One of the most important steps, when you rent out a holiday apartment or an Airbnb, is preparing it for your upcoming guests. Every great host takes time and attention in the cleaning process so that their guests leave a 5-star review.
Most hosts would hire a cleaning company to make sure the cleaning is always done properly and to the smallest details and we are happy to assist you with this. But if you sometimes need to do the cleaning yourself here are a few tips on what to look out for in order to offer your guests the best experience.
First off you need to air the apartment after every guest. Open the windows and let the fresh air in.
You might want to start the cleaning from the bedroom especially if you need to do the laundry yourself between each guest.
When you exchange the bedsheets there are a few things you need to pay attention to such as hair, stains, and holes on the duvet cover and sheets.
It is useful if you get a hair roller to remove any hairs and small particles from the sheets. Make sure to do an extra check after you set the bed with the fresh sheets to make sure it is all perfect. No guest likes to go to bed and find someone’s hair on their pillow. Also, check for stains and remove any sheets that are stained otherwise your guests will not have a pleasant experience and will likely not leave you the best review.
When dusting the furniture make sure to go also inside the drawers if they will be used by your guests. Also, check all the corners for dust and cobwebs.
Another important step is to remove any hair from the sofas and chairs. We can’t stress enough how important checking the sheets and furniture for hair is. Just to give you an example from a personal experience. A member of our team was staying at an Airbnb in Copenhagen some months ago and they were casually sitting on the sofa with their phone. For a moment the phone was laying facing the screen down on the sofa and when they picked it up the whole screen had collected tiny hairs as if a previous guest has shaved there. You definitely don’t want something like that to happen to your guests.
Another important area that needs to be sparkling clean is the bathroom. You should check for hairs in the drain both in the sink and the shower or bathtub. This is another spot where you don’t want your guests to find any hair lying around.
Never forget to check and change all the trash bins. Check the fridge for leftovers and the dishwasher if all the dishes have been put away.
A few easy things you can do to make the cleaning process more efficient is to write in your House rules on your listing for the guests not to leave any dirty dishes or to turn on the dishwasher before they leave. Also, you can ask them to take the trash with them. This is a common practice in many Airbnbs and will not cost much extra effort to your guests but can save you a lot of time (especially if you don’t want to find a pile of dirty dishes in the sink).
There are also the basic steps that everybody knows – dusting, vacuuming, and mopping the floor. If you want to go the extra mile and make sure your place is sparkling don’t miss the areas under and behind the bed and sofa and behind the furniture. These are areas that get often overlooked but can gather a lot of dust over time.
If you want to be an outstanding host you could also leave some basic cooking supplies for your guests as well as tea and coffee. Make sure there are enough dishes, olive oil, vinegar, and spices. For an extra special touch, leave some welcome snacks or drinks like a bowl of fruits, a bottle of water, or another beverage of choice.
And last but not least if you have the time to greet your guests in person and give them some tips about the city they will appreciate that. Everybody likes to have a more personal experience and feel like home.
Following these simple steps will impress your guests and make them more likely to write a good review and recommend your apartment to other travelers.