@emily I believe the point of this forum is learning and possibly hearing something new. Arguing about different costs and prices in different parts of the world as well as making claims without knowing the details is futile. Country, city, location, price points, local wages, local and state laws, income taxes, occupancy taxes, live-in renting / whole apartmet renting, size of the unit being rented, efficiency of particular host’s workflow… they all influence and determine what’s possible and what is not. If I pay $20 for 90 minutes for someone living next door to come and clean my place, this really isn’t so different than $25 per hour @jaquo would be paying. That said, I recognize getting additional help to clean your particular space isn’t an option for you and I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe it is for someone else and this forum might motivate them to consider this idea before getting a serious guest fatigue prematurely. Let others join the conversation so we can learn from each other.
I own a professional residential cleaning business. I am the only person who cleans because I am the only one who has ever met my high standards 
I charge $40 per hour, and some clients in upscale homes offer me more. In a 3 bedroom rental, it takes me about 2.5 hours to clean a heavily messy home thoroughly. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, so I’ve developed a thorough and efficient method.
For the best cleaning standards that are efficient, thorough, and low cost, clean it yourself using my method.
My book explains how. Available on Amazon for Kindle and paperback with excellent reviews, like this one from an AirBnB host: "This book as a lot of great tips! It’s written in a friendly, breezy, and practical style. As an Airbnb host I needed this book so I could get my guest room ready fast. Thanks, Beth!"
Many thanks to those who have already purchased it and are finding success with my method!
Get Your House Clean Now: The Home Cleaning Method Anyone Can Master by Beth McGee
We don’t live-in at least not full time and I still do all the cleaning myself. Lots of reasons for that.
It keeps me in close contact with whatever is going on in our house. I know the place is absolutely clean, no cutting corners, and if we have bad, sloppy guests - which does happen, I am not losing all the profit by paying someone overtime.
I suspect there will come a point when those things may change but it’s been over two years and we haven’t gotten there yet.
Airbnb is not for slackers.
And I didn’t realize you were only here to run an ad.
Have you looked at people’s cleaning fees? Most of us spend hours cleaning and we charge between $20 - $50 for every time we do it.
Not just here to run an ad. We have rented our home as well and I happily share what cleaning tips I can since that’s what I know best. I suggest my book to some because it will help them do it on their own without working for hours and with terrific results.
I happily read the summary emails to get tips from others on their rental process as well as their cleaning methods, so I’m not just here to run an ad, but to share and engage as well. Thank you.
2.5 hours !? For a heavily messy home.
Does that include laundry, making beds replenishing bath, hand towels face cloths, toilet paper, paper towels, napkins - coffee / tea station? Doing inventory of kitchen and restocking ( foil wrap, saran etc) Checking drawers and cupboards for soiled utensils, dish ware. Emptying dishwasher, cleaning oven, filling ice cube trays? and on and on!
I know this is an old thread but I can’t help myself…so essentially, you are a cleaner (the only), why all the fluff? Similarly, I own a professional property management business and cafe in the boutique short term rental market specialising in people with complex international relocations…so essentially I have the spare room rented on Airbnb, provide lovely all day espresso and free breakfast and most of my guests are relocating from overseas and need advice from me on the local rental market, job market and tpurist attractions. I could have added ‘adjustment advisor’ but thought that was a bit much.
For the purposes of this website, I’m sharing cleaning information. So if
you want to call me a “cleaner”, that works for me. In my business,
however, I provide a much wider selection of services. Organization,
property management for part time residents, oversight of home maintenance
services, and any number of other things home owners might need, including
integrity and trust, which is most valuable to them.
I’m also a published author and an elected representative with a degree in
Communications and Media Arts. Why all the fluff? Why not? Why not describe
yourself in a way that implies you have confidence in yourself and the
services you provide in order to help potential consumers of your product
choose you instead of someone else? If you want others to trust you and
what you have to offer, being an authority on the subject is important. I
like the flair you added to your description of yourself. You should use it!
