A Rock Solid Vacation Rental Cleaning Guide

Vacation rental cleaning can only be mastered by a comprehensive checklist. A checklist has to be followed with honesty and passion recognizable by the patrons. Our patrons become obsessed with leaving a great review because of cleanliness.

Why Vacation Rental Cleaning Is Your Secret Weapon To Success

Is There A Link Between Cleanliness and 5-Star Reviews?

When I think about our own experiences on trips to various places, shame on me, but I sometimes think about the negative things that we encountered. Not that I’m a negative nelly, but filth makes a deep impression. We rented an Airbnb that had no reviews. First mistake! When I opened the gate the first thing to greet us were dogs leaving the front door and running to bark at my feet.

The owner called them back and invited us in. It was gloomy and drab. We should have left then. To make a bad story short we ended sleeping in our clothes and leaving very early. Lorrie called Airbnb and suggested he not be a host. We knew he never read an articlal like this one on vacation rental cleaning.

How Professional Vacation Rental Cleaning Impacts Booking Rates

One of the first things I consider when looking at reviews is the number of 5 star versus the lower ratings. No place is perfect, but those that searcj for reviews before renting will gravitate to the negative first. Think about it, is that what you do?

Financial Implications of Cleaning Standards

Being clean and presentable for renters has a direct correlation to a vacation rentals revenue. You just don’t have to think about that one for long.

Of the 3 in 4 Americans who have rented a vacation property in the last 5 years, 22% had a bad rental experience. In fact, 25% have walked into a vacation rental that wasn’t clean. Among those who walked into a dirty accommodation, 73% contacted the host, and 3 in 4 hosts made it right.

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Creating the Perfect Vacation Rental Cleaning Checklist

One list doesn’t fit all. Having a starting point that can be adjusted will eventually lead to the perfect list for you. I like to use Chatgpt or Claude for ideas. This list is actually created by claude.ai. I asked my wife Lorrie for her cleaning list and she said it’s up at Pete’s Cabin and she did’t have a current copy at home. Gonna have to correct that.

Amazon has several vacation rental cleaning checklists and log books available so you won’t have to invent one.

Here are a few ideas that can be developed on your own or you can click the link above and use those.

• Pre-Arrival Preparation Essentials
• Sanitizing High-Touch Surfaces
• Restocking Amenities
• Performing Detailed Room Inspections
• Room-by-Room Cleaning Protocols
• Kitchen Deep Clean Strategy
• Bathroom Sanitization Techniques
• Bedroom and Living Area Refresh Procedures
• Specialized Cleaning Challenges
• Handling Unique Property Types
• Cleaning After Pet Guests
• Managing High-Traffic Rental Properties

So considering Lorrie’s list is one that has become perfected over time, it’s her list and works best for herself and her helpers.

Optimizing Cleaning Time and Efficiency

Developing a Streamlined Cleaning Workflow

Creating Standardized Cleaning Sequences

I’m a bit of a squirrel and have a strong tendancy to go here and go there when I should follow a ligical sequence of operation that would prove more efficient.

If your vacation rentals are setup like ours then you have renters leaving somewhere in the mid morning like 11 am. And hopefully you have new tenants coming in at around 4 pm. That’s a 5 hour window to get the cleaning done.

When we arrive at the vacation rental we have our initial duties, like I first attack the hot tub because it may have to be drained and filled. It’s a time consuming job and has to be on it’s way to getting warm for the new guests.

Time-Tracking Best Practices

You don’t have to incorporate a stop watch to benifit from this practice timing each bedroom or kitchen cleaning process. Just be aware of how long a particular job or assignment should take and write it down or keep a journal so that others can relate to it and get a feel for how much time should be spent of that project.

Training Cleaning Staff for Maximum Efficiency

I’ve been self employed for many years. The best results come from good training of your staff. One of our businesses we had training on a certain day of each week. We even invited city and county inspectors ot attend.

It gave our employees a high level of confidence and the inspectors became familiar with our workers and their skill level. It happened more than once that if an inspector knew who was doing the job that they spent very little time scrutinizing our work.

Technology Solutions for Cleaning Management

Scheduling and Booking Apps

Their are three that stand out to me. I’m not an affiliate for these as for now.

