The number one cause of vacation rental guest complaints is cleanliness.
When guests pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to stay in your home, they expect it to be immaculate. If it hasn’t been cleaned before their arrival, they’re understandably going to be upset. Fortunately, it’s an easy problem to avoid. You just need a quality housekeeping service that understands why cleaning to vacation rental standards is different than what’s required for a typical house cleaning.
WHAT MAKES A VACATION RENTAL CLEANING DIFFERENT
A vacation rental cleaning goes above and beyond what you’d expect from a typical house cleaning. Your housekeeper needs to be ready to provide a higher level of service, and handle tasks like: test
Cleaning the linens that were used by previous guests
Sanitizing surfaces after previous guests check out
Checking that the next guest has sufficient quantities of toilet paper and cleaning products
Keeping an eye out for damage and reporting it within 48 hours to the rental platform
Checking for missing items and taking pictures of any damage
Testing various items in the house to be sure they work
In other words, your housekeeping service isn’t only cleaning. It’s also going to make your home guest-ready.
IF YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT DOING IT YOURSELF…
The first decision you need to make about cleaning your vacation rental is whether you’re going to do the work yourself or hire a service to handle it for you.
Doing your own cleaning is an easy way to cut down on management costs and increase your income. But it only makes sense if you live locally and can afford to treat your vacation rental as a full-time job.
Even if doing it yourself seems like an attractive option, ask yourself an honest question: Can I commit to deep-cleaning the entire property more than once a week?
In high season, you might have “quick turns” where a guest checks out at 10 a.m. and the next guest checks in at 4 p.m. In that window, you’ll need to provide a thorough cleaning. If you can’t guarantee you’ll be ready and willing to do that, you need to hire someone who can.
IF YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT HIRING A CLEANING SERVICE
Working with a cleaning service is a great alternative.
If you don’t want to handle the cleaning yourself or you don’t live near your rental property, it’s helpful to have a trusted housekeeper who will visit your home on a regular basis to keep things in great shape for guests.
A cleaning service can also keep an eye on the state of things and let you know if anything is looking worse for wear. If a remote control is missing or an item has been damaged since the guests checked out, you’ll know immediately and can take swift action.
As you’re weighing your options, keep in mind that some property managers won’t give you the choice at all.
While Evolve gives you the option to choose the right housekeeping set up for you, traditional property managers obligate you to work with their in-house cleaning company. This can be a great option if they work with a 5-star housekeeping service. But it’s less than ideal if their cleaners provide lackluster service or have high turnover of employees.
To protect yourself – and your guests – from a bad experience, ask for references and check the companies reviews before agreeing to use a housekeeping service.
HOW MUCH DOES VACATION RENTAL CLEANING COST?
Cleaning fees vary based on location and property size.
You can get a good idea of the fees in your area by browsing a listing site like Vrbo. Look at 10 properties to get an average of the cleaning fee other properties in your area charge. Generally speaking, you should expect to pay more than you would for a typical house cleaning.
The good news is that your guests typically pay the cleaning fee. It’s standard practice to pass along cleaning fees to the traveler as a line item in their booking total. They’re the ones using the property and benefiting from the service, after all.
HOW CAN I FIND A GOOD CLEANING SERVICE?
Luckily, you already did! Accent Cleaning Servicesis a locally owned and operated cleaning service with a 5 star rating on google. Reading a company’s reviews online before booking a service is a great way to get an idea of the kind of company you are dealing with, and hearing what their customers have to say after the services were rendered. You may read our Google Reviews here
Whenever possible, look for cleaning companies that are licensed, insured, and bonded that have several employees to ensure they are properly staff for those tight turnovers.
This is one of the steps we take when vet businesses for our Evolve Partner Network to make sure we’re working with the industry’s best on-the-ground service providers. We’ve found those references to be incredibly helpful in determining if a cleaning company can deliver the level of service we demand from the partners who work with our owners. Accent Cleaning Services is proud to be a Evolve Cleaning Service partner and we currently work with several vacation rental owners in Naples, FL
WHAT SHOULD YOU ASK BEFORE HIRING A HOUSEKEEPER?
