This guide covers the most common problems that Saint Paul and Minneapolis, MN, property owners face with Airbnb cleaning their short-term rental properties. If you’ve been searching for solutions, you’re in the right place.
Every Host in the Twin Cities should follow these tips
Tip 1: Always clean high-touch surfaces first!
That’s the surface that every guest touches in the first five minutes of arriving at your hotel, and it’s the surface that most of the cleaners touch last. Expert Airbnb cleans high-contact areas first, your cleaning cloths are fresh, and your disinfectant is at full strength. This one habit alone reduces cross-contamination risk significantly across your entire property
Tip #2: Eco-Friendly Cleaning Solutions That Work
Not every cleaning solution for the environment is the same – some are really effective at reducing bacteria and viruses, and others are products that are greenwashed and look good on the label. If you are hosting Airbnb guests who are sleeping and preparing food in your property, you do need solutions to kill pathogens, but without leaving behind harsh chemical smells or damaging surfaces. Look for EPA-approved products and a green certification with a verified kill claim.
Tip #3: Create a Room-By-Room Checklist and Don’t Miss It.
The Airbnb cleaning method involves breaking down the “clean from memory” moment. A room-by-room checklist eliminates the possibility of human error in assuming that something was accomplished. When checking your bathroom, make sure to check grout lines, the bottom of your toilet rim, shower curtain rings, and the inside of your soap dispenser, etc., not the surfaces! The interior of the microwave, the reservoir of the coffee maker, the inside of the cabinet handles, and the drip trays below the burners should be on your kitchen checklist. Make a checklist, laminate it, and use it always.
Tip #4: Never reuse cleaning cloths between rooms
One of the most frequent reasons for Airbnb properties to be unsanitized is cross-contamination, and one of the easiest to prevent. Cloth used in the bathroom should never be used in the kitchen. Use microfiber cloths in various colors to designate different areas.
Tip 5: Respect Dwell Time, Products Need Time to Work
One of the most frequent errors hosts and novices make when cleaning is to spray a surface and wipe it right away. To be effective, disinfectants must have a contact time, typically 30 seconds to 4 minutes, which varies based on the product. Spraying and wiping at the same time is like moving contamination around, not destroying it!
Tip 6: Treat Linens Like a Hotel, Not Like a Guest Bedroom
Linens are definitely top-notch for Airbnb guests. Sheet edges that have wrinkles, faint stains on pillow linens, or towels that smell like they were in the dryer for too long are obvious giveaways. Remove the bed completely between each guest, wash the fabric at the highest heat it can withstand, and fold with the corners of the hospital bed or a tight, crisp fold. Maintain two sets of linens for each bed, one used and one on rotation, if budget permits, so that you never run out of laundry when you need to service a bed when it’s at its peak.
Tip #7: Always inspect Check-In
After cleaning, take a stroll through the front door as your next guest will. Take a standing eye-level view of the entry, living area, kitchen, and bathroom, and don’t assume it is a scrubber’s or bender’s view. You will be able to find things that you didn’t find the first time: a smudge on the mirror, a light left on, a dish towel hung crooked, a welcome card that is missing. The two-minute walk-through is the last opportunity to carry out a quality check between a good turn and a great turn.
Tip 8: Document Damage Before Every Check-In
Photo documentation before each check-in is not just about protection during disputes; it is also part of a professional Airbnb cleaning process. When Bell Cleans Twin Cities completes a turnover, the team documents the property’s condition, room by room, so the host has a clear before-and-after record.
Tip 9: Consider the Scent Guests’ Nose Before They Look.
One of the biggest negative influences on Airbnb cleanliness ratings is odor. Pet smells, cooking smells that become trapped in upholstery, musty bathroom grout, or artificial air freshener that covers up the smell but doesn’t get rid of it all before a guest arrives at a property. A properly cleaned property should smell neutral, not like chemicals and not like a plug-in air freshener. Ventilate between every cleaning and address the odor at the source.
Tip 10: Partner With a Dedicated Airbnb Cleaning Service
This is the tip that changes everything. A general residential cleaner maintains a home. A cleaning service at Airbnb specializes in a turnover operation. The difference lies in sequencing, timing, guest-ready standards, damage reporting, and the ability to scale as bookings grow. A trusted and professional Airbnb cleaning service ensures your rental property is always in top shape, reviews remain steady, and you can continue enjoying the time you spend with your loved ones.
What makes Airbnb cleaning different from normal cleaning?
Cleaning is different from sanitization. Cleaning eliminates all visible dirt. Sanitization is the process of minimizing the levels of pathogens, bacteria, viruses, and allergens to a level safe for human occupancy. Sanitization is a must in a short-term rental unit where guests are changing every couple of days.
Expert Airbnb sanitization in Twin Cities, MN, involves knowing what surfaces are most susceptible to cross-contamination (bathroom surfaces, kitchen sponges, shared remote controls, etc.), using the correct products and contact times, and having the discipline to do this every single time, even if you need to sanitize surfaces in less than 90 minutes between back-to-back bookings.
The difference between a cleaner that shows up to clean your Airbnb and a professional service that knows how to keep your listing score high, your guests healthy, and your income coming.
The Bottom Line for Twin Cities Hosts on Airbnb
Cleaning the Airbnb is not an optional extra; it is the cornerstone of a successful short-term rental. All of these tips in this list can be implemented today, as a self-manager or with a professional team.
When you’re tired of wondering if your property satisfies guest expectations, and you’re ready to concentrate on booking more of those guests, Bell Cleans Twin Cities is for you. Over 10 years of Airbnb turnover experience, eco-friendly cleaning solutions, so your cleanliness score stops being a variable and starts being a strength. Get in touch with us today for exceptional Airbnb sanitization services.
Your guests notice everything. Be sure to keep things tidy.
Common Questions clients ask
Why am I getting three-star ratings despite cleaning Airbnb myself? What am I missing?
One of the most frequent pitfalls to be avoided by new Airbnb hosts is their failure to implement self-cleaning. You dust the counters, but your guests see the dirty inside of the microwave, the grout lines in the shower, what’s in the fingerprints on the handles of the cabinets, and the smells in the upholstery.
Where can I get cheap Airbnb cleaners in Saint Paul?
Bell Cleans Twin Cities is a team-based business, so when one member of the team has an emergency, your turnaround is still covered.
Do green cleaning products work for Airbnb cleaning?
Yes, there are eco-friendly cleaning solutions available at the hospital level. They are as effective at killing germs such as bacteria and viruses as traditional chemical cleaners.
What does an Airbnb cleaning process entail?
The Airbnb cleaning process is divided into 3 levels: deep cleaning of high-touch surfaces, a complete reset of guest-facing spaces, and a walk-through.
Do you also cover Saint Paul?
Yes, we do. It is an advantage for those who have several properties in the Twin Cities.
