Do you rent out out your space on vacation rental sites such as Airbnb, Homeaway, or VRBO but are tired of dealing with the cleaning?
Automating the cleaning of your rental will take some of the hassles out of being a host.
As Dallas and Austin continue to grow, they are becoming more popular destinations for travelers. Whether you have a house to rent or a trendy condo, travelers are looking for the perfect (and clean) place to stay.
One catch to capitalizing on this exploding market is that you have to need to maintain high standards of service and quality. The best hosts and properties receive the highest ratings and therefore the highest occupancy. Not maintaining high quality will work for a little while, but not forever.
Each vacation rental site requires cleanliness as one of the key standards that hosts are required to meet. These sites penalize hosts who consistently have low cleanliness ratings. How wants to stay somewhere dirty?
As a host, one of the appealing factors to renting out your property is passive income. However, it is not very passive you have to change linens, clean counters, scrub the bathroom and sweep the floors between every guest booking. It can be a time-consuming task. Plus, being a host has other responsibilities besides just clean-up duty.
But meticulously changing linens, wiping counters, scrubbing bathroom tiles, and sweeping floors between every guest booking can be both mentally and physically draining.
As a host, how can you put the cleaning on cruise control? There are many ways to do this and it will make your experience as a host so much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to collect the money (the fun part) and enjoy being a host.
Here are 5 ways you can automate your vacation rental housekeeping:
1. Find professionals
Professional cleaning companies are your best bet as far as maintaining high standards. Guest are expecting the same level of cleanliness that they would find in a full-service hotel. Although most Airbnb and other vacation rental guests are looking for more space at a lower price, they still expect a very clean place to stay.
However, hotels have an advantage over the typical host – they have a full-time housekeeping staff. How can a host compete with that? You can compete by bringing in a professional cleaning company that will keep your property sparking between guests. They are essentially your secret weapon as a host. Once your turn over the responsibilities to a cleaning company, you will never look back.
What exactly will your cleaning crew take care of for you?
- Making the beds.
- Cleaning and putting away the dishes.
- Sweeping and mopping floors.
- Vacuuming carpets and rugs.
- Cleaning toilets, bathtubs, and showers.
- Taking out the trash.
- Wiping countertops, door handles, and light switches.
- Checking for damages and reporting low inventory.
Adding professionals to your team will make sure that your guests feel comfortable during their stay and you can rest easy without lifting a finger.
2. Have your cleaning pros deep clean periodically
Keeping your rental clean is more than just the turnover between guest stays. To keep your rental in top condition, you must make sure that you schedule deep cleanings as well. Depending on how frequently your property is rented out, deep cleaning should be scheduled either quarterly or at least twice per year.
When you hire cleaning professionals for your short-term rental, make sure that you schedule deep cleanings as well. Most cleaning companies will offer a deep cleaning service (but be sure to ask in advance)!
As a host, you have a lot to worry about. One way to cut back on the headache is to limit the number of vendors that you use. Therefore, it makes sense to use the same cleaning company for your deep cleans and your turnover cleans. Another advantage is that the cleaning team will already know your property and what you expect.
Deep cleaning services that you should think about including:
- Wiping baseboards.
- Cleaning inside & under the oven and fridge.
- Shampooing carpets.
- Cleaning inside any cabinets.
- Any specialized cleaning of your bathrooms or appliances.
- Cleaning closets corners.
3. Monitor your supplies and extras
Having enough toiletries on hand is an absolute must. Guest will be staying in your property with the hopes of a comfortable and relaxing stay. The last thing they will want to worry about is running out of toilet paper at an inopportune time. Not only will monitoring your supplies keep your guests happy, it will also help with keeping your ratings high.
A great way to make sure that you are always stocked is to maintain a checklist of what needs to be replaced after each guest and give this to your cleaning team. Your cleaning team will be able to keep tabs on supplies and inspect after each guest.
You’ll want to maintain more than just toilet paper. Hosts with the highest ratings also provide premium toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and body wash.
Make sure to automate the refill process so that you never run out and your guests stay happy.
4. Stay updated on damages
One of the less fun parts of being a short-term rental host is dealing with damages. Unfortunately, these will happen from time to time and it is important to stay on top of them.
A great way to stay updated is to have your cleaning team take pictures after every guest. This is a great option if you are not able to inspect the property yourself after each guest and it will help make your experience as a host more passive.
What happens if you don’t have an inspection process? If there is damage that you are unaware of, the problem could get worse and cause you more time and money to repair. Also, you may receive negative reviews from guests because of the damages. These issues can both be avoided if you stay on top of maintaining your property.
5. Find a cleaning team that is easy to schedule and easy to pay
No one wants to call every time that they need to schedule a cleaning. Look for a company that will allow you to easily book online and share notes with the cleaning team. This will take a lot of the headache out of being a host and keeping up with your turnover cleanings.
Do your research and find the best short-term rental cleaning company for you. By doing this you will have a much better experience as a host and your guests will thank you for it with high ratings and reviews.
If you are in Dallas, check out Valet Maids. We’ll be happy to be on your team!
