Does anyone do a lite cleaning every few days in order to make sure your home is being respected? Might be easier to address damages before the guest leaves, as we know ABNB will not honor their “so called” guarantee. Plus…If the guest knows we are entering every few days, many will tidy up. What are your thoughts? Also…How do I handle a guest that tries to refuse this service.
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I would do a mid week cleaning for any stay a week or more, so far in 3 years my longest stay has been 6 days so it has not come up.
I would not let them refuse, I would simply state that housekeeping will be in Wednesday morning at 10:00 and you need to be out of the cabin for two hours.
RR
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Yes, for guests who stay longer than a few days, I do a clean and linