For any vacation rental or Airbnb listing, cleanliness directly translates to guests’ comfort and satisfaction. GuestReady gives you tips to guide you in a good way.
Cleaning your apartment is one thing you should never skip or skimp on. Regardless of whether you live there or you rent it out, you should keep it spic and span for anyone who wishes to use it.
Imagine your relative entering your apartment wishing to stay there for a few nights and seeing this bizarre mess of a situation, you’ll surely never hear the end of it. And nobody wants that.
Cleaning your Airbnb is no easy task, but a good job will be rewarded with raving guest reviews Click To TweetOur best Airbnb Cleaning Tips
Ventilate
The first step to cleaning your apartment is to open the windows. This will remove odours left behind by previous guests. Regularly exercising proper ventilation in your apartment will help kill microbes and keep good air quality. Did you know the inside air is frequently more polluted than the outside air? Yikes!
Dust hunting
Dust can be everywhere. Make sure to clean every nook and cranny you can reach. Employing a ‘top-down’ approach to cleaning – starting from the highest corner of furniture and finishing on the floor – will effectively eliminate maximum dust particles
No trash
This might seem obvious, but you’ll be surprised; many hosts forget. Remove the trash from the bins in the kitchen, bathroom, and rooms (everywhere where there is a bin) and disinfect them to remove the odours.
Clean the kitchen
Cleaning the kitchen is a must, but often people forget to check inside the fridge. Always remember to open the fridge, throw the food away and clean it. No one wants to open the fridge looking for a quick bite but discovering a week-old salad instead!
An easy method for a nice-smelling refrigerator is to leave tea bags inside to clear bad odors. Putting baking soda or charcoal in the corner also does the trick. Do not forget other kitchen appliances such as the microwave, toaster and coffee machine…

Even if guests don’t cook – a clean kitchen is essential!
Clean bathrooms. Always.
The cleanliness of the bathroom is one of the biggest factors in getting a positive guest review on Airbnb. Remove stubborn soap scum from shower heads and windows with vinegar and a sponge.
Don’t forget to pay special attention to the glasses and mirrors where you can easily find toothpaste marks. To clean this easily, rub it with half a lemon and wipe it with a clean cloth.
Remove hair everywhere
A nightmare for all cleaners – hair! Check all corners of bathrooms and other spaces in the apartment. You might not see it at first glance, but once a guest spots a stray hair, you can expect a drop in your rating.
In the bedroom, devote your attention to the carpet – vacuum properly. In the bathroom, get rid of hairs in the drain, it will help your plumbing too.
Keep linen clean
Of course, you should change all linen and towels every time a new guest checks in. To avoid rushing the laundry between check-ins, buy an extra set of sheets to use when one set is in the laundry. Also – white sheets are the way to go.
Ever wondered why hotels almost exclusively put white sheets on the bed? It’s because cleaning is a breeze (with a generous amount of bleach) and white never goes out of style.
Mop
Your mop may collect dust and grime if left outdoors. To make sure that you’re using a mop to clean instead of spreading more bacteria and dirt around, wash it regularly. It is easy enough – just put it in the washing machine.
Bathroom drainage
Clear the drainage often. Using baking soda mixed with vinegar is one way to effectively and quickly wash away all clogs and dirt.
Clean watermarks and fingerprints from metallic surfaces
If you have metallic surfaces, mirrors or glass around the apartment, make sure to wipe those down often – it’s never nice to see several watermarks or fingerprints on these surfaces. For glass surfaces or mirrors, you can use soap and water or a glass cleaner spray and wipe it down with a newspaper – that will result in a nice shine.
As you can see, cleaning your Airbnb is no easy task, but a good job will be rewarded with raving guest reviews. If you’re pressed for time, let us manage your home and we will be able to help you make your apartment spic-and-span for every arriving guest.
Need help on these and other tasks? GuestReady’s here!
Sta-Clean
October 25, 2018 — 6:38 am
Very professionally done. This is a much appreciated post. Thank you
for sharing your knowledge and keep writing.
the review search
December 24, 2018 — 11:02 am
Hi, Thanks for the sharing such an informative article. I totally agree with your cleaning tips. I am going to add these to my daily cleaning list. Keep up with good work.
Kathleen Brown
July 5, 2019 — 4:32 am
Thanks for the drain cleaning tip using vinegar and baking soda. Your article explains exactly what cleaning the Airbnb is all about. I have on average 4 guests per month and I make sure I also schedule myself to clean.
Samantha
July 11, 2019 — 5:21 pm
Love the tips on the vinegar and baking soda. Will definitely try this out on some of our Airbnb units.
Rosemary M Murray
October 2, 2019 — 8:33 pm
Thsnks for the tips
Lizziey
December 21, 2019 — 10:21 am
Very helpful thank you guys
MIMI
January 25, 2020 — 9:51 pm
WHAT AN INFORMATIVE READ. DEFINITELY TRYING THE CHARCOAL HACK!!
Jennifer Montgomery
January 27, 2020 — 3:02 am
How do I get my cleaning service offered to air bnb in Pensacola Florida?
Kate Brazier
May 11, 2020 — 8:30 am
Thank you for the informative tips. I’ve found it works to get a routine going, so you don’t miss things as it’s easy to get distracted. I also have a bag with all the “changeover” items in it, to mimimise trips back and forth – it has clean cloths for the cleaning work, plus the laundry in the order it will be used plus spare loo paper. Every time I do the laundry, I make sure the changeover bag is refilled with the items I will be using. That cuts down a lot of guesswork.
Nate Hughes
May 20, 2020 — 6:41 am
Just starting to roll out Airbnb cleaning service and we are so excited! There is so much in this that will help us stay on top of it like the part about cleaning watermarks and fingerprints from metallic objects, stuff you would never think about. Thanks to the author!
Bernadette Chidarikire
May 26, 2020 — 11:45 am
Thank you for the useful information
Commercial Cleaning Canmore
March 22, 2021 — 2:49 am
Appreciate your great ideas with everyone. Your tips are really helping!