1. Properly
2. TurnoverBnB now called Turno for cleaners
3. Breezeway
4. Tidy

And these apps are not in any particular order of best to worst. You’ll have to do your own research.

Inventory Management Systems

Here are a few inventory management systems that stand out with some of their expertise listed. You’ll notice Breezeway again which sort of makes them stand out as someone who is serious about vacation rental business management.

Again you’ll have to do you own research on these applications. I’ll be doing some deep dives into these as time goes on.

Professional Cleaning: In-House vs. Outsourced

Evaluating Vacation Rental Cleaning Service Options

Working with Professional Vacation Rental Cleaning Companies

A professional company is something we have had no experience in hiring.

Building a Reliable Cleaning Team

We have found success in finding reliable cleaning people by reaching out to friends and neighbors. Lorrie and I are part of the team. We have a couple of other team members that have proved to be very dependable. We like to travel occasionally and having those trustworthy people is a blessing.

Important Cleaning Supplies and Equipment

• Must-Have Cleaning Products
• Eco-Friendly Cleaning Solutions
• Professional-Grade Sanitization Tools
• Cost-Effective Supply Recommendations
• Specialized Cleaning Equipment
• Advanced Cleaning Technology
• Efficient Cleaning Tools
• Maintaining Cleaning Equipment

Legal and Health Considerations

Maintaining Health and Safety Standards For The Best Vacation Rental Cleaning

Professional cleaning teams must rigorously follow established safety protocols, using appropriate personal protective equipment and EPA-registered disinfectants while ensuring proper ventilation during cleaning to protect both staff and guests.

COVID-19 Cleaning Protocols

Enhanced disinfection procedures target frequently touched surfaces with CDC-recommended products, incorporating extended vacancy periods between guests and using specialized equipment for thorough sanitization of soft surfaces.

Local Health Regulations

Stay current with regional health department guidelines, obtain necessary certifications, and maintain compliance with local vacation rental ordinances while documenting all required inspections and permits.

Insurance and Liability Considerations

Secure comprehensive cleaning liability coverage, maintain detailed cleaning logs for potential claims, and ensure all cleaning staff are properly bonded and insured against accidents or damages.

Documentation and Quality Control

Maintain digital records of cleaning sessions, including time-stamped photos, detailed checklists, and maintenance reports to ensure consistent quality and track property conditions over time.

Creating Cleaning Checklists

Develop comprehensive room-by-room checklists that include standard cleaning tasks, special attention areas, and maintenance checks, ensuring nothing is overlooked during turnover cleaning.

Performance Evaluation Methods

Regular quality inspections, guest feedback analysis, and cleaning team assessments help maintain high standards while identifying areas for improvement in the cleaning process.

Continuous Improvement Strategies

Regularly update cleaning protocols based on guest feedback, industry best practices, and team suggestions while investing in ongoing training and new cleaning technologies.

Conclusion: Elevating Your Vacation Rental Cleaning Systems

Recap of Key Vacation Rental Cleaning Strategies

A thorough vacation rental cleaning strategy focuses on systematically disinfecting high-touch surfaces, deep cleaning bathrooms and kitchens, ensuring fresh linens, restocking amenities, and maintaining detailed checklists to ensure consistent quality between guest stays.

Essential tasks include sanitizing remote controls, light switches, and doorknobs; checking and restocking amenities; conducting maintenance inspections; and maintaining detailed cleaning checklists

Long-Term Benefits of Professional Cleaning

Regular professional cleaning services provide lasting benefits beyond immediate cleanliness, including extended property lifespan, consistently positive guest reviews, reduced wear and tear, prevention of deep-set stains and damage, higher booking rates, and fewer maintenance issues.

This investment will lead to increased property value and consistant rental income through 5 star reviews.

Call to Action for Property Owners

Don’t put this off! Now is the time to transform your property into a 5-star vacation experience today! You can start with professional-grade cleaning supplies, make detailed turnover checklists, and partner with reliable cleaning professionals. Your investment in the best cleaning activities will lead to those 5 star reviews and many future bookings. I’ve seen it happen. We’ve done it!