I don’t think of people who clean as “just cleaners”. I know how hard they
work and understand they do all the things no one else wants to do. That
has a lot of value. Not all cleaners are the same, not all are trustworthy,
not all are good at their jobs. Likewise, not all “spare room renters” on
AirBnB are the same, not all are trustworthy, and not all are good at their
jobs. But on the whole, I think they are.
Thanks for asking.
Beth McGee
Author, Publisher, Content Creator
GetYourHouseCleanNow.com
we charge anywhere from 70-90/night & get many one night bookings… if we were to hire cleaning… between taxes and cleaning we should just not host airbnb.
Mmmmhhh, a disadvantage could be that it makes you sound expensive. You know when people say “She’s too expensive for me” without knowing the price 
.
Do you refer to authority recognized by people who don’t benefit, or self proclaimed authority? 
And now serious, without a doubt you’re good at what you do, but I’m afraid that for lots of AirBnB owners the numbers just don’t allow to hire professional help.
I did hire someone to clean once, when I was booked solid and had pneumonia and all kinds of other crises from my other business. She came highly recommended and does clean another B&B close to me. It took a dent out of the profit, which almost made it moot to have her. However, the kicker was I had to clean after she was done. No one cleans your own place like you do yours or I do mine. In the past, when I have had cleaning ladies for my home, I also run around and clean before they show up. Since, cleanliness is one thing I’m extremely highly rated on, I like to think my OCD pays off in this respect. It’s a pain and I’d just LOVE to have someone clean, especially with back to back bookings but it is never quite the same as doing it yourself.
I’ve considered it a number of times but I’ve never gone for it.
- Cost - I don’t feel like I can get a good price for the work.
- Cleaning quality - I know I do it right and I’m concerned a hired hand may not clean to my standards
- I’m kind of a homebody - I’m home enough to do it. It doesn’t interfere with my social activities
- Sense of pride - least valuable reason on this list, but I kind of like the feeling of accomplishment when I do all the work myself. Something to take pride in.
@IrishRose I do have a cleaner. She is a neighbour (almost) next door, retired. I spot every little detail so I guess my cleanliness standards are pretty high. So, I had to ‘teach’ my cleaner how to do things right. For several weeks I did an inspection every time she finished cleaning (and just before the next guests arrived) and sent her pictures with my comments. It took a while but the effort was more than worth the time invested. The result is that out of 108 reviews, we have 100% 5-star on cleanliness.
Wil- I think there is a misunderstanding. I’m not looking to sell my
cleaning services here. I am in one area and have a full clientele. I offer
information about my cleaning method in a book I’ve written, but I’m not
looking to sell my cleaning services to anyone here. The book I wrote is
inexpensive and will save people time. If you aren’t interested in saving
time and doing a great job cleaning your rental, then don’t buy it. If you
want to clean your rental yourself and would like to know the products,
tools and method for doing that efficiently and thoroughly, you might find
my book useful. If not, you aren’t obligated to purchase it.
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Beth McGee
Author, Publisher, Content Creator
GetYourHouseCleanNow.com
Is that for cleaning only or do you prepare for incoming guests.?
Yes. I question that too. We have a one bedroom apartment that is under 500 sq. ft. I have been hosting for many years and nevertheless cannot get my cleaning time down to below three hours - no matter how immaculate the guests have been. More often than not, it’s a full four hours.
And Airbnb cleaning is completely different. ‘Cleaning a home’ and cleaning for Airbnb guests are two very different things.(Why did I find tomatoes under the ottoman? Why did the guest leave two supermarket carrier bags under the bed? How long will it take me to treat the rather gross bodily fluids on the bedding?)
@MaryJO - there are so many things that you didn’t have the time to list - laundering the shower curtain and liner, vacuuming inside all closets and drawers, cleaning behind the fridge, vacuuming under all furniture, sweeping and cleaning outside areas, laundering and ironing cushion covers, cleaning upholstery, washing windows — but you know all this. And much more.
Truly, there’s cleaning and there’s Airbnb cleaning!