UpperKey’s Ultimate Checklist for Cleaning a Vacation Rental Property

iRenting is becoming a more and more popular way to find a short-term rental or a long term let for guests today. What is a long-term let? This refers to property owners that use the Proptech industry to rent out properties including apartments, full homes, or rooms within existing homes to rent to tenants for a longer period, usually a few weeks or months. For many rental property owners, paying the Airbnb management cost to get an Airbnb license number and start their new hospitality business is worth it. Airbnb has quickly become one of the most popular ways to book a stay and it gives guests the chance to stay in local homes rather than standard hotels.

If you want to get an Airbnb registration number and start renting out your property on this site, or have already started, the right cleaning checklist will help you ensure guest satisfaction and improve your eligibility for programs such as Airbnb Superhost or VRBO Preium by putting you in with a better chance of receiving glowing reviews. A spotless VRBO rental or Airbnb listing will leave your guests happy and satisfied and can improve your chance of return guests and boosting your star rating. Check out this checklist from UpperKey.

Your Cleaning Team

Whether you do it yourself or work with qualified cleaners, all guests expect their Airbnb rental to be clean, making cleaning one of the most important criteria for every host to meet in order for their listing to achieve the required high visitor standards. Setting up a cleaning team and having everything that you need in order is the first step to successfully cleaning your short term rental. Right now, basic cleaning of the property is not enough as guests want the peace of mind that comes with knowing their host is taking extra measures to keep the property safe during the COVID19 pandemic.

Cleaning Strategy Steps

Reviews of Airbnb properties and VRBO rental comments will typically include remarks regarding the cleanliness of the home. Some vital cleaning services that should be included in every single cleaning checklist when changing over between guests include:

· Go around the property to remove anything that has been left behind by previous guests
· Remove, wash, and replace the bedding and towels
· Clean and put away any dishes or cooking tools
· Clean the stove, toaster, microwave, oven, and other kitchen appliances
· Clean the furniture and remove any dust, dirt, and marks from surfaces
· Vacuum any carpets and rugs and mop hard floors
· Disinfect and thoroughly clean bathrooms, showers, bathtubs, sinks, and toilets
· Wipe down all the high-touch areas including light switches, doorknobs, and counters
· Restock any necessities such as washing up liquid, handwash, shampoo, shower gel, coffee and tea, kitchen roll, toilet roll, and bin bags
· Remove the rubbish and place fresh bags in all bins
· Scan the house and add the final touches

Along with doing this between every guest, you should also book a professional Airbnb cleaning at least once every year, to deep clean your property. More regularly, it’s also a good idea to move furniture around and get into places that might not be as easy to reach, such as behind and underneath beds, wardrobes, sofas, and more. Along with this, any textiles other than bedding and towels, such as curtains, should also be washed.

Cleaning Supplies for Your Vacation Rental Property

Before you get started with cleaning your second home for the next guest, it’s important to make sure that you have all the necessary cleaning supplies. You may want to keep cleaning supplies in a cupboard within the property so that guests can also use them when needed; this might be more useful if you are renting the property on a long-term basis, and guests are completely self-catering. On the other hand, if you decide to hire a professional cleaning team to look after your Airbnb, you may be able to find cleaners that bring their own supplies. Some of the basics that you are going to need include:

· A good vacuum cleaner for carpets and hard floors
· A mop or steam cleaner
· Sweeping brush
· Microfibre cloths
· Glass surface cleaner
· All-purpose cleaner
· Wood cleaner and polish
· Kitchen and bathroom cleaner
· Bleach
· Dishwasher soap if there is a dishwasher included
· Foaming shower cleaner
· Toilet brush
· Scrubbing brush
· Scrubbing pads or Brillo pads
· Detergent and sponges
· Laundry cleaning supplies

Bear in mind that every rental is different, so you may find that you don’t need some of the items on this list, or that you need to add more.

