The hardest part of an Airbnb clean isn't the cleaning — it's the clock. Checkout is 10am, check-in is 3pm, and somewhere in that window you have to strip, clean, restage and photograph the whole property. Miss it and you're either turning away a booking or handing over a half-ready home.
After enough turnovers you stop improvising and start running a sequence. This is ours.
First 20 minutes: strip and start the machines
The laundry is the bottleneck, so it goes first. Strip every bed and bathroom, get the first load in, and the clock on the washing machine runs in parallel with everything else.
- All linen and towels stripped and into the wash
- Dishwasher loaded and running if there are dishes
- Bins emptied, fresh liners in
- Windows open for airflow while you work
The middle hour: wet rooms and kitchen
Bathrooms and the kitchen take the most time and show the most, so they get the bulk of the middle stretch. Work top to bottom, leave the floors for the end so you're not walking back over them.
“Guests forgive a lot. They don't forgive a bathroom that isn't spotless.”
Final hour: restage like a photo shoot
This is what separates a clean property from a five-star one. Beds made hotel-tight, towels folded the same way every time, the welcome details reset exactly as the listing photos show them.
- Beds made with crisp corners and even pillows
- Towels folded and fanned, matching the listing photos
- Welcome items restocked — coffee, tea, toiletries
- A final walk-through with fresh eyes before you lock up
If you host on the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane or the Gold Coast and want this handled on a schedule, our short-stay team works to a per-property checklist you can adjust whenever your listing changes.
