A guest checks out at eleven, and the next one is due at four. Those few hours decide whether the new arrival walks into a fresh home or finds the last visitor’s hair in the sink. An Airbnb cleaning checklist keeps every turnover the same, whether you clean the place yourself or hand it to a crew.

We built this list from the one our team follows on every vacation rental turnover in San Francisco. Work through it room by room, and nothing gets left for the next guest to find.

What Airbnb Expects From Hosts

Airbnb’s own host guidance, Ensuring Your Place Is Sparkling Clean, calls a clean space the most important part of five-star hospitality. Under its ground rules for hosts, every listed space should be clean and free of health hazards when guests check in. Airbnb also warns that guests who find hair in the bathroom or dirty dishes in the sink may leave a bad review or cut their stay short.

Those cleaning standards apply to every guest, every time. A home that looked perfect for the first booking of the month still needs the full routine before the fifth.

Set Up Your Cleaning Supplies

Turnover cleans go faster when every tool is already in the home. In Airbnb’s Clean Like a Pro article, a professional cleaner who services a dozen Airbnb listings shares the kit she relies on:

Mop with microfiber and brush heads for floors and hard-to-reach corners.
Double-sided bucket that keeps soapy water apart from rinse water.
Vacuum attachments for carpets and sliding-door tracks.
Non-toxic cleaning products for stains, soap scum, and kitchen grease.
Microfiber cloths and non-scratch sponges for stainless steel and glass.
Reusable lint roller for hair on sofas and bedding.

Keep everything together in a portable caddy or a locked owner’s closet, and restock it on a regular schedule. Spare sets of sheets and towels belong in that closet too, since thick bath towels take a long time to dry on a same-day turnaround.

Start the Laundry First

Strip every bed as soon as you arrive and start the first load of laundry. Airbnb suggests starting here so there is time for several loads before the next check-in.

Keep the Home Smelling Fresh

Everyone has a different sense of smell, so strong scents of any kind can put guests off. The professional cleaner from Airbnb’s article says masking odors with bleach or air fresheners usually doesn’t work.

Her approach is to open the windows while you work whenever the weather allows. For stronger odors, she leaves an air purifier running for two or three hours. She also mists sofas, drapes, and carpets with a mild multipurpose disinfectant diluted in water.

The Room-by-Room Airbnb Cleaning Checklist

Kitchen

Sanitize the countertops.
Disinfect the sink and faucet.
Wipe the cabinet fronts and every appliance exterior.
Clean the stove burners and the range hood.
Clear leftover food from the refrigerator, and clean inside it and the microwave.
Brush out crumbs and grounds from the toaster and coffee maker.
Wash, dry, and put away all dishes, cookware, and utensils.
Empty and clean the trash bins.

Bathrooms

Disinfect the toilet, inside and out.
Scrub and disinfect the shower, the bathtub, and the tile.
Sanitize the sink, faucet, and countertop.
Polish the mirrors and any glass shower doors.
Hang fresh towels and refill the shampoo, body wash, and hand soap.
Empty and clean the trash bins.

Bedrooms

Make every bed with fresh linens.
Dust the bedside tables, lamps, and other furniture.
Open each drawer and clear out anything the last guest left behind.
Vacuum carpets or sweep the floors, including under the beds.
Set out clean towels for each guest.

Living Room

Dust and wipe down the furniture, shelves, and window blinds.
Wipe the TV, gaming consoles, and remote controls.
Disinfect door handles, light switches, and other high-touch surfaces.
Fluff the pillows and fold or arrange the throw blankets.
Clean mirrors and glass surfaces.
Wipe reachable baseboards and window sills, and knock down cobwebs.

Outdoor Areas

Sweep the entryway, steps, and any patio or deck.
Clear away leaves, dirt, and cobwebs around the front door.
Wipe down outdoor tables and chairs.

Save the floors for the end of every room. Vacuuming and mopping last picks up the dust and crumbs that fall from the surfaces above.

Check for Bed Bugs While You Change the Sheets

Changing the sheets at every turnover gives you a close look at the mattress, a good moment to spot a problem early. The EPA guide to finding bed bugs lists the signs to look for while changing bedding. Watch for rusty or reddish stains, dark spots about the size of a period, tiny pale eggs, and live bugs. Bed bugs hide near the piping, seams, and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks in the bed frame and headboard.

Catching bed bugs early keeps the job smaller. A small infestation costs less and is easier to treat than one that has spread, and the EPA notes that bed bugs can hitchhike to someone else’s home.

The Final Walk-Through Before Check-In

Walk through the home once more after the floors dry. Look at it the way a first-time guest would, starting at the front door, and confirm the home is guest ready.

Every surface is dusted, and every floor is vacuumed or mopped.
Linens and towels are clean and free of stains.
Shampoo, body wash, hand soap, and dish soap are refilled.
Personal items are stored out of sight.
All trash is taken out, and the home smells fresh.

Finishing Touches Guests Notice

Small details tell a guest that a person checked every room. As you unload the dryer and the dishwasher, look over each towel and glass for spots before it goes back on the shelf. Leave any disposable item, like a dish sponge, new in its wrapper. Line up the remote controls and throw pillows, and put the hair dryer and the pots and pans back where guests expect to find them.

Plan a Deep Clean Between Turnovers

Some jobs never fit into a same-day turnover. The same cleaner suggests a deep clean every two or three months to catch up on them. Our deep cleaning reaches the dust and grime that build up between regular visits, including inside the oven and on top of the ceiling fans.

How Cleaning Costs Fit Your Pricing

Every Airbnb host decides how to cover the cost of cleaning. According to Airbnb’s guide to cleaning fees, a cleaning fee appears as a separate charge, and guests hold a listing with one to a higher standard of cleanliness. Airbnb recommends using the fee only to pay for cleaning supplies or a housekeeping service. Hosts can also build cleaning into the nightly price, or set a lower fee for stays of one or two nights.

Hiring a Vacation Rental Cleaning Service

Fitting a full turnover between check-out and check-in is a lot to ask, especially with several listings. Airbnb’s advice for hosts who hire professional cleaners is to run through the cleaning process once yourself, so you know exactly what the job takes. It also suggests a backup cleaner in case your usual one can’t make it.

Our vacation home cleaning team handles vacation rental cleaning for hosts and property managers across San Francisco and the Bay Area. Each visit follows a vacation rental cleaning checklist much like the one above, with fresh linens on every bed, a sanitized kitchen and bathrooms, and dusted living areas. Tell us your cleaning schedule, how linens are handled, and what needs restocking, and we will replace towels and refill toiletries with the supplies you leave.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Airbnb Cleaning Checklist?

Hosts can find a short cleaning checklist in Airbnb’s Resource Center. It covers dusted surfaces, clean floors, fresh linens, disinfected bathrooms, refilled soaps, a clean kitchen, emptied trash, and a home that is free of pests and smells fresh.

Can I Leave an Airbnb Cleaning Checklist for Guests?

Yes, you can add checkout requests to your listing, and guests see them in their reservation details. According to Airbnb, the checkout instructions for a stay should match those reservation details. Add your requests to the listing before you post any sign in the home.

How Do I Leave Enough Time to Clean Between Guests?

You can set a preparation time in your Airbnb listing calendar under Availability. Blocking time between reservations gives the cleaner room to finish the laundry and the walk-through before the guests’ stay begins.

Clean, consistent turnovers earn the reviews that keep your calendar full. If you would like a team to handle your turnovers, request a vacation rental cleaning quote or call (415) 820-7230.

Airbnb Cleaning Checklist for San Francisco Hosts