Cleaning is one of the most important parts of managing an Airbnb. Guests quite reasonably expect the properties they rent to be clean. Depending on how frequently a space is used and in what way, this can require a lot of maintenance, especially if a property is large. The tips in this article are designed to help speed up the cleaning process and get properties ready quicker.
How to Clean Airbnbs Fast
The following approaches to cleaning, which can also be used in combination, can help clean your Airbnb properties faster and more efficiently:
1. Set Cleanliness Expectations for Guests
Guests obviously aren’t cleaning staff, and treating them as such is a sure way to hurt your reputation. At the same time, it’s reasonable to briefly explain to guests where trash and recycling receptacles are and what sorts of garbage you’d like to go where. Hosts can set guest responsibilities, but it’s important to keep these expectations reasonable.
You may even choose to offer special offers that allow guests to avoid a typical cleaning fee or pay less than typical if they can meet certain responsibilities, like taking out the trash. This particular approach has advantages and disadvantages. On the negative side, it requires you to rely on guests to some degree for cleaning and means you lose out on a cleaning fee, so any professional cleaning you need comes out of pocket. On the plus side, guests who do a good job get a cheaper stay, and you still get a clean space.
2. Find a Reliable Cleaning Team
The quality of service one can expect from a professional cleaning team varies significantly. One common problem with cleaners is that there is a big incentive to clean only messes that will be noticedand only enough so that nobody complains.
This isn’t what a host should aim for; a host should want a space to be trulyclean. While it’s unlikely that obscure corners of a property will cause any issues or even go noticed if unclean, they still shouldbe clean. Additionally, a space should be cleaned thoroughly. In a perfect world, a space would feel almost new when the next guest arrives.
Whether you’re using a professional team to clean or doing the cleaning yourself, make sure the cleaning that gets done is reliable and of a high standard. Guests deserve a clean space, and perceived hygiene issues are one of the fastest ways to hurt your reputation.
3. Keep Cleaners Well-Equipped
Related to the method discussed above, it’s important that a cleaning team has the tools they actually need to clean. Quality workers are only so helpful if their tools are mediocre. A reliable, professional team likely already has these sorts of tools, but you’ll need to get some yourself if you’re the one doing the cleaning.
The ideal cleaning chemicals and tools will depend on the space you’re renting and the materials in that space. At the very least, make sure that a quality vacuum, along with effective dusters, are being used to get the most obvious mess out of a property.
When using chemicals, remember that harshchemicals aren’t always the best. While they can get out a tough mess, they can also damage or outright destroy more sensitive materials.
4. Study a Space & Plan Ahead
Every property has its nuances. There may be corners that are easily forgotten, sensitive pieces of furniture that will stain if not cleaned well, or spots that see frequent use by guests and, by extension, the more significant mess.
To clean an Airbnb space faster and more effectively, it can help to write down these sorts of details so that a cleaning team knows where to focus and where issues are most likely to occur. It may help to sort particular areas of the property in terms of cleaning priority and difficulty, allowing cleaners to focus on the toughest and dirtiest spots first and work their way down the list.
You can develop a cleaning plan that allows a space to be cleaned more efficiently. This plan can also evolve over time. If you write a plan thinking a space might initially work one way and slowly realize there are issues you didn’t notice or problems you expected just aren’t occurring, you can modify the plan.
5. Design for Efficiency
A good way to clean efficiently is just to plan ahead. A space can be designed to be less messy. At the very least, garbage and recycling receptacles should be obviously marked and easily accessible.
You should also consider the floors you choose and in what areas. Carpets can get dirty quickly if guests spill food or drinks on them. Dirty carpets can also be difficult to clean, at least compared to other surfaces like tile.
Water and moisture can cause mold. This is primarily an issue when designing bathrooms. Make sure these spaces are actually designed for the amount of water that is going to be what is essentially a constant premise.
Bathrooms need to be well ventilated, with fans capable of pulling the extremely humid air from the room and pumping it somewhere non-destructive. Assume guests will take relatively long, hot showers when using a property.
Alsco Uniforms Facility Services Can Help
On a basic level, effectively cleaning a space is about staying ready for likely issues. Where possible, you can try to reduce their severity before they even occur. Where that isn’t possible, you can make sure you’re prepared with a reliable team and the equipment they need.
At Alsco Uniforms, we can help make this process easier with our facility services. We offer a huge selection of cleaning supplies, floorcare supplies, and more that have been helping customers, big and small, to stay prepared for decades. Contact us today to learn how we can help your Airbnb business to clean more efficiently and faster.