Whether you have a shore house, a lake house, or you’re an actual Airbnb entrepreneur, your renters are going to expect a higher standard of cleaning now. If they’re going to spend their precious money on your place for their vacation, they now expect a higher level of cleanliness than ever before. Meeting that standard will allow your property to stand out.
Here are the top five things you can do to up your cleaning game.
- Wear protective gear while you clean and make sure wherever you’re cleaning is fully ventilated. If you’re not using paper towels or disposable wipes, it’s best to use a new cleaning cloth for each guest. Make sure to wash your hands before cleaning and immediately after removing gloves following CDC guidelines on proper hand washing. Use soap and water, and wash for at least 20 seconds. If that’s not possible, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- Don’t forget about sofas, rugs, drapes, and other soft surfaces. Carefully remove any visible dirt or grime, then clean with the appropriate cleaners indicated for use on those surfaces. If possible, machine-wash items according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Empty the vacuum cleaner after every cleaning. You should then wipe down the vacuum cleaner with disinfectant. While you’re at it, wipe down other appliances like your dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, and other high contact surfaces.
- Wash all linens at the highest heat setting recommended by the manufacturer. That includes bed sheets, mattress covers, hand and bath towels, kitchen towels, and blankets. Remember to wear gloves when handling dirty laundry, and take care to avoid shaking laundry, which could increase the spread of germs. Also, clean and disinfect laundry baskets and hampers.If possible, consider using a liner that is either disposable or that you can throw into the washing machine as well.
- To help guests themselves maintain a higher standard of cleanliness and hygiene, make sure your shelves are well-stocked with essential disinfectants and cleaning supplies. Consider adding extra hand soap, paper towels, tissues, and hand sanitizer. Share a copy of your cleaning plan in the welcome basket. Peace of mind doesn’t come easy, but it comes easier with a bottle of wine and some local treats.
- Have a professional disinfectant treatment done to start with a “clean slate,” between guests, or both. When choosing a company, make sure they don’t just mist a disinfectant into your rental. Doing a wipe down service of high touch point areas like doorknobs, handles, sinks, etc. with a powerful disinfectant at full strength may take a little longer but will ultimately be more effective. Also be sure the product they’re using is included on the EPA’s “List N” of products that meets their criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the causal agent of Covid-19, and able to kill 99.99% of as many pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses as possible including H1N1 Swine Flu and E. coli. Since you’ll want to disinfect the kitchen, the product should also be rated “no rinse required on food contact surfaces,” category D2, by NSF International; meaning it is approved for use in commercial or residential kitchens without the need to wash/rinse the area with water after it’s applied. For the safety of your guests, even better if the company’s using a product defined by the EPA as “practically non-toxic and not an irritant.”
Right now, it’s going to come down to where people can trust to go on vacation. It’s a different mindset, but as a renter, if you’re open to changing your approach to cater to what’s important to your rentees today, you will probably come out on top. And if you decide to have the professional disinfectant treatment done, you can call Western Pest Services to get a free consultation for Western PurClean™. Make sure you ask all the questions in tip #5, though. Don’t let anyone off easy on this.