8 Cleaning Steps to Bring Reviews from Drab to Fab?

A clean space is a happy place. Which is why it’s no surprise that the cleaner your rental, the better your reviews! And while hiring a cleaning crew can be helpful, we also know it can become a bit pricey. That’s why we’ve compiled a short list of tips and tricks to help you keep your rental clean and boost guest reviews.

1. A Fresh Investment

Before you set off on your cleaning journey, take a second. Collect your supplies and take inventory of what you have and what you’ll need. Did you know cleaning supplies expire? It’s true! In fact here’s a short list of approximate expiration dates for some general products:

• Laundry detergent — six to 12 months
• Fabric softener — one year
• Multi-surface cleaners — two years
• Cleaners with antibacterial ingredients — one year
• Disinfectants — two years
• Dishwasher detergent — three months
• Dish soap — 12 to 18 months

Crazy, right? And when they do expire, using them can actually do more harm than good. So, evaluate the condition of things like cleaners, detergents, rubber gloves, sponges, mops and scrub brushes. Then, find your essentials in one place with aBundle!

2. Stay on Schedule

When those bursts of inspiration to deep clean your rental hit, it may be better to hold off. A deep clean after every guest is often unnecessary so instead, plan your deep cleans throughout the year.

A good rule of thumb is three deep cleans a year. When it does come time for the deep clean, you can use this printable checklist from Cornerstone Confessions to help.

3. Prioritize the Parlor

If anything needs a deep clean after every guest, it’s the bathroom. Make the bathroom spotless. Soft Scrub® the bath/shower, toilet and sink. Replace mold-producing product bottles and prep your place with amenity dispensers to prevent grime build-up.

And when it comes to the inevitable hairs around the shower or bath, here’s a pro tip from hospitality veteran Adam Falla of YourWelcome:

“…vacuum all over the room (including inside the shower/bath) first to remove all hair – this is the most essential task in the entire clean!”

4. Clear the Clutter

Host Claire Rice of Chicago says, “A clean, cozy space that’s free of clutter will make your guests feel most welcome,” and we couldn’t agree more.

When in doubt, throw it out! Less clutter means less dust and less to clean. Additionally, a clutter-free space feels more welcoming and accommodates better for the work and play needs of your guests.

5. Help Them, Help You

Often times, cleaning requires nipping a mess in the bud as soon as it happens. That’s why we suggest helping your guests help you by keeping clean-up supplies onsite. Keep your supplies tucked away and leave a note so guests know they’re available. That way, when a spill or a mess does happen, they’ll have the means to clean it up themselves.

Running low on Lysol® and other quick clean-up products? Stock up at aBundle.

6. Try On Your Guests Shoes

While we don’t recommend literally trying on their shoes, we do recommend putting yourself in their position. Imagine opening the door to a rental. What would you and wouldn’t you want to see? Are there scuff marks on the wall? A bit of dried mud in the entrance way? What about crumbs between the cushions?

Need help imagining? Check out some reviews and think about how you could apply the mistakes of other hosts to your own rental.

7. Feedback Form

It’s a simple trick that goes a long way. Creating a small feedback form is a great way to get personalized and detailed suggestions from your guests. Keep it simple and clear, so that guests won’t feel like it’s a chore. For example, one way to approach a cleanliness question could be:

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rank the cleanliness of the space.

1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10

Please feel free to be more specific in the open space below:

When you’ve made your form, leave it in a visible spot with a note that has instructions.

8. A Spoonful of Sugar

Cleaning and restocking may seem like work, but it doesn’t have to be! As the great Mary Poppins once said, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”

Try making the tasks at hand a bit more fun by listening to music, keeping a TV on in the background, listening to a podcast, asking a friend to help, snapchatting your progress, or even creating a giant checklist that you get to cross off after every completed task.

A clean space is a happy space. With these 8 tips you’ll be able to keep your place clean, happy and ready for your next 5-star review! And with all your essentials in one spot at aBundle, you can save a bundle of time, effort, and money while doing it. After all, you deserve a vacation too.