6 | Cleaning: Starting an Airbnb 101

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We’re passionate about cleanliness in our short-term rental spaces because we KNOW this is a difference-maker.

When we talk with other people about Airbnb, the two topics that come up most often are, one, it didn’t look like the pictures and, two, it wasn’t clean. It’s a little disheartening that this comes up so often because cleanliness is one of the easiest things to achieve in any space!

How to Clean Your Airbnb (and Keep it Clean)

• Every guest who walks through the doors of your space should feel like they’re the first guests to walk through those doors.
• Especially if this is your first rental, but even if you’re a veteran Airbnb host and this is a new space, start by cleaning it yourself and nail down a system. Write down everything you’re doing, then when you’re done, figure out where you can save some time.
• Creating a system will save you time, but it will also make it easier to outsource this to someone else in the future. It also gives you an understanding of what the space should look like after it’s been used.
• It also helps to have pictures of EVERYTHING, just how you want the space to look when it’s done being clean.
• Pro tip: the first thing you do should probably be starting a load of laundry.
• We also recommend taking a lap around the space before you really start cleaning, to assess if there’s anything out of the ordinary that you need to address.
• After you start outsourcing the cleaning to another person or a service, do regular audits to make sure it’s still being cleaned to your standard. It’s not that they don’t care, but it’s not their space so they don’t have the same emotional attachment to it.
• Whenever you get a positive comment on the cleanliness of your space, share it with whoever is cleaning it! It never hurts to help someone feel celebrated and recognized.
• If other people see cleanliness in your reviews, it will encourage others to book.
• If you do have a team working with you, we recommend using the app Properly. It offers templates to help you get started, lets you create checklists to follow, and it even lets you add those photos you took to the checklists. It will also help you keep track of how much time things are taking.
• You will want second and third sets of your bedding and towels. If you have a short length of time between when one guest leaves and another arrives, washing everything can be really time-consuming – not to mention if something gets ruined.
• Make sure you have a backup plan, and even a second backup plan, in case you are unable to clean or the person who normally cleans your rental has an emergency. And make sure you put these back up plans into place BEFORE you need them!

Resources:

• Have any questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at [email protected]!
• Learn more at https://thanksforvisiting.me/
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