Like everyone in the hospitality industry, Airbnb is making some important changes to its cleanliness guidelines. While cleaning has always been an obvious “front and center” issue, it’s now even more of a concern thanks to the coronavirus that just won’t go away.
Having a visibly clean home is great, but these days, it’s simply not enough. A safe listing is a sanitized listing and the best way to achieve that is by following Airbnb’s new guidelines as outlined in their Cleaning Quick Start Guide.
Here are a few things to know about the new “normal” for turnover cleanings and how to snag the new Airbnb enhanced cleaning badge of honor.
Cleaning vs. Sanitizing
We’ve said it before: Though there’s a tendency to use these two words interchangeably, “cleaning” and “sanitizing” don’t actually mean the same thing. Here’s a quick primer.
“Cleaning” means you’re removing dirt and other debris from a surface. Think of when you wipe down your kitchen counters or table after preparing and eating a meal: There are likely a few food splatters that made their way out of the pan or off the plate and you’ll wipe them away with a soapy sponge or rag.
When cleaning, you’re removing things from surfaces that aren’t a real danger to you or anyone else – they’re not likely to make you sick.
“Sanitizing,” on the other hand, means you’re doing more than just removing dirt – you’re breaking down and removing germs and other harmful particles that have made their way onto surfaces. This requires more than just the average soap-and-sponge cleaning method; you should be using chemicals with disinfecting agents to kill those kinds of particulates.
To achieve a truly “safe” turnover, you should be both cleaning and sanitizing your vacation rental.
The 5-Step Cleaning Process behind Airbnb Enhanced Cleaning
Airbnb (and, incidentally, MaidThis) has a straightforward 5-step process for turning over vacation rentals.
1. Prepare
Prep everything you’re going to need to clean. This includes ventilating rooms, compiling all necessary supplies, washing hands before starting to clean and sanitize, and wearing (ideally disposable) PPE.
2. Clean
Start the turnover off right by dusting and cleaning all the surfaces with gentler solvents to remove dirt and debris from surfaces so you can better disinfect in the next step. Take out the trash if guests left any behind, start the laundry and wash linens in hot water, and vacuum or sweep the floors.
It’s also important to wash all the dishes and cookware in the kitchen – even if they appear clean – to avoid any cross-contamination. Preferably, kitchen items should be washed in the dishwasher if you have one.
3. Sanitize
Follow up your cleaning by sanitizing all the surfaces you’ve just cleaned and areas you didn’t clean with a fine-mist disinfectant spray. Focus on high-touch areas and objects, like remote controls, doorknobs, side tables, and countertops.
4. Check
Check your list to ensure you’ve done #allthethings in #alltheplaces. Then double-check because you can never be too careful.
5. Reset and Restock
Now that everything is safe and clean, start to reset the space. Make beds, replace consumables like tissues, toilet paper, and toiletries. Remake beds and place linens in their normal spots.
As a MaidThis client, you can rest assured that our teams and partners are following Airbnb’s guidelines to a “T.” If you haven’t already, we encourage you to commit to Airbnb’s new cleaning protocol. You’ll be rewarded with a badge highlighting your listing as having an “enhanced clean.” There’s no better way to assure you’re guests you’re taking their stay – and their health – seriously.
Check out the MaidThis Covid Resource Center for tips, downloadable graphics, and more information on how to keep your guests safe during their stay.