When you’re interviewing potential service providers, here are some questions to ask (and answers to listen for):
Have you cleaned vacation rentals before?
Ideally, the answer is ‘yes.’ That means the individual/service has cleaned a vacation rental before and knows how much more work it takes than a typical house cleaning.
If the answer is ‘no,’ don’t lose hope. You can easily explain what additional services you’ll need. The important thing is to find someone who is willing to hear you out and provide those additional services.
How many people do you have on staff?
It’s best to have more than one cleaner available. This increases the likelihood that you’ll have help when you need it. It’s not necessarily a deal breaker if a service only has one person, but it’s a good idea to find a backup just in case that person is not available in an emergency.
Are you willing to provide additional services in every clean?
Confirm they can provide the scope of the services you’ll need beyond your usual vacuuming, sweeping, and dusting, including:
Sanitizing all the surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen
Washing and changing the linens
Hanging fresh towels
Emptying the fridge and cleaning the interior
Putting away dishes
Cleaning underneath and between furniture cushions
Looking for some clever cleaning tips? Take a look at some of the best cleaning secrets from hotel housekeeping…
Hotel room being cleaned by housekeeper
1. They clear the clutter first
Maria Stickney, the Housekeeping Manager at a Radisson Blu hotel, likes to clear the clutter out of a room so she can start with a blank slate. She empties the bins, removes the linens, towels, and anything else left behind.
In the bathroom, she clears the towels, bathmats, bottles, and everything on the counters. ‘This removes the temptation of just wiping around these items or picking them up and immediately placing them back down on a wet surface, which can leave ring marks,’ she says.
2. They prefer microfiber cloths – but reach for clever substitutes in a pinch
The secret to efficient dusting is a proper cleaning cloth. ‘Microfiber is the best,’ says Agustin Canongo, the Director of Housekeeping at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Tennessee.
‘If you don’t have one, use a rag that’s 100 per cent cotton — like a (clean) cloth nappy, an old pillowcase or an old T-shirt – and dampen it slightly.’ Be sure to avoid using polyester cloths – they can actually create more dust.
3. They know the trick to a quickly made bed is in the tags
Making a bed that’s larger than a twin can be time-consuming; no matter which corner you start with, you almost always realise you put the long end of a fitted sheet on the short end of the mattress.
A hint, ‘tags always go on the bottom,’ says Emma Anderson, Best Western’s 2014 Housekeeper of the Year. ‘With king sheets, the tags are on the left. With queen sheets, they’re on the right.’ Anderson also suggests marking the inside seams with a fabric marker to denote right or left corners.
4. They give drapes a good whack in between deep cleanings
Dust particles will only continue to circulate around the room over time. ‘The best way to dust drapes is to whack them with a hand towel,’ Stickney says. A towel this size is heavy enough to make a good impact, but light enough that your arm won’t tire. What about the drape attachment on your vacuum? ‘It doesn’t get all the nooks and crannies like a towel,’ Stickney explains. Knock out all the dust on to the floor and then vacuum it up.
5. They vacuum before they mop
Always vacuum — or sweep — before you mop. ‘You do not want wet hair on your floor – it can be difficult to remove,’ Stickney says. When it’s time to mop, start from the far corner and make your way to the door.
6. They do the bathrooms last
‘It’s best to start in the bedroom (rather than the bathroom) to minimize bacterial transfer,’ Stickney says.
7. They know that cleaning products take time to really work
Let your cleaners do the work for you. ‘Spray the shower walls and the toilet and leave them to do their job for several minutes,’ Stickney says. Use that time to clean the mirrors, windows, medicine cabinet, and whatever else is in the room. ‘Then go back and wash off the surfaces, using way less elbow grease.’
8. They vacuum the opposite way
Your mother may have taught you to start at the furthest part of the room and vacuum yourself out, but Anderson has a different method: ‘Vacuum into the room over the high-traffic areas and then vacuum yourself out, so you hit the most walked-on spots twice.’
