushed me over the edge. I ended up digging around the utility closet and mopping the floors in a fit of rage on our 2nd day in this place. (We stayed a week. I barely survived. And I also made sure I was the one to book the Airbnb's from there on out.) 

So to make things simple, I've put together a cleaning checklist for you. I pieced together info from my experience as a host, plus research scoured from the internet, and info I learned from some experts.

The Ultimate Airbnb Cleaning Checklist! 

This list is in an appropriate order to follow for cleaning, according to the experts. If you love a good checklist, check the bottom of this post for a free download that you can edit to your heart's content and print out for your cleaner yourself! 

1. Linens - Before Stripping all the bed linens, do a thorough inspection for any stains that need to be treated pre-wash. Then remove all bed linens, bath towels, bath mats, and tea towels for laundry, and replace all of these items with your clean, fresh back ups. 

2. Kitchen- It's good to do this next in case the guests didn't run the dishwasher. You'll have time to turn it on while you do other things, then circle back and unload before leaving. 

3. Bathroom(s)- Next move on to the bathrooms. Don't forget to check for stray hairs in the shower drains. No one likes stray hairs in the bathroom! 

4. Dust & Tidy - As you go through dusting as needed, tidy up and hit the reset button at the same time. Fluff pillows, put the throw back just so, make it look like it did on photo shoot day! 

5. Restock consumables- Keep a list of these as needed for your cleaner to refill. (Spare toothpaste and shampoo bottles. Wine and Chocolate. Whatever other goodies you provide as a service to your guest. 

6. Vacuum and mop - Leave this to the end and mop your way out the door. Not really, but you know what I mean...Leaving this until last will keep those floors as clean as possible. 

7. Finishing Touches - Finally leave behind that personal hand written note next to the bottle of wine and bar of chocolate. Or whatever you choose to make your guests feel welcome, at home, and special upon their arrival. 

In all of the above, keep a lint roller in your back pocket, and whip it out like a bandit whenever you see a rogue stray hair tumbling across the floor. Or sofa. Or bed sheets. Stray hairs are the biggest offender when it comes to the cleanliness of your place. Even one hair can make the perception of cleanliness feel off. 

For more details, download this checklist and edit away! 

IMPORTANT (PLEASE READ): When you click the checklist below you'll be taken to a google doc. From there click "File" ---> "Make a Copy". From there you can edit and update to your heart's content! 

_{(Click on the above photo, or this link, then make a copy of the google doc, and edit away.)} 

Some hosts say they do best printing their cleaning checklist out, laminating, then using a whiteboard marker to check each item at each turnover. This can really help if you become distracted during the cleaning process. You can even leave the checklist in the welcome binder for guests to see how thorough your cleaning process is each time. This will add a lot of comfort to all your OCD guests, like me. 

Also if you're looking to outsource your cleaning and don't currently have any local leads, you could try this company, Turnover BNB, or another like it. (No affiliation or kickback for me here. Just a good 'ole fashioned recommendation! 🤓) 

 Happy Hosting! XXX