Scrubbing toilets and dusting shelves… cleaning your Airbnb is probably the least glamorous side of being a host. How many hours do you spend on tidying up when your guests leave? What do you think your time is worth?
Setting an appropriate cleaning fee is a vital aspect of being a successful Airbnb host – not just to ensure you have happy guests but also so you can avoid resentment when you’re washing another load of sheets for the week.
What is an Airbnb cleaning fee?
A cleaning fee is a one-time fee charged by hosts to cover the cost of cleaning their holiday rental when guests depart. Not all hosts charge this fee. Some incorporate it into their nightly rate.
Here are a few things to consider when setting your cleaning fee:
The type of property
Are you marketing your Airbnb as a luxury property? Is it in an expensive neighbourhood? Are you charging a considerable fee per night? Do your photos show a space that is immaculate? If the answer is yes to these questions then guests will probably not baulk at a higher cleaning fee.
How big is your place?
If you’re a host who is renting out a small studio apartment you can’t expect to charge the same kind of cleaning fee as one who is renting out a five-bedroom mansion. Think about how many hours, realistically, it would take to clean your Airbnb and make sure your fee is within that ballpark.
Also be aware that if you are renting out a private room in your house – cleaning the actual rental space won’t be time-consuming but you will also have to keep common areas (like the kitchen and bathroom) spotless at all times during their stay which can actually be more work than you might expect.
Know your competition
One of the easiest ways to figure out what to charge in relation to your cleaning rate is to check out other similar-sized properties in your neighborhood. If the average price is $50 then you can feel confident about setting yours at the same rate.
What message do you want to send to guests?
If you decide not to charge a cleaning fee, or if you set a relatively low fee, it’s reasonable to ask guests to tidy up after themselves. Be sure to put your expectations on the topic in your house rules or welcome letter. Some hosts will ask guests to strip the bed and do the dishes before they go.
Many guests will behave according to the rate you set. For example, if they’ve paid a considerable amount for cleaning, they are not likely to take out their trash and clean up before they leave because they’ll expect you as a host to take care of these things.
Many hosts use their Airbnb cleaning fee as a way of boosting their income. Click To TweetProfessional help?
If you are time-poor or someone who abhors cleaning, chances are you will probably want to hire a professional to do the dirty work for you. Depending on where you live (help in Singapore is cheaper than London), this can be a costly exercise.
Be smart with your pricing. Get quotes from local cleaners before you commit to a fee, but make sure to double-check what’s included. At GuestReady, for example, we supply guests with hotel-quality linen, toilet paper, and premium toiletries.
Play with it
Many hosts use their cleaning fee as a way of boosting their income. If you set yours at a price and seem to be getting lots of bookings, try to increase the fee and see if it affects interest. Don’t be afraid to play around with your fee to ensure you’re making the most profit from your property.
Increasing the fee is also a tool that some hosts use to try to discourage short-stay guests. If your fee is $100 for cleaning, guests are more likely to feel comfortable paying that amount for a weeklong, rather than overnight stay. But be careful not to price yourself out of the market by setting an unrealistic fee.
Need help setting the perfect cleaning fee for your place or finding a professional cleaner to keep your Airbnb spick and span? GuestReady provides a range of support services for hosts and makes sure that your apartment is ready for every guest that checks in!
Eva kaufman
September 3, 2018 — 2:21 pm
I work in Newport Beach at a vacation beach rental there is actually 2 separate rentals each rental has 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths and there is no min. stay so we have had several turnarounds the host charges $250 per reservation for each place this covers the cleaning and the linens which is my job. each unit takes no less then 5 hours but usually exceeds this time when there is not a turnaround my question is what would be a fair rate for me to charge the host?
GuestReady
September 5, 2018 — 5:07 am
Hi Eva, we’d advise to negotiate an hourly or OT rate with the host, to make sure that you’re fairly paid for your efforts!
