Turning Over an Airbnb Between Guests to Protect Your Ratings

Guests forgive a lot, but they rarely forgive a dirty bathroom. For an Airbnb or any short-term rental, the review score is the business. A single comment about a stray hair, a sticky counter or a smell can sit on your listing for years. The good news is that the issues guests notice are predictable, and a consistent routine between stays catches almost all of them. Here is how hosts around Coldwater and southwest Michigan keep their ratings where they want them.

Start with a fixed checkout walk

Before you clean anything, walk the whole rental with a checklist. Look for damage, left-behind items and anything that needs a repair before the next guest arrives. Take photos of each room as you find it, because they are your record if there is ever a dispute. Then work the same way every time: kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, living areas, entry, outdoor spaces. A routine that does not change means you stop forgetting the same two things.

Handle left-behind items fast

Every host finds things. A phone charger, a jacket, a half-eaten bag of groceries, a cooler that somebody could not fit in the car. Make a small box for anything that looks valuable or personal, message the guest quickly, and keep a note of what you found and when. For the rest, have a plan. Bulk trash such as a broken chair, a mattress someone ruined or a pile of party leftovers should not sit on the porch for a week while you decide what to do.

This is where hiring help pays off. Wipe Out Clutter takes on rental cleanouts, including sweeping, vacuuming, trash outs and dumping, plus bulk trash removal and mopping floors and wiping down cabinets and counters, to help hosts keep their excellent online ratings. You can read about it on the Rental Cleanouts & Airbnb page.

Reset the spaces guests judge first

Reviews are written about what people notice in the first ten minutes and the last ten. Focus your time accordingly.

• Bathrooms: toilet, shower, sink and mirror, plus fresh towels and no stray hairs on the floor
• Kitchen: counters, stovetop, fridge shelves, sink and a quick check inside the microwave and oven
• Beds: fresh linens, pillows plumped and no visible stains on the mattress pad
• Floors: swept, vacuumed or mopped, including corners and under the bed
• Smell: open windows, empty every trash can and check the fridge for forgotten leftovers
• Entry: clear a spot to drop bags and make sure the door and lock work smoothly

Do not let laundry set your schedule

Linens and towels are the part of a turnover that takes the most time and quietly decides the schedule. A set of sheets and four towels per guest turns into many loads over a busy weekend, and if the dryer is behind, check-in is late. Some hosts keep a second full set so one is always ready. Others send the laundry out. Our Laundry Pick-up & Delivery service is wash, dry and fold, picked up from your door and delivered back, using high-quality detergents and softeners, and it can free you from standing at the machine while the next guest drives in.

Know when to hire a full clean

Some turnovers are routine and some are not. After a long stay or a hard weekend, the place may need more than a reset. Susannah, who does the interior cleaning, works with family and pet-safe products, is insured and bonded, and takes one-time or recurring jobs. See the Residential Cleaning page for details. One customer in Coldwater wrote that her cottage had not felt that clean in quite awhile.

A host who is two hours from the property or working a full-time job will often keep a trusted local crew on call so a Sunday checkout is not a Sunday night problem.

Keep a standing relationship, not a rescue number

The hosts with the steadiest ratings usually have the same people doing the work every time. They know the property, they know what counts as done and they do not need a long set of instructions. Tell your cleaning and hauling help how you work, share your checklist and agree on how you will be notified about problems. When something big comes up, such as a bed that needs to leave or a pile of items from a long-term guest, you already have a number to call.

We are a family owned and operated company serving Coldwater, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Jackson and Three Rivers, and the phone line is open from 7:00AM to 8:00PM every day. Call 517-462-2407 for a free estimate on your rental.