This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This is the exact Airbnb cleaning checklist I follow, start to finish, on every single turnover.
After hundreds of turnovers across my 15 properties, cleaning stopped being just cleaning a long time ago. It became a system. A very specific, very repeatable system that protects the property, protects me, and protects the next guest walking through the door.
Because here’s the thing nobody tells new hosts: cleaning is about so much more than making a space look nice. It’s documentation. It’s inventory control. It’s a safety check. I’ve found things left behind that ranged from funny to genuinely alarming, and every single one of those moments is exactly why a thorough process matters. You are not just tidying up. You are the last line of defense before the next family walks in.
Here’s exactly how I do it, top to bottom.
Step 1: Documentation Before Anything Else
The very first thing I do walking in the door is start the laundry. Towels, sheets, bath mats, comforters- anything that needs it goes in first since it takes the longest, and I want those machines running while I work. I don’t always run every load on site to save wear and tear on the machines, but I always run at least one or two to confirm they’re actually working.
While that’s going, I do a full walkthrough assessment before I touch anything else. Was the place left messy? Was anything broken or moved? This is also the point where I highly recommend a walkthrough video or photos, even if it feels like an extra step. Guests will occasionally damage something and swear it wasn’t them, even when you know it was. Solid documentation protects the property and makes any resolution process so much easier.
Step 2: Front Load the Hard Stuff
I always tackle the hardest tasks first. Bathrooms and kitchens get the most time and attention since those are the areas that need to be truly spotless, so I hit those before anything else while my energy is highest.
Step 3: The Bathrooms, Start to Finish
Bathrooms are down to a science at this point:
- First vacuum pass, then a full clean, then the floor gets hand-wiped with microfiber and disinfectant, getting behind and under the toilet
- Shower gets scrubbed thoroughly, with a mold spray for the buildup every shower seems to attract, and glass doors get windexed and wiped down
- Toilet gets scrubbed, then disinfected with a full spray down and a visual inspection, including the handle
- Mirror gets windexed with a fresh paper towel
- Counter and sink get cleared off, disinfected, and wiped down with microfiber, then everything gets put back
- Every drawer gets checked for trash or hair, and under the sink gets checked and organized
- Amenities get restocked and topped off
- Floor gets a final wipe, dries, then a second vacuum pass
- Toilet paper restocked: 3 extra left out somewhere, plus a full roll folded neatly on the rack
- Fresh trash bag liner goes in
- Fresh towels go back out, folded exactly the way each specific property likes them
I use microfiber cloths for almost everything since they genuinely work better than anything else, with one exception: mirrors and toilets are paper towel only. A multipurpose disinfectant handles the rest, including all high-touch surfaces.
Doing every property the same way every time takes the thinking out of it. I don’t have to stop and remember how many towels or where they go. My hands just know.
Step 4: The Kitchen, Nothing Skipped
Everything in the kitchen gets checked and wiped down, including inside the fridge and freezer. Open food gets removed. Unopened waters or condiments usually get left for the next guest. Alcohol never stays behind, no exceptions.
One trick I use: I leave exactly 5 dishwasher pods per stay. If a guest used all 5, I know to check the cabinets extra carefully since they were clearly using the kitchen heavily. If they used one or none, that’s a good early signal things are likely in good shape, just needing a normal check. Some guests use every single thing in a kitchen. Some never touch it and just order out. This one small detail tells you which kind of stay you just had.
Cabinets and drawers stay organized for the same reason: inventory. If a glass breaks and gets thrown away, an organized cabinet makes it obvious immediately that something’s missing instead of finding out weeks later. I check knife blocks for anything that got used and put back dirty, and I always check the garbage disposal, even when the kitchen looks barely touched. I once found a set of nail clippers dropped straight down a disposal in a kitchen that looked completely untouched. Check it every time.
Step 5: Bedrooms and Common Areas
Every drawer in every room gets checked. Every couch cushion gets lifted and cleaned underneath. Even when I’m not deep cleaning under furniture, I’m always checking, and I still find stray garbage or a lost sock more often than you’d think. Nobody wants to be the next guest who finds that.
Every light, switch, lamp, and fan gets checked and set. Guests love turning lamps off at the switch instead of the lamp itself, so those need resetting. TVs get checked to confirm remotes work, and everything’s still connected.
Step 6: The Final Walkthrough
Before I leave, I set the thermostat if needed and flip on the front porch and entryway lights for evening arrivals. That one’s a hard rule now after a guest once left 4 stars specifically because the porch light wasn’t on.
I keep a backup stash of batteries and lightbulbs ready to go, so when a guest reaches out about a dead remote or a beeping smoke detector, there’s already a fix on hand.
Outside gets a check too: grill cleaned if needed, trash cans checked, walkways and patios cleared. I’m in a wooded area, so pine needles and pinecones are a constant battle.
Then one last thorough walkthrough of the entire property before I lock up and go.
How Long It Actually Takes
If I’m rushing, about 3 hours. Usually it’s closer to 3 to 4 hours per property, depending on the size of the house, how messy it was left, and how many guests stayed. A bigger house or a rougher checkout can absolutely push that higher.
My honest philosophy after doing this hundreds of times: it takes what it takes. Rushing a clean to save 30 minutes is never worth the risk of missing something.
Why It All Matters: Sticking to the Airbnb Cleaning Checklist
None of this happens because I enjoy extra steps. It happens because thoroughness is what keeps a property running smoothly, keeps guests safe, and keeps reviews high. A missed drawer, a missed check under a bed, a missed light left off- any one of those can turn into a bad review or worse. The system isn’t complicated. It’s just consistent, every single time, at every single property.
For the full list of everything I restock between every stay, check out Everything I Restock Between Every Airbnb Guest Stay here on the blog.
Supplies I use for every clean:
American Soft Linen Towel Set90pc
Microfiber Cleaning Cloths (50pk)
9V Batteries, Smoke Detector (8pk)
Made by an Airbnb host, for Airbnb hosts. 🤍🌿
If you’re dialing in your cleaning process, the next easiest win is making sure guests don’t create extra work in the first place — a checkout instructions sign handles that. See the printable signs in my Etsy shop →