Finding a Cleaner

Finding the Right Airbnb Cleaning Service

How to find cleaners that check all the boxes on your list

By Nicolette Borlaug Masiya

Last updated: January 30, 2024

Like many other property managers, you’ve decided you want to begin working with an Airbnb cleaning service – great! But where do you begin? Follow this guide to better understand the items that matter most when selecting a cleaning service for your Airbnb or other vacation rental property.

Or if you’re ready to jump right in, you can go ahead and find a cleaner in your area.

What to look for (and avoid) in an Airbnb cleaning service

Selecting the right Airbnb cleaning service doesn’t have to be an exhausting process. If you are aware of these key things to look for – and the things to avoid – you will lay the foundation for a strong relationship with your cleaning service.

Airbnb cleaning service

Experience
The best cleaning services have a team with experience. While this is not shocking, it needs to be added toward the top of your list.

To start, you will want to be aware of how many turnovers the cleaner has performed and since what date. Does your rental involve special projects, such as cleaning an outdoor area or window cleaning? Make sure the cleaner has experience in all of the project areas on your list.

Requesting and following up with references from some of their current customers will help you determine if they may be the right fit for your property.

Turno removes the guesswork from finding an experienced cleaning service and thoroughly screens all applicants to its cleaner marketplace with mandatory reference and background checks.

The marketplace allows vacation rental hosts to create cleaning projects and receive competitive bids from cleaners in their area. On average, a host can receive between 3 to 10 bids in an hour.

Hosts have the opportunity to review and either accept or reject bids within 48 hours.

Excellent communication
Communication goes beyond simply making sure your cleaner promptly returns your calls and text messages.

Other criteria for excellent host-cleaner communication includes:

— Confirming receipt of schedule and promptly confirming each appointment

— Able to adjust to any necessary changes to the schedule

— Report any damage to the property or other potential issues

To streamline the communication process and eliminate unnecessary back-and-forth correspondence, an all-in-one scheduling tool may be the best fit for you.

Turno project schedule

Selecting a cleaning service that is already tech-savvy and uses web and app-based tools will save you time (and a potential headache later). This will allow for more streamlined communication, scheduling, assigning tasks, processing auto-payments, and more.

Reliability
Time management and reliability go hand in hand. Knowing you can count on your cleaner to show up (and not be late) will give you more time to focus on more important things, like growing your business.

Hosts who search for a new cleaner on Turno’s marketplace are quickly connected to local trusted cleaners in their area. Once connected, you are now able to build an ongoing relationship and take one step closer to putting your Airbnb on autopilot.

Cost
Like searching for any new service, it can become quite daunting when searching and comparing price quotes from various cleaners and cleaning services.

It is important to maintain your bottom line by selecting a cleaning service that is proportional to the income of your property and your cleaning fee.

Next, let’s take a look at what to avoid.

The top two things to avoid when selecting a cleaning service
Mistakes happen, but you do not want to turn a beneficial service to your growing business into a nightmare. Avoid these common mistakes when reviewing your cleaning service options:

— Franchise cleaning businesses – The cost is one of the biggest deterrents when reviewing a franchised cleaning business. Very high overhead = higher costs to you. Another is the lack of flexibility. The often tight scheduling demands with vacation rentals typically do not work well with these types of cleaning services.

— Choosing the lowest option – as the old adage suggests: cheaper isn’t always better. Ultimately, the cost of a no-show cleaner is just too high for the sake of choosing the cleaner offering the lowest bid.

dry mop sweeping up dust on hard wood floors with a flower vase in the background

Things that make an Airbnb cleaning service great

Things that make a cleaning service stand out include:

Excellent time management
Timing is especially crucial in turning over a rental property. Whether you opt to have your property cleaned upon guest checkout or prior to guest check-in, it is critical to have the cleaning project completed in the time allotted. A great cleaning service holds time management to a high standard.