9. Their favourite cleaner is probably in your kitchen cupboard
‘You’d think that we’d have some crazy secret weapon up our sleeves, but the best thing we have is white vinegar and water,’ says Canongo. ‘It cleans well and even clears cloudiness from residue left behind by other cleaners.’ Fill a spray bottle with one part vinegar, three parts water.
10. They always have a toothbrush on hand
You certainly don’t need to clean every inch of your house with a fine-tooth comb, but Stickney does support the use of a toothbrush once in a while. ‘I have several small brushes to get into those hard to reach spots in the bathroom,’ she says. ‘Around the bottom screws of a toilet are the hardest parts to get.’
11. They corral their tools
Housekeepers keep everything they could possibly need on their handy carts. Take a cue from them and make yourself a mini version. Fill a plastic bin or bucket with all of your cleaning supplies, rags and brushes. ‘A caddie keeps everything together, cutting down the amount of time it takes to get the job done,’ says Anderson. Keep it in the laundry room and grab it when you need it.
As our society becomes more homebound and hygiene-conscious, we’re paying more attention to keeping things clean in the bedroom. While most people probably don’t “season” their sheets, many of us aren’t cleaning our beds as often as we should be.
Woman disinfecting mattress with vacuum cleaner, closeup.
Sweat, skin cells and tiny prowlers
Is that just plain gross or is it a bigger problem? According to respiratory expert Professor John Blakey from Sir Charles Gairdner hospital in Western Australia, “If you didn’t wash your bedding for a year it would be more than two pounds heavier just because of dead skin.”
It gets worse. Little microscopic dust mite arthropods (like spiders), thrive on these skin cells, particularly on pillows because they love the humid environment. “More than 10% of the weight of the manky pillows will be hundreds of thousands of dust mites and their droppings,” Blakey says. Even if that doesn’t unnerve you, it can be problematic for the millions of Australians who have asthma. Dust mite allergy can also cause all-year-round hayfever-type symptoms.
Other microscopic lurkers that flourish on sweaty old bedding include bacteria that can alter the lungs’ microbiome and lead to infections or interfere with inhaled drugs, says Blakey, along with allergy-causing fungal spores such as Aspergillus fumigatus that can trigger asthma. And to complete the cycle, it’s thought these little spores, which are most commonly found in pillows, might feed on dust mite droppings.
Bed bugs are not as common in Australia as they are elsewhere, but infestations are increasing, and the resulting red welts could be mistaken for eczema. Even skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis can be exacerbated by bacteria that lurk in unwashed bedding, according to dermatologists Dr Steven Shumack from Central Sydney Dermatology. Exposing infected skin to sheets can also cause reinfection. Other nasties to look out for that can hang out in sheets and pillowcases are staphylococcus and scabies.
So, freshly laundered bedding clearly has more perks than the exquisite smell of clean sheets. But when and how should we clean it?
Sheets and pillowcases
Although there is no hard and fast rule, the consensus is that sheets and pillowcases should be washed each week. “I’d be a little worried if people weren’t washing their bedding approximately weekly,” says Blakey, and only a hot wash will kill mites and fungi. The National Asthma Council recommends washing in water hotter than 131F. Failing that, they suggest hot tumble drying for 10 minutes or washing in cold water with a product containing tea tree or eucalyptus oil.
Opening the windows and airing sheets in the sun are recommended. Shumack suggests people with skin conditions wash even more often, adding that ironing sheets and pillowcases can also help sterilize them.
It should be noted that sweat – and urine – contains urea, which can react with cleaning products and form compounds called nitrosamines which trigger asthma. The best evidence so far in this regard points to bleaches, so it is better to avoid cleaning agents that contain chlorine. Pouring bleach into a bathtub to clean filthy pillows as in the TikTok video “might well make someone wheezy”, notes Blakey. People with skin rashes can also react to certain cleaning products, says Shumack. This can be alleviated by making sure the bedding is rinsed well after washing to avoid any residue.
