As a vacation rental host, your cleaning team is perhaps your most valuable business partner. They’re the unsung heroes who transform your property from one guest’s lived experience back into the pristine space shown in your listing photos—often in just a few hours. At Cleanbnb, we’ve seen firsthand how the relationship between hosts and cleaners directly impacts property performance, guest reviews, and host stress levels. Here’s our guide to keeping your Airbnb cleaners happy, motivated, and committed to your property’s success.
Why Cleaner Happiness Matters
Before diving into the how, let’s address the why. Happy cleaners provide:
- Consistency in quality: Satisfied cleaning professionals take pride in their work
- Lower turnover: Finding and training new cleaners takes time and affects quality
- Better communication: Happy cleaners are more likely to report issues promptly
- Extra effort: They’ll go above and beyond when needed for last-minute bookings
- Loyalty during peak seasons: When every cleaner in town is booked, yours will prioritize you
1. Respect Their Time with Reasonable Turnover Windows
One of the biggest challenges for Airbnb cleaners is insufficient turnover time. When checkout is at 11am and check-in at 3pm, that leaves just 4 hours to:
- Strip and launder all linens
- Clean bathrooms thoroughly
- Sanitize the kitchen
- Vacuum and mop floors
- Check for damage and missing items
- Restock supplies
- Make beds with fresh linens
- Set up welcome amenities
Our recommendation: Whenever possible, allow at least 5-6 hours between checkout and check-in, especially for larger properties. If your market demands tighter turnarounds, consider having a second set of linens so your cleaner can make beds with fresh linens while the used set is being laundered.
2. Set Clear, Consistent Expectations
Your cleaning team needs to know exactly what you expect. This includes:
- A detailed cleaning checklist
- Clear instructions for property-specific items
- Consistent standards that don’t change arbitrarily
- Reasonable expectations about what can be accomplished in the allotted time
Our recommendation: Create a comprehensive cleaning manual with photos showing how things should look when finished. Walk through it with your cleaner initially, then stick to those standards consistently.
3. Provide Quality Tools and Supplies
Professional cleaners can only do professional work with proper tools and supplies. This means:
- High-quality vacuums that actually work
- Effective cleaning products appropriate for different surfaces
- Plenty of clean rags and supplies
- Functioning laundry equipment
- Adequate inventory of linens and towels
Our recommendation: Ask your cleaners what supplies they prefer and keep them well-stocked. The small additional cost of quality tools pays dividends in cleaning results.
4. Communicate Respectfully and Proactively
Great cleaner relationships rely on excellent communication:
- Provide booking schedules as far in advance as possible
- Alert them immediately to schedule changes
- Express appreciation regularly
- Address concerns without accusation
- Respond promptly to their messages
Our recommendation: Set up a dedicated communication channel (text, WhatsApp, or specialized software) and respect boundaries around response times and off-hours.
5. Pay Fairly and Promptly
Perhaps the most important factor in cleaner happiness is fair compensation:
- Research market rates for vacation rental cleaning in your area
- Acknowledge that Airbnb cleaning requires more skill than standard housekeeping
- Pay promptly without reminders
- Consider performance bonuses for exceptional work or challenging situations
Our recommendation: If your cleaner consistently delivers excellent results, consider a small raise before they ask—it’s much less expensive than finding and training someone new.
6. Acknowledge the Difficult Reality of Turnover Cleaning
Airbnb cleaning is physically demanding work, often done under time pressure:
- Cleaners frequently deal with unexpected messes
- They work when others are enjoying weekends and holidays
- The work is physically taxing and detail-oriented
- They’re the ones who discover and deal with guest damages
Our recommendation: Regularly express appreciation for specific aspects of their work. Simple acknowledgment of a job well done goes a surprisingly long way.
7. Create Reasonable Guest Expectations
While you shouldn’t burden guests with excessive checkout tasks, setting basic expectations helps your cleaning team:
- Ask guests to load and start the dishwasher
- Request that trash be placed in designated bins
- Suggest that wet towels be hung rather than left in piles
- Politely request notification of spills or damages
Our recommendation: Frame these requests as ways to maintain affordable cleaning fees rather than as required chores.
8. Provide a Buffer for Difficult Situations
When a guest leaves an extraordinary mess, be prepared to:
- Pay additional cleaning fees without questioning your cleaner
- Support their documentation for damage claims
- Stand by them when they report legitimate issues
- Provide adequate time for deep cleaning when needed
Our recommendation: Build an occasional deep clean into your budget and schedule it periodically to reset your property to pristine condition.
The Bottom Line: Partnership Mentality
The most successful host-cleaner relationships are true partnerships. Your cleaner isn’t just a vendor—they’re a critical team member who directly influences your business success.
At Cleanbnb, we train our teams to see themselves as partners in our hosts’ businesses, but this relationship works best when hosts reciprocate with respect, clear communication, and fair treatment.
By implementing these recommendations, you’ll not only keep your current cleaners happy but also build a reputation as a great host to work with—ensuring you’ll always have access to the best cleaning professionals even when demand is at its highest.
Want to learn more about working effectively with vacation rental cleaners? Contact the Cleanbnb team for a consultation on optimizing your property’s turnover processes.