Cleaning Airbnb Properties — Step By Step

The cleaner your Homeaway property is, the better the guest experience will be. Experts suggest going through the property room by room to do the following:

Kitchen

The kitchen is at the heart of any rental property, and having a kitchen is one of the main reasons why more people prefer to rent an Airbnb property compared to a hotel room. Because of this, it’s important to make sure that the kitchen is clean, functional, and comfortable. Some main points to keep in mind when cleaning the kitchen include:

· Remove any leftover food
· Empty the bin and replace the bag with a new one
· Disinfect the hob, oven, and other cooking areas
· Clean and sanitise all surfaces, cabinets and cupboard doors, and kitchen items
· Clean hoods and ventilators
· Clean the exterior and interior of the fridge
· Sanitise the sink and drain, and unblock the drain if needed
· Sweep or vacuum the floor
· Mop or steam clean the floor
· Wipe the windows

Living Room

The living room is another important area in any vacation rental property since it is used by guests to get together, relax, and unwind. Any living spaces should be clean, tidy, and accessible in order to offer the best guest experience. Some main points to stick to when preparing the living room for guests include:

· Sterilise high-touch areas and items like TV remote controls and light switches
· Clean all surfaces and polish wooden furniture
· Vacuum sofas, sofa cushions and underneath them
· Vacuum all carpets and rugs
· Clean the windows
· Wipe the skirting boards and coving
· Remove any dust and cobwebs

Bedroom

Guests want to relax during their stay in your VRBO property and making sure that they have a clean and relaxing place to sleep is one of the best ways to achieve this. A clean bedroom will make sure that your guests enjoy a good night’s sleep every night. Some main things to do when preparing the bedroom include:

· Remove the bedsheets and change to new, clean, crease-free ones
· Clean and dust all surfaces
· Clean the windows
· Remove any trash from bins in the room and add a fresh bag
· Disinfect TV remotes, light switches, doorknobs, and other high-touch areas
· Vacuum the carpets including underneath and behind the bed and other furniture
· Clean and polish any wooden furniture
· Clean inside drawers and wardrobes

Bathroom

No guest will enjoy staying in a property with a dirty bathroom, so this is one of the most important areas in the house to get right when it comes to cleaning. To make sure that your bathroom meets all Airbnb’s cleaning standards, do the following:

· Disinfect sinks, tubs, and showers using bleach or a foaming bathroom cleaner
· Clean the tiles and grout
· Clean any signs of mildew or mould using a specialist cleaner
· Polish taps and mirrors
· Clean the windows
· Remove any clogs or hairs from the plugs
· Thoroughly clean and sanitise the toilet
· Mop or steam clean the floor
· Wash and replace towels, bathmats, and other bathroom textiles

More Airbnb Cleaning Requirements to Consider

Whether you decide to do all the cleaning yourself or hire a team of qualified cleaners to do it for you, there are several things that are worth keeping in mind to ensure that you get the best results and meet all Airbnb’s standards for guests.

· Invest in good-quality furniture and textiles to avoid issues like pilling, shrinking, and colour bleeds, as these will be washed and cleaned between each guest.
· Buy several sets of bedding, blankets, and towels. Three is usually enough as one will be in use, the other will be in the wash, and one is spare.
· Your property does not have to be cleaned from top to bottom each day that one guest is staying. Guests can pay extra for this service.
· White towels and bed linens are a good choice as they often look better and can be easily cleaned with bleach to remove any stains.
· Keep cleaning materials on hand and make the basics available to guests. However, more specialised cleaning items should be locked away to prevent unauthorised access. Make sure that cleaning products are stored safely.
· Inspect the property on a regular basis to ensure cleaning standards are upheld.
· If you hire both cleaning and laundry services for your Airbnb, make sure that they can work well together.
· Consider adding rules to your property to make it easier to clean including no pets, no smoking, asking guests not to take food into the bedroom, and asking guests to remove their footwear while inside.

A clean and tidy Airbnb is required for meeting the company’s standards and keeping guests happy