Airbnb Cleaning Service – How to Find One

One of the major factors Airbnb guests consider and comment on in reviews is cleanliness. With frequent guests checking in and out, you’ll need an affordable and dedicated Airbnb cleaning service to keep your ratings high.

Where to Find an Airbnb Cleaning Service?

We recommend shopping around for multiple bids before selecting a cleaning service. An easy way to do this is by using Thumbtack or Turno.com. These platforms connect you with people in your area offering short-term-rental cleaning services.  Some services allow you to get personalized bids from a few local cleaning services and then you will have a better sense of what each service charges. You can ask your local realtor or other Airbnb hosts for recommendations as well. There are also Facebook groups dedicated to cleaning services for short-term rentals that may even be specific to your area.

Questions to Ask

How much notice do you need?

Some cleaning services are able to help with last-minute emergency requests, and may also offer assistance with guest issues. Others can only do scheduled cleanings, and require 48 or 72 hours’ notice. You may find a service that can sync your Airbnb calendar to their cleaning schedule, which makes scheduling a breeze. We highly recommend setting up a Hospitable account (formerly smartbnb automation) to send text messages or emails to your Airbnb cleaning service every time you get a new booking, or on the day you have a check-in. Hospitable can tell them which listing, how long and how many guests are staying, so they can customize their service based on the reservation details!

How do you set your prices?

Some services will assess your home and give you a flat price for every turnover, while others charge by the hour or square footage. Services that charge a flat rate offer a predictable way to manage your expenses and consider offsetting the cost by adding a cleaning fee to your listing.

What is included?

This is an important question to ask early on in your search for a cleaning service for your vacation rental. You may assume the blinds and baseboards will be cleaned every time, but little extras like that are not always included. Many cleaning services offer standard cleaning packages at one rate, and “deep clean” packages for an additional charge. It’s common practice to have your vacation rentals “deep cleaned” once a month if you have a high occupancy rate. Guests notice dusty blinds and cobwebs, so it’s important to know what you’re getting from your vacation rental cleaning service.

Will I be notified in advance of extra charges or damage?

Getting a good Airbnb cleaning service for your vacation rental is important for several reasons. Not only do you need your vacation rental to be clean and tidy, but you also want to be notified if a guest has caused any damage. Using a regular service has a big advantage, because if the same person or people are frequently cleaning your home, they will notice if a large stain on the carpet is new, or if the broken lampshade wasn’t that way the week before. If you are notified of these damages (and given pictures, if possible) you can resolve the issue with Airbnb.

It’s also important to know what services will result in an extra charge. For example, if the guests left several bags of trash that the cleaners have to haul away, you may be hit with an extra fee. If the guests left the home in such a condition that it takes twice as long to clean, that may also result in additional charges. Make sure to speak to your vacation rental cleaning company about scenarios that will result in extra charges, and whether you will be notified immediately of the issue, or billed later at an increased amount. We recommend having your cleaning service notify you immediately so you can verify the extra charges and take it from your guest deposit or seek assistance from Airbnb for reimbursement if necessary.

Will I need to provide cleaning supplies?

Most vacation rental or Airbnb cleaning services will tell you that all of their cleaners bring their own supplies, but be sure to clarify up-front if your cleaning person will bring all the tools they need, such as a vacuum. Don’t make any assumptions when vetting cleaning services for your vacation rental. Confirm what is provided and what you may have to supply, to avoid mishaps or misunderstandings.