Airbnb Cleaning Guides
Preparing Your Apartment for Airbnb Guests: Expert Cleaning Tips
Across nearly half a million Airbnb reviews studied between 2020 and 2024, guests consistently ranked cleanliness above price or décor — and a cleanliness score slipping from 5.0 to 4.7 has been shown to visibly cut search visibility and bookings. Here's how to actually get the turnover right, every time.
Work from a checklist, not memory
Vague instructions like "clean the kitchen" leave too much to interpretation, especially if someone other than you is doing the turnover. A proper checklist breaks it into specific, unambiguous actions — wipe inside the microwave, sanitise the remote, check under the bed — so the same standard holds regardless of who's cleaning or how rushed the day is.
Decluttering is worth doing as part of the same pass, not separately. Guests don't want evidence of who stayed before them, and fewer items on surfaces also means a genuinely faster clean next time round.
High-touch surfaces first
Doorknobs, light switches, remote controls and countertops get handled by every guest, which makes them worth prioritising early in the clean rather than as an afterthought. A disinfectant wipe or proper cleaning solution across all of these takes only a few minutes and matters more to guest confidence than almost anything else in the property.
Kitchen and bathroom
A kitchen with washed dishes, spotless counters and a properly cleaned oven and stovetop sets the tone immediately — check inside the fridge and microwave too, since forgotten items from a previous guest are an easy thing to miss. In the bathroom, scrub the toilet, sink and shower or bath thoroughly, replace used towels with fresh ones, and restock soap, shampoo and toilet paper before you consider the room done.
The three-set linen system
Laundry is the single biggest bottleneck in a tight turnaround — washing, drying and folding a full set of bedding and towels can eat 90 minutes on its own if you're starting from scratch each time. The fix most experienced hosts use is keeping three sets in rotation for every bed and bathroom:
With a spare set always ready, the turnover itself doesn't have to wait on a laundry cycle — you strip, swap, and the washing happens in parallel rather than on the critical path.
The details guests actually notice
The first thirty seconds after a guest walks in do a lot of the work — scent and visible cleanliness register before anything else. Hair is consistently one of the most common cleanliness complaints in reviews, so a genuinely thorough check of the shower, bed and floors is worth the extra few minutes it takes. Cobwebs in corners, dust on blinds or curtains, and any burnt-out bulbs are easy to miss on a quick pass but stand out immediately to a guest looking at the space with fresh eyes.
The final walkthrough
Before guests arrive, walk the property as if you were the one checking in. It's a genuinely different perspective from cleaning task by task, and it catches things a checklist alone sometimes misses — a lingering smell, a slightly crooked cushion, a light left on. Address anything that stands out before the door opens for the next guest, not after.
Consistent turnovers, every time
Our Airbnb cleaning service is built around exactly this kind of repeatable standard — the same thorough checklist whichever team is on site, so your rating never depends on who happened to clean that day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the most important part of Airbnb turnover cleaning?
Consistency matters more than any single task — a checklist that produces the same result regardless of who's cleaning protects your rating far more reliably than one exceptional clean followed by a rushed one.
How long should a typical Airbnb turnover take?
Roughly 90–180 minutes for a typical two-bedroom property with a single experienced cleaner, though this varies with property size and how much needs restocking.
What are guests most likely to complain about?
Hair in the shower or on bedding is one of the most common cleanliness complaints in reviews, along with lingering odours and visible dust on surfaces guests notice within the first thirty seconds.
How can I avoid laundry becoming a bottleneck?
Keep three sets of linen and towels in rotation for every bed and bathroom — one in use, one clean and ready to swap in, one in the wash. This keeps turnovers moving without waiting on a laundry cycle.
What should I do if a guest leaves the apartment particularly messy?
Document the condition with photos before cleaning, and consider whether clearer house rules for future bookings would help prevent it happening again.