I have been relying on just 2 cleaners to clean my 3 listings. Though the quality of their clean falls short of my standard, I find it difficult to find a good cleaner who 1) cleans to my standard, 2) affordable, and 3) readily available. Whenever I find one who does quality work and is affordable, she tends to already be committed to other clients who can give her jobs on a regular schedule, thus often unavailable to me.
Wondering if other hosts also experience challenges in finding/keeping good cleaners and how to overcome them? I tend to use Kijiji to find cleaners. Where else would be a good place to look? Thanks.
1 Like
no Iāve never had problems finding decent cleaners but where you would look depends on where you live. @John1
Iām in the UK and post on my local area FB group and ask for recommendations
If cleaners are in demand in your area maybe you need to up the rate you pay - after all you pass it onto guests
Yes, itās a common challenge and the solution is quite easy if you live nearby your listings, clean them yourself. I find it easier just to do the cleaning myself.
I block two days in between so I can go after work to clean. Itās exhausting but at least itās not a headache trying to coordinate with reliable cleaners.
I would also be really upset if I received a less than stellar review on cleanliness because the cleaner rushed through and missed certain spots. Most cleaners try to be in and out in two to three hours. I have noticed that they donāt even move the furniture and they also wonāt do laundry.
Hope it works out for you.
2 Likes
You forgot 4) reliable because if the cleaner doesnāt show up, even once, the cost to your business could be quite large.
And yes, I had the same problem but never found a solution (other than @Ritz3ās suggestion to clean myself, which isnāt an option for many hosts).
2 Likes
An alternative is to find a reliable person who needs a job and train him/her to your standards. That builds in some loyalty. I once had a deaf housekeeper who had difficulty finding work and was happy to take on our house. She stayed with me for years.
5 Likes
People who respond to ads for ācleanersā are likely to be people who donāt necessarily have the mindset to prepare an apartment or house to Airbnb standards - which are enormously high.
So to start with, Iād stop advertising for cleaners and word the job description in another way. āShort term rental preparation managerā or something.
I know thatās a bit like calling the garbage man a ārefuse disposal associateā but it can make a difference if the person thinks of themselves as more than a cleaner.
The best person Iāve ever had (in my own home, I clean the Airbnb apartments myself) was a man. I donāt want this to be any sort of sexist thing but I find that people tend to expect cleaners to be female.
Iām certainly not saying that one sex is better than the other when it comes to attention to detail and so on, but itās something else to consider.
Old cheesy saying now but you get what you pay for. You want to get the best so that you can make sure that he or she is reliable and thorough. Because cleanliness (and first impressions) are important, itās worth paying for the best. Less than that, and it will be reflected in your reviews, your ratings and your repeat guest numbers.
Your āpreparation personā costs are added in to your nightly rate so Iād change expectations about āaffordableā
Employ the best, offer guests the best, get the best reviews and make the best money. 
2 Likes
Similar to the old saying that you can only have two out of the three: Good, Fast, Cheap.
3 Likes
The version I know is Service, Quality, and Price. You can have two at the same time, but you canāt expect all three.
1 Like
Hi there,
I first did the cleaning myself on my AirBnb. When I wanted to hire someone for the job, I went through 2 individuals before I finally looked up online under āShort Term Rental Cleaning Servicesā. I found a local service that has calendar systems in place just for STRās, they are priced competitively for my area and the cleaning is acceptable. (No one does it as well as myself, hahaha) So far, so good.
1 Like
SedonaDonn, can you share with us the local service that you found? Even if itās probably not in my area, Iām interested to see how the calendar system looks like. Thanks.
John1, I wish I could say it is something sophisticated, but itās just a screen capture of a spreadsheet. What was unique from the cleaning service is that she explicitly explained this is the format she wants to receive from me. This is how you address new cleaning dates, or remove old ones. Itās all in writing, and simple. With the individual folks, it was just a bunch of crazy emails or texts with nothing consistent. A lot of room for mistakes. Iāll attach the last image I sent her. The name of the company is Red Rock Cleaning Professionals. I just checked their website and it looks like they are just local to northern Arizona. Hope this helps.
1 Like
Getting back to the āyou get what you pay forā motif, itās also worth considering offering your preparation person a bonus every time you get a five-star rating. This can be a financial incentive or something more under-the-table like a bottle of wine.
2 Likes
Iāve noticed that my ability to find cleaners these days is directly related to how much āfreeā money is being added to unemployment benefits:
When it was $600/week, it was almost impossible to find anyone to clean. I was doing most of it myself and some friends and family helped me out. (I have several properties and they are very large, it was a rough time.)
When nothing extra was added for a while there, I had no problem finding people.
Now with the $300 added, itās somewhere in the middle.
I have always paid far more than min. wage and also give bonuses for 5 Star reviews.
Awwww, thatās a pity.
You could always just sell one and use any profit to hire your own permanent cleaning crew.
JF
4 Likes
Thank you John.
Not really sure why I would sell ?
I did/do have my own crew, but when the virus happened things changed with my listings as Iām sure it did with everyoneās.
As soon as this is over and the freebies are finally pulled back, Iām sure things will go back to normal.
Have a blessed day
Yes, those pesky unemployment benefits. I mean really, we should be able to force someone to work for 15-20 an hour and risk a deadly virus because dammit we need our places cleaned.
Have a blessed day
8 Likes
Itās not āfreeā money. Itās " Please stay home to help stop the spread of this virusā.
3 Likes
Hi RiverRock.
I wasnāt referring to unemployment, I was referring to the add on.
We let the people go who refused to work when we had they choose to collect unemployment instead, as is the law in our state. Employees are not allowed to refuse to work by their employer, and to choose to collect unemployment instead.
There is actually a box one has to check that literally asks if they were offered and then refused work.
And we use all CDC cleaning procedures.
I donāt want to get into the politics, as this site tends to do from what Iāve seen thus farā¦ I was merely relaying my experience and timing with hiring people to clean.
1 Like
Are you one of these āTrumpersā that us folks outside the US hear about?
JF
3 Likes
Politics on a cleaning thread, on a Hosting website?
Ok.