Pillows
The Good Housekeeping Institute suggests pillows should be washed every six months. But as they are hotspots for dust mites and their teeny friends, Asthma Australia recommends washing and drying them thoroughly each month.
Most pillows will come with cleaning instructions on their tags, so it’s best to follow the manufacturers directions – but if you’ve cut your pillow tags off (or never had them to begin with) down and synthetic pillows can typically be machine washed, while memory foam pillows should be soaked with gentle detergent, rinsed, gently squeezed then left to air-dry.
To keep mites away, the National Asthma Council recommends covering pillows, as well as mattresses and quilts, with mite-resistant cases – which is no substitute for washing them regularly.
Asthma Australia suggests replacing pillows when you notice they’re starting to lose their lustre, while some manufacturers suggest doing this every couple of years.
Doonas
Doonas – and likely other covers like blankets – can also collect dust mites, so these should be at least aired, and ideally washed, regularly. Many doonas and covers are dry-clean only, so pay close attention to the manufacturer’s directions.
While some manufacturers suggest replacing doonas every five years, there’s no hard and fast rule about this, and the lifespan of your duvet will likely depend on how often you wash it.
Either way, if you do want to get rid of your doona or pillow, Friends with Dignity gratefully accept them.
There are other options, too. “The crafty ones among us can upcycle them into large floor cushions, door stops or use for packing and moving,” says Ryan Collins, head of Circular Economy Programs at Planet Ark. Unfortunately, they are not recyclable so will otherwise need to go in the bin.
The mattress
“If you can’t remember when you bought your mattress, get a new one!” says Blakey. He also recommends vacuuming your mattress when you’re hoovering the floors, and for sensitive people, using allergen-impregnable covers to help avoid contact with dust mites and their droppings.
Disposing of mattresses can cause other problems, though. Collins says 1.6 to 1.8 million are thrown out every year in Australia alone. Only half are recycled, so the rest end up in landfill. This is a problem because they are hard to compact and take up a lot of space. And most of their components, such as wood, foam, fabric and steel springs, can be recycled. “By not recycling these materials we’re wasting the resources, energy and water that went into making the product in the first case,” says Collins.
Many councils around Australia provide mattress recycling services, although there may be a fee, and some mattress retailers or brands have a return service. If the mattress is in good condition, it can be cleaned and reused or donated to charities. Householders can search RecyclingNearYou.com.au for drop-off and pick-up services, and businesses can search BusinessRecycling.com.au.
Even though these measures can help keep mites and other little lurkers at bay, all-round cleanliness certainly helps. Blakey says not to forget about exposure from other sources like sofas, rugs, clothes and office chairs. “Just having a clean bed isn’t going to be a cure-all.”
Hiring just the right housekeeper can be life-altering for the busy family. Now this may seem to be a little over-the-top, but I am serious. Think about your life-whether single, a couple or a family-you have no time. No time to keep your home as organized or clean as you would like. No time to do the smaller tidying jobs that would make a huge difference.
“I am still learning about my home. If you can’t do it yourself, find good service people and treat them well.” — Terry (mom to our Human Resources Coordinator, Louisa)
Raise your hand if you grew up with a mom (or another parental figure) constantly reminding you to clean your room. Often, our earliest memories of figuring out how to tidy up and take care of our homes are with our moms—they taught us how to do laundry, how to do the dishes, and how to make our beds. So it should come as no surprise that when we asked our moms for their best homekeeping advice, they came back with some great tips.
Most agreed on a few major themes: it’s important to make sure everything has a home, that you put things back when you take them out, and that your home is an inviting, relaxing place to come home to—and invite others to.
Hiring just the right housekeeper can be life-altering for the busy family. Now this may seem to be a little over-the-top, but I am serious. Think about your life-whether single, a couple or a family-you have no time. No time to keep your home as organized or clean as you would like. No time to do the smaller tidying jobs that would make a huge difference.
Do you ever casually go about your day, popping into the kitchen for a little peanut butter toast and then the next thing you know you’re turning over the toaster oven because it’s been so long and you just can’t take the crumbs anymore?
