Vacation Rental
Cleaning Guide

When you think about your summer vacation rental, you’re probably thinking of marketing your property, decorating your summer rental, and other ways to keep your place booked all summer long. Whether it’s good ol’ word of mouth or a digital review, how favorable guests rate your summer rental will often have to do with your vacation rental turnover cleaning ability.

To get five stars for your vacation rental, you have to treat it like a luxury five-star hotel—particularly when it comes to rental cleaning. Any dirt, grime, stains or even a few hairs left behind in sensitive areas such as beds, toilets, showers and kitchens will offend guests and likely affect their review.

Whether you clean your vacation rental yourself or use our vacation rental cleaning services, make sure high standards are set from the beginning and a deep, thorough cleaning is done every single time a guest departs.

How Vacation Rental Cleaning is Different From a Typical House Cleaning

When guests book a stay in your summer rental, they expect it to be immaculately clean. Some may even assume the property is cleaned by professional vacation property cleaners. Don’t give them any reason to doubt the place is anything but perfect.

Make your rental unit feel like home, but with a level of cleaning a step above a typical house cleaning. Here are just some tasks you can expect from professional vacation rental cleaning services:

• Cleaning the linens used by previous guests
• Cleaning surfaces, including disinfecting commonly touched areas like door handles
• Restocking toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products and other essentials
• Inspecting for damage
• Testing electronics and appliances
• Cleaning patio or deck furniture
• Sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, dusting, scrubbing and disinfecting room by room

Remember, you may not see perfectly cleaning rental property as a big deal, but your guests do. They want it to be exciting and new, but they still want it to feel like their own home away from home. If you want your guests to be impressed with your vacation rental cleaning, you better be ready to work or call in the pros.

Can I Do a Vacation Rental Cleaning Myself?

While a comprehensive vacation rental cleaning checklist can help you cover all the bases if you are cleaning your rental yourself, there are other factors to consider. Doing your own cleaning reduces costs and should increase your income. After all, the goal of owning a vacation rental is to make a profit, but it’s important to evaluate the true savings.

If you don’t live in the same area as your summer rental or lack the time to maintain and clean your place, then doing the cleaning yourself may not be an attractive option. Even if you are close by and have some free time, can you really commit to deep cleaning the entire vacation rental weekly and sometimes more often?

During the summer rental season, you hopefully have back-to-back bookings. But these quick turns mean guests will typically check out around 10 a.m. and the next guests check-in around 4 p.m. That gives you approximately six hours to clean your summer rental from top to bottom to get it in pristine condition.

A cleaning service may be a better option. A reputable residential cleaning service can save you time, money and negative reviews as long as you pick the right one. To find a housekeeping service that provides the thorough cleaning and dependability you need, here are some things to look for:

• Protect your rental, guests and reputation by choosing a cleaning service that is licensed, insured and bonded.
• Make sure any housekeeping service you are considering offers a range of services so that you will always have the cleaning resources you need.
• Choose a maid service that is well-known and highly regarded, preferably with verified reviews from satisfied customers.
• Be sure to choose a cleaning service that has proven they can clean quickly and efficiently with every service.

Remember, you only have one shot at impressing new guests and anything you miss during cleaning could mean a less than favorable rating and review.

Why Choose Vacation Rental Cleaning Services From The Maids

Today, turning a home into a vacation rental is big business and for good reason. By renting, homeowners get the ability to earn extra income on an otherwise empty space and guests receive a more comfortable living experience while on vacation or traveling for work.

One of the top standards for providing a space for guests is to make sure it is clean, really clean! When the success of your vacation rental or Airbnb depends on reviews, you don’t want to leave anything to chance. You need to hire a professional vacation rental cleaning service.

And before you balk at the idea for cutting into your profits, consider the fact that your guests typically pay the cleaning fee. Vacation renters expect to be charged a standard cleaning fee, so as long as the fee is on par with market prices, it should fit right in as a line item.

Here are 7 reasons you should hire The Maids for your rental cleaning:

• Your guests expect a perfectly clean space. Because of our proprietary 22 Step Cleaning Process, no area of your home gets overlooked. Kitchen surfaces–cabinets, countertops, appliances and floors–are all wiped down and cleaned. Dishes are loaded in the dishwasher. Bathrooms are disinfected from top to bottom, including the tub and toilet, and every other room is straightened, dusted and vacuumed as well. This is our process, every time – no exceptions.
• It saves time and energy. While it may be tempting to keep the cleaning fee and do the work yourself, it can take hours for one person to make beds, wash dishes, sweep, mop, vacuum, scrub toilets, wipe all surfaces and more. Not only have you just lost valuable time, but you’re likely exhausted and more susceptible to cutting corners. The Maids has a checklist and we don’t leave until everything is clean to the highest standards.
• We’re guaranteed. Not only do we arrive on time, but we also provide a 100 percent guarantee on all our cleaning services. If you’re not happy, call us back within 24 hours and we’ll re-clean your space.
• You get to focus on being a great host! Many rental hosts want to provide more than a bed, they want to provide an experience. Hiring The Maids allows you to focus on entertaining your guests and meeting their needs instead of cleaning. Plan a tour, show off your craft or create a scavenger hunt; whatever you choose to do, you’ll know The Maids has the cleaning covered.
• You’ve got a team of cleaners. With The Maids, you don’t just have one cleaner; you have a team behind you! Book a last-minute guest and need a quick clean? No problem. Our same-day cleaning services have you covered. We can also provide deep and special cleaning services, like cleaning the inside of your fridge, carpets, furniture and every nook and cranny you’ve forgotten about.
• The Maids is the leading residential cleaning service to specialize exclusively in creating healthier environments. Professionally trained cleaning teams from The Maids remove more dirt, dust, and pollutants than conventional cleaning services. Our unique approach to residential cleaning includes environmentally preferred products and commercial grade equipment like our vacuums with HEPA filtration. Our backpack vacuums can capture up to 99 percent of dust and allergens.
• Good reviews are the lifeblood of your vacation rental business. We’ve been cleaning homes across North America for more than 40 years. What we’ve learned has helped us earn a 96 percent approval rating from our customers. Put us to work in your rental and let our decades of experience help create a 5-Star experience for your guests.

Our specialty vacation rental cleaning options include Carpet Maintenance Service, window cleaning, and others to make rental properties next-level clean.

Regular carpet cleaning maintenance can extend the life of your carpets in your summer rental and keep them looking their best season after season. Carpet cleaning improves indoor air quality by removing dust, dirt, allergens and debris that has settled deep in carpet fibers.

Window cleaning can be time-consuming and it’s difficult to get the streak-free shine your guests expect. With our professional-grade equipment and expert technique, we’ll give your guests a clearer view and a brighter interior environment.

Whether it’s a weekly vacation rental cleaning, a deep cleaning, or a specialty service, you can count on The Maids to get the job done right. With almost 200 locations in 41 states and Canadian provinces, there’s a good chance The Maids services your neighborhood.

If you want to keep your summer vacation rental immaculately clean for every guest, The Maids is the right choice for cleaning your summer rental. Find out more when you get your free rental cleaning estimate from The Maids today.