You’ve decided that you are going to give this home share thing a try, but realize that you won’t always be available to clean your space yourself after each guest. It’s totally ok! Cleaning is not my favorite thing to do so finding a good cleaner was my #1 priority when we started this journey.
Here are 3 keys to finding and keeping a good cleaner
Be realistic
No one is going to clean your home as well as you will. That leads to the first key, be realistic. You will find so many lists; check lists, inventory lists, To Do lists, etc. @Turnoverbnb even has a feature to help you create a list. It’s a good place to start. List out all the things you would do if it was you cleaning after each guest, down to the minutest detail. Then bring out the realist in you. First question, can you consolidate/combine any of the items? Second question, do the floors really need waxed after every guest? Chances are the answer to the first question is “yes” and the answer to the second question is “no.” Asking yourself these questions can help you find a cleaner who gives you a realistic quote. If your list is super long and that is all the cleaner sees first off, their price could be quite higher than it actually needs to be and you could miss out on a fantastic cleaner. I could really write another blog post specifically about creating a cleaning checklist!
Be picky
But you just said to be realistic! Yes, about your checklist. Be picky about your cleaner. The great thing about @turno is that your listing goes to multiple cleaners in the area. When we first started in 2017 we received bids from 5 different people. We spoke with 3 of them and fell in love with our current cleaner. The most important considerations for us were communication and reliability. We don’t live close to our property so we needed someone who would communicate positively and that we could count on. We also needed someone who we felt comfortable with. In the last 3 months our cleaner has been in and out of our house 21+ times. Long story short, think of what are the most important qualities to you and find someone. If you even have a shred of doubt, move on to the next.
Provide feedback (positive or negative)
This is probably the most important step to keeping a good cleaner. It took us awhile to figure this out and has made the biggest difference. This also goes back to the fact that we were picky in finding someone who can communicate in a professional manner. Use your guests feedback to determine how well the cleaner is doing. If our guest provides a specific comment about the cleanliness of the space we share that with our cleaner. It’s important for anyone who provides a service to know they are doing a good job and that it’s being noticed, just as it’s important for you as the owner to take pride in the fact that you hired them! If you aren’t getting 5 stars on cleanliness, address that with your cleaner and if it doesn’t improve, find someone else. A good cleaner can make or break your ability to achieve and maintain Superhost status.
Finding and keeping a good cleaner can be hard. Don’t give up! We went through 3 cleaners before we found @turno and our godsend of a cleaner that we have now. Hopefully these tips will help you!