Arturo
August 10, 2019 — 1:17 am
I’m a host in San Diego, and I pay my housekeeper 120.00 for each turn around she usually takes anywhere from 6 to 7 hours to clean a 4 bd 2.5 bth house 1600sqft I order her everything she needs for cleaning. Buts I just have one rental so it’s not an everyday job anywhere from 5 to 10 times a month
Julie McIlwain
October 29, 2018 — 10:55 pm
In today’s “flooded market” atleast in the Russian River Area of Sonoma County, that’s just about the going rate, if it is “your account” meaning, your the only cleaner, I would say…..go that extra mile when you don’t have a turn, take advantage of the time to clean all the things thoroughly, that we are so rushed thru during a turn. Keep yourself an asset, where one cleaner gets greedy, another one steps in to replace you.
christina bergh
November 14, 2018 — 3:58 am
I have to clean a air bnb in south africa. How much do I charge sn hour?
Amberly Boswell
January 6, 2019 — 12:12 am
Hey there, I’m in Wasilla Ak and my cleaning has been offered to clean 21 Airbnb in The borough which is outside of city limits what should I charge per clean?
jessica
March 13, 2019 — 8:44 pm
was wondering how do you quote an air bnb? 5 bedrooms 3 bathrooms 2 kitchens and 2 living rooms
Natacha I Easy Busy Vegan Mom
May 5, 2019 — 6:52 pm
I am both a host and a guest on Airbnb and I don’t think playing with the cleaning fee is good. When you are looking for a place on Airbnb as a guest then the cleaning fee is not indicated in the average price per night, so you discover it only when opening the listing. For me, it will usually make me want to go back to the list of places and book another one at the price I was looking for. I think hosts should include the fee in their nightly price.
Mark E. Campbell
May 25, 2019 — 11:34 pm
Agree 100%. It seems like listings are $20/night……but cleaning fees are $100/night! I’m exaggerating, of course, but it’s starting to get that crazy!
Juan Sebastian
July 7, 2019 — 5:29 pm
I just found a couple listings with those characteristics. One was $42/N plus $100 cleaning fee. And the other $20/N plus a $75 cleaning fee and they were shared rooms.
It is disappointing and as Natacha said, I went back and look for another listing with the full price already listed.
It is understandable that hosts need to get something back for their cleaning efforts, however listings like that are just intended to get attention for the low price but having a “hidden” fee.
DAVID CROSS
November 1, 2019 — 2:16 am
Hi everyone,
I am a host in my own home as well as a Co-Host of other properties.
I read people’s frustration with pricing.
This appears to be shortsighted because there are important considerations in relation to Cleaning Fees:
In relation to the other properties that I clean, it is irrelevant whether the Hosts charge their guests $1 or $100 per night. That’s the Hosts’ taxable income.
My fee to clean is $40 per hour.
Therefore, the Cleaning Fee is separate.
In this way, the cleaning fee is honest, transparent and most definitely a separate taxable category to a separate entity because it goes to the cleaner.
Most studio apartments here take me 2 hours to clean – and on top of that I have to take sheets home to wash them, dry them, fold them and return them. Many cleaners need to do that due to the logistics of laundering.
The $80 – $100 Cleaning Fee is certainly not hidden, and it’s most definitely not crazy. It is a realistic, independent fee and should be understood and treated as such. Therefore, I disagree that the cleaning fee should be included in the nightly fee. Where is the transparency in that?
Bear in mind that I then have to declare that cleaning income on my tax and I pay tax on it, so it’s most definitely not an easy $80 in the hand. After tax in Australia, 30c per dollar is gone and I’m left with about $50 – $60 of that $80 – $100 cleaning payment.
In relation to cleaning my own home – it still takes me 2 hours to clean a bedroom including laundering sheets, remaking the room etc. But I do not charge for it. The guest in this scenario pays no extra – the cleaning is my burden for the honour of sharing my own private home. In this case, I am an unpaid worker. That’s hardly fair, but that’s generous hospitality.
To Natacha, Mark and Juan – cleaning is a real cost.
It is a separate service item from accommodation and is often paid to a different entity.
As a brief example, my Tax Declaration makes distinctions between types of income and types of costs incurred to me:
– Income from accommodation
– Income from cleaning services
Expenses:
– Travel to and from a site
– Cleaning Services
– Cleaning Products
– Guest Amenities
– Home Maintenance Costs
– Home Repair Costs
As a guest, consider the real cost and effort required.
