The Airbnb changeover cleaning checklist

A changeover is quality control, not cleaning

The mental shift that makes hosts better at this: a changeover is not a clean with a deadline, it is an inspection with cleaning attached. You are checking that the property matches the listing photographs, that nothing is broken, that nothing is missing, and that the next guest finds no evidence whatsoever of the last one.

That framing changes the order you work in. You walk the property first and note problems, then clean, then restock, then stage, then photograph. Cleaning first means you discover the broken blind after you have already run out of time.

It also explains why cleanliness scores fall even when the property is clean. Guests score on evidence of previous occupancy: a hair in the shower tray, a crumb in a drawer, a used coffee pod, a smear on the inside of a glass. None of those are dirt in any meaningful sense. All of them read as "not cleaned".

Working the five-hour window

Most listings run a 10am checkout and a 3pm check-in, which gives a five-hour window including travel. For a two-bedroom property that is comfortable for one person and tight if anything goes wrong. For three bedrooms it is a two-person job.

1. Walk and note (10 minutes). Every room. Photograph damage, note missing items, check nothing is left behind.
2. Strip (15 minutes). All beds, all towels, all bins. Get laundry out of the building or into the machine immediately. It is the only task with a fixed minimum duration.
3. Wet rooms (45 to 60 minutes). Bathrooms and kitchen, the two rooms that decide your score.
4. Dry rooms (45 minutes). Bedrooms, living space, surfaces, glass.
5. Floors (20 minutes). Last, always. Vacuum then mop, working toward the door.
6. Restock and stage (20 minutes). Consumables, welcome items, cushions, curtains, heating.
7. Photograph and lock up (10 minutes). One photo per room as your record.

If the window is genuinely tight, the fix is a second pair of hands rather than working faster. A rushed changeover produces exactly the small misses that cost you a five-star review.

Bedrooms and linen

• Beds stripped completely, including protectors if marked
• Mattress checked for stains or damage, photographed if found
• Fresh linen: ironed or at least properly folded, never creased from the bag
• Hospital corners or a neat fold; it reads as care in photographs
• Pillows plumped and matched, cases the right way round
• Under the bed checked for left items
• Inside wardrobes and drawers checked and wiped
• Hangers counted and straightened
• Bedside surfaces, lamps and sockets wiped
• Mirrors and glass polished
• Windows, sills and tracks wiped
• Blinds or curtains straightened and set
• Floor vacuumed including under the bed and along edges

On linen: three models work: launder on site, rotate two or three of your own sets, or hire. For back-to-back summer bookings, on-site laundering will eventually fail you, because the machine cycle does not care about your check-in time. Rotation or hire is the only reliable option in peak season.

Bathrooms (where scores are won and lost

• Shower tray, screen and door seals) check for hair, every time
• Shower head and hose descaled
• Bath, taps and overflow
• Toilet, including under the rim, hinges, base and behind
• Basin, taps, plughole and pedestal
• Mirror polished and checked in raking light for smears
• All glass and chrome dried, not just wiped
• Bin emptied and the bin itself cleaned
• Extractor fan cover dusted
• Towel rail wiped; fresh towels folded or rolled consistently
• Toilet roll full, plus a visible spare
• Soap, shower gel and shampoo topped up or replaced
• Floor washed, including behind the door and around the pedestal
• Sealant checked for mould and treated if present

Chrome and glass must be dried, not air-dried. Water spots on a tap are the single most photographed complaint in holiday let reviews, and they take four seconds to prevent.

Kitchen

• Fridge emptied of guest food, shelves and seals wiped
• Freezer checked, ice tray emptied and refilled
• Oven and hob checked and cleaned
• Microwave inside, including the roof
• Kettle descaled and emptied
• Toaster crumb tray emptied
• Coffee machine cleaned, used pods removed
• Dishwasher emptied, filter checked, tablet left in the dispenser
• Every item of crockery, glassware and cutlery checked, not assumed
• Glasses held up to the light for smears and lipstick marks
• Pans and baking trays checked underneath
• Inside cupboards and drawers checked for crumbs
• Worktops, splashback and sink cleaned and dried
• Bin emptied, cleaned, relined, spare liners left
• Tea towels and cloths replaced with clean ones
• Floor swept and washed

Checking glassware individually feels excessive until you have read a review about a lipstick mark on a wine glass. Dishwashers do not reliably clean glass that was left with dried wine in it.

Living space and staging

• Sofa cushions removed, crevices vacuumed, cushions replaced and plumped
• Under and behind sofa checked for left items
• Remote controls wiped and batteries checked
• TV screen dusted, smart TV logged out of guest accounts
• Surfaces, shelves and decorative items dusted
• Books, games and guest folder tidied and complete
• Windows, sills and tracks
• Throws and cushions set as per the listing photographs
• Curtains or blinds set to the photographed position
• Heating set to a welcoming temperature
• Lighting checked: every bulb working
• Wi-Fi details visible and correct
• Outdoor furniture wiped, garden or balcony tidied
• Woodburner ash cleared and kindling restocked if applicable

Stage to the photographs. Guests arrive with the listing images in their head, and a property that matches them feels as promised. Keep a reference photo of each room on your phone and set the space to match.

Restocking and inventory

Guests rarely review the hoovering. They review what was missing. Keep a written restock list per property and work it on every visit:

• Toilet roll: full, plus a visible spare per bathroom
• Hand soap, shower gel, shampoo
• Tea, coffee, sugar, milk if you provide it
• Dishwasher tablets, washing-up liquid, sponge
• Bin liners for every bin
• Kitchen roll and cleaning cloth
• Salt, pepper, oil if your listing promises a starter kit
• Welcome item if you offer one, and check the date on it

Report the rest the same day: chipped mugs, a missing pan lid, a stained duvet, a broken blind. It protects you on a damage claim and stops the next guest finding it first. Our changeover service in Plymouth sends photographs of every room plus an inventory note after each clean, which is the part hosts living away from the property tell us they value most.

What a changeover cannot fix

Changeovers keep a property guest-ready. They cannot stop the slow decline that a busy season causes, and pretending otherwise is how hosts end up with a four-star cleanliness average they cannot explain.

Three things need separate attention. Limescale and oven carbon build regardless of how well each changeover is done: book a deep clean in the shoulder season, usually late October or February. Soft furnishings in a holiday let age at several times the domestic rate, so upholstery and carpet cleaning once a year is not a luxury. And smell in a property left empty for a fortnight is a ventilation issue, not a cleaning one. Air it, and clean the fabrics that hold the odour.

The economics are straightforward: one annual upholstery clean costs less than one month of damaged occupancy from a review that mentions a grubby sofa.