Damage reporting
Your cleaning service will be able to report any issues that may arise during or after a guest’s stay. A detailed cleaning checklist with photo documentation capabilities will allow cleaners to properly document any before and after photos showing damage to your property.

Photo documentation will prove to be a huge aid in helping to fight possible disputes with Airbnb or your other listing source.

Reputation management
Simply put, a clean property means the potential for a great review. On the flip side, a less-than-pristine Airbnb is an easy target for a negative review. Whether online or offline, it’s no secret that reputation management can make or break your business.

Your Airbnb’s cleanliness, amenities or extra touches, and overall guest experience are all key factors that go into a potential review. By choosing a reliable, experienced cleaning service you won’t need to think twice about the cleanliness of your rental property. However, this doesn’t give you a pass to neglect other areas that are equally as important to your reputation management.

Meeting guest demands and expectations
Sure, you may be able to clean your Airbnb yourself, but hiring a professional cleaning service can have many perks. When it comes to meeting and exceeding your guests’ needs you want to be certain you are anticipating every possible situation that may arise.

You already have plenty on your plate. In addition to ensuring your rental maintains pristine cleanliness, professional cleaners can also help take on those additional tasks you may not have had time to do yourself (e.g. finally getting around to organizing the kitchen cabinets, pantry, or linens closet). A cleaning service can also stay on top of any special requests your guests need during their stay, freeing you up to focus on other parts of your rental business.

Customized cleaning packages
There are often customizations available with your Airbnb cleaning service. Don’t be afraid to ask a cleaner if they offer additional services outside of their standard cleaning procedures.

Additional services can include laundry service (laundering on-site or at another location), restocking toiletries, sanitizing or other deep cleanings, organizing, staging, and even creating guest welcome packets and gift baskets. These extra touches are guaranteed to go a long way with your guests.

two vacation rental cleaners mopping wooden floors

How to find an Airbnb cleaning service

Here are a few of the most popular ways to go about your search:

Cold Calling
First, you may do some research online and call a list of services one by one. Unfortunately, this may not always be the most effective route. It may instead lead to a trail of missed calls and voicemails, hoping you will eventually get a call back and finally be able to connect.

Online Advertising
Advertising can be very effective, but also quite costly. Whether it is a Craigslist ad or social media listing, you may decide it is just not worth the risk of finding yourself in a potentially awkward or even dangerous situation trying to find the right cleaning service.

Cleaner Marketplace
You don’t have to settle or commit to only one cleaner when you can choose from a full network of available cleaners in your area. With over 25,000 cleaners globally in the Turno Marketplace, you can find a professional cleaner in your area in a matter of hours – or even less.

We previously examined the standards of what to look for in an Airbnb cleaning service: experience, excellent communication, reliability, and cost. Choosing to utilize our cleaner marketplace will check all of these boxes and more.

Single Cleaner vs. Cleaning Company

Is it better to work with a single cleaner or a cleaning company? If you have multiple rental properties you may think working with a larger cleaning company is the way to go.

By selecting an automated cleaning system you can get all of the advantages of a cleaning company while not sacrificing on cost.

A marketplace of trusted cleaners means you can add new cleaners at any time when you decide to grow your team.

Turno makes working with multiple cleaners simple with an easy-to-use automated scheduling app for desktop and mobile. Hosts have the ability to organize their cleaners and designate primary cleaners and backup cleaners for each property listing.

Hire an Airbnb Cleaning Service

Turno can pull reservations from all booking sources including Airbnb, VRBO, booking.com, and any property management software you are already using.

Having all of your reservations in one place makes finding and scheduling cleaners for each turnover a streamlined system.

Let Turno help you check all the boxes when searching for the right cleaning service for your Airbnb.

Get started by finding a cleaner today.

Nicolette Borlaug Masiya Avatar
Nicolette Borlaug Masiya , Nicolette Borlaug Masiya is the Director of Marketing at Turno.