12 Things You Forgot to Clean (That's hurting your reviews!)

It doesn’t matter whether you choose to clean your space yourself, or you hire a cleaning team. Here’s why YOU need to pay special attention to cleaning quality control. We’ve found the Top 12 things often overlooked during cleaning, and they only take a couple of extra minutes to take care of when you stay on top of them! Woo-hoo!
We cannot stress enough how important it is to completely clean your short term rental. Really, it’s so important. Leaving these important areas unattended-to will cause more work, and more scrubbing, if you let them be for long periods. (No, thank you!) You should want to make your short term rental space look as though it is ‘staged’, like a clean model home for your guests.

1.) Fingerprints:
Check walls and windows near beds, couches/chairs, dining area, food prep area, bathroom(s), and all doors and room entryways. Nothing screams “unclean!” like having visible fingerprints.

2.) Behind the toilet:
This space can experience moisture or condensation, to which dirt and hair are attracted like glue. Be sure to quickly wipe this area between each stay, and you’ll be sure to avoid having a sticky dust bunny factory back there.

3.) Water faucets:
This area is also very wet. Keep fingerprints, water spots and thick grime from accruing by wiping with a gentle cleanser after each stay.

4.) Shower/bath:
Sitting water is no good, and the corners and bottom of your shower or bath will accrue water spots and not-so-pleasant mildew if you don’t give this area a good wipe between guests. Also, how do you feel after checking in to a rental and discover the shower is still wet? Ew. Cleaning it now will spare you time and scrubbing later.

5.) Door handles, inside and out:
This goes along with fingerprints, but it is a separate bullet because you cannot afford for them to be overlooked. The door handle is one of the first physical impressions that your guest will have of your property. Opening a clean door handle to a clean space is glorious, but grabbing a sticky door handle will practically force your guests to scrutinize the entirety of your space for the duration of their stay.

6.) Kitchen appliances:
Make sure your kitchen appliances are clean, inside and out. Are there fingerprints, crumbs, drips or splatter? Coffee filter still in the coffee pot? Your guests don’t want to see that, and you shouldn’t allow them the opportunity. Places that you’re likely to see these messes are: microwave, toaster oven, hand/stand mixer, teapot, electric kettle, refrigerator — all inside and out.

7.) Windowsills:
You can easily clean these while you’re wiping off fingerprints. Windowsills accrue dust and debris almost as much as exterior doors, in some homes. They’re a portal to fresh air and sunshine, but also dirt, bugs, and dust. A quick vacuum and wipe with a sponge will prevents guests from the ‘ew factor’ when they open a window.

8.) Couch cushions:
Besides spot-cleaning minor messes on the sofa or chairs, you should always look at what is between or underneath them. Imagine dropping a remote between the couch cushions, and having to reach down there to get it— Do you cringe thinking of doing that in your sofa? Or are you confident that it’s clean?

9.) Back of chairs:
Similar to the sofa, you should wipe down the backs (and fronts) of non-fabric chairs, and vacuum the backs of fabric chairs regularly. This will help prevent fingerprints and dust from accumulating in these areas.

10.) Under beds:
Look and vacuum under beds, always. It’s one of the spaces that many guests look at to evaluate cleanliness, and they may store items down there. Make sure they don’t find dust bunnies or items left behind by previous guests (like glasses, kids toys or ‘bedroom stuff’).

11.) Front porch:
Again, the first physical impression of your short term rental, the front porch should be swept and tidy. If you experience mud, clean it off. There’s not much more to say about this one. You don’t want guests tracking this into the house, anyway. (Also, are your flowers alive and thriving? Don’t forget to water them.)

12.) Extra linen:
If your guests have access to extra linen, check it every time. Some well-meaning guests will use extra sheets, comforters or pillows and put them back. One clever way to offer these is to store them in a tote with a sticker over the seal, so if the seal is broken then you know you need to wash those linens. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy!

Follow these simple tips to keep your rental property clean between every guest and earn that five-star review, every time.