Effective Cleaning Tips to make your Airbnb apartment guest ready

For any vacation rental or Airbnb listing, cleanliness directly translates to guest’s comfort and satisfaction. GuestReady gives you tips to guide you in a good way.

Cleaning your apartment is one thing you should never skip nor 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.  

Ventilate

The first step to cleaning your apartment is to open the windows.  This will remove odors 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 or 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, rooms (everywhere where there is a bin) and disinfect them in order to remove the odors.

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 odor. 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 important!

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 with ease, 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 on 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. Every 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. In order 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. Use baking soda mixed with vinegar is one way to effectively and quickly wash away all clog 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 definitely 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, our stand-alone Airbnb cleaning service will be able to help you make your apartment spic-and-span for every arriving guest!