I’m happy to answer any questions.
Cheers from David
Natacha I Easy Busy Vegan Mom
May 5, 2019 — 6:54 pm
How much time would you need to clean it usually? Think about an hourly rate and then multiply by the number of hours needed to clean if you want to give a fixed quote. Take enough margin as the place can be really dirty once in a while and you don’t want to be underpaid in those cases.
Betty
April 25, 2019 — 1:01 am
We have a ‘Granny cottage’ that we are keen to use for Airbnb. I’m happy for 1 night stayers, but because I work, I won’t be able to clean it, if more guests arrive the following day. Does Airbnb block out the following day in order for us to get it ready for the day after?
Taylor Lange
January 3, 2020 — 5:45 am
No. The app does not block out dates except for those booked by guests. I had my first guests stay 2 nights, and then immediately after (I set checkout as noon and checking at 2) had guests arriving. Luckily I was able to strip and remake the beds, sweep and Swiffer mop the room that was used and then had the ability to take my time doing the laundry the rest of the day. The blessing of having extra sheets, towels and blankets!
Elisabeth
May 20, 2019 — 5:50 am
Hi We clean a 75 sq party house which hosts 30 guests
House has 7 bedrooms then ofter 9 mattresses on floors
4 hlf bath rooms main lounge lge kitchen appt lounge and fully functional kithen.
One unit down stairs no inside excess
1 king 4 singles lounge kitchen and bathroom
Veranda arround house
Outdoor furniture that gets bird poo over it , BBQ. And big glass table.
We strip all beds wash dry, including all towels used. then stash mattresses away, remake main beds clean everything including stoves and 3 fridges vacuum and mop.
Reset for next quests .house is spotless when finished.
How long should this take or how much should we charge… thanks.
William Wheeler
July 6, 2019 — 7:14 am
If I were renting that place from you I would be okay with paying at least $100 for the cleaning fee. That is a big place and a lot of cleaning to do. Personally, when I stay in an Airbnb I always clean up after myself and leave the place the way I found it regardless of what the cleaning fee may or may not be. I just feel like if someone is allowing me to come stay in their home then I should respect the place and keep it clean. End rant.
Maria
February 7, 2020 — 8:28 am
For that HUGE space I would easily charge $300! Even if you charged $30/hour per man hour worked (which is a great deal for rentals), I am sure it would take 2 people at least 5 hours, which is 10 hours total– at $30/hour = $300.. Plus tax! If you’re charging any less than $250 right now, they’re taking advantage of you. If they want it for cheaper, they can do it themselves or hire “surface cleaners’ that don’t go above and beyond… Ugh. Clients like that drive me crazy. Can you tell I’m in the middle of typing up price increase letters. Lol…
Best of luck to everyone 😊
Elisabeth
May 20, 2019 — 5:53 am
Would love to see what everyone thinks.
As the owner thinks we charge to much.
Bodi
October 5, 2019 — 1:02 pm
I have several Airbnb accounts .
I charge $125 for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house that I do.
1,800 sq foot. when you need to keep the place sparkling clean for the next guest that’s a lot of detail. You’re talking about Cleaning the fridge inside and stove, vacuuming , washing floors, tubs and shower walls , opening all the kitchen cabinet making sure there’s no dirty dishes /silverware thrown back in there, emptying dishwasher, dusting, sweep/vac front and back porch, clean BBQ area, AND the dog hair and foot prints that alone can take Up allot of my time , it can be horrible. then 3 loads of laundry! And I have to pay taxes and supplies.
Whew, tired just writing about it
Renee
May 21, 2019 — 9:59 pm
We are in the process of renting an Airbnb that has no cleaning fee but is expecting us to clean. It’s as they call it a “self-cleaning unit”. I am thinking this sounds unhygenic.
William Wheeler
July 6, 2019 — 7:18 am
Yeaaaaaahhhhh… who knows how well the person before you cleaned the sheets and pillows and towels and everything that is touching your skin.. what if they blew their nose in a towel and did not clean it and then you take a shower and dry your face off with the same area they blew their nose and you had no idea… I mean I guess the not knowing part makes it better but still.. I would rather just pay a cleaning fee for the peace of mind. Hahaha I’m sorry if this was a bit vulgar but I wanted to give a visual that would gross you out to deter you from staying at a place with no cleaning fee. Peace yo.
Dana
July 11, 2019 — 3:59 pm
How can you change the amount of cleaning when some people stay only one night and some people stay four or five it is only a flat rate that is allowed on the Airbnb app to charge
K.Kleaner
March 13, 2020 — 3:09 am
Food for thought….I clean an Airbnb…regardless of whether or not a guest stays one night or four nights I still have to fully clean the unit prior to the next guest. The amount of work I do is no less even when someone has a shorter stay. I still have to scrub toilet, scrub the shower, vacuum, dust, change bedding, towels, etc….therefore my cleaning fee does not change based on length of stay. Best wishes!
Jen
July 22, 2019 — 8:30 pm
I clean an approximate 1300 sq foot cabin, 4 bedrooms and a loft. 9 beds, two of which are bunks. Two baths and a living area in the basement. Large living room and kitchen. What is a recommendation for what I should charge. And what if there is an additional cleaning person? I always want to be as fair to the home owner as possible.
GuestReady
July 30, 2019 — 6:13 am
Hi Jen, it’s hard to put a number on that. Try to find out what the ‘competition’ is charging, and base your price off that.
Cathy
September 19, 2019 — 6:38 pm
I clean an Airbnb house that sounds comparable, 9 beds (2 bunk beds), 3 baths, and a lot of living space and I get $200. The people I work for pay around $25/hr and estimate how many hours it should take. With all the laundry and cleaning I plan to spend no more than 8 hours cleaning between each stay.
Courtney
September 19, 2019 — 6:40 pm
I clean an Airbnb house that sounds comparable, 9 beds (2 bunk beds), 3 baths, and a lot of living space and I get $200. The people I work for pay around $25/hr and estimate how many hours it should take. With all the laundry and cleaning I plan to spend no more than 8 hours cleaning between each stay.
Claudette Harkus
July 23, 2019 — 4:57 pm
We get charged £65 euro a clean but now gone up to £85 euro for a 5 bed 3 bedroom we add this to our listing is this about right? ( I have been quoted upto £150 euro)
GuestReady
July 30, 2019 — 6:12 am
It really depends on the property, Claudette – but generally, that sounds like a fair rate for such a big place!
Alexis Furnham
July 27, 2019 — 12:15 am
Just wondering, has anyone ever been in a situation where you charged extra for cleaning after check out?
Tim
August 14, 2019 — 2:20 am
Cleaning is hard work and takes time to do it right. Cleaners charge$40 per hour.
It is worth paying someone to do it thorough. Both for owner and renter peace of mind.
I don’t know how you can charge more after renters leave.
Sergeant
December 5, 2019 — 3:50 am
I’m flabbergasted and can’t understand why a listing costs less than the cleaning fee. I found a spot in Crete that I thought would be great, particularly at a fee of around $23. Imagine my shock and dismay when I started the reservation and the total was close to $60 with a cleaning fee of $28. WTH?? How do you, as a host, justify charging more to clean than listing price, especially when it is a small, 1 bedroom place? This seems shiesty and unscrupulous. Can any of you hosts give a plausible reason for this seemingly crooked approach?
Nobby
January 19, 2020 — 6:25 pm
Simple. Property sits there and does nothing, yet getting someone to take a property from dirty to sparkling clean takes time (and other people’s time costs money). It’s just the way the world works… nothing unscrupulous about that.
Teeninga Palmen
January 13, 2020 — 9:26 am
I really liked this article, it really is nice. I might have a suggestion though, but dont want to cause a quarrel :p Keep up the great work, and see you!
Lenore
August 5, 2022 — 2:49 am
I think the cleaning fees should be listed up front next to the per night fee. Just being more open about it will help a lot. The big problem seems to be stemming from the “surprise” that happens when someone is looking to book – you’ve already planned your stay, chosen a rental based on info at hand, mentally calculated the tab-only then do you see the hidden fees. So the listing fails to meet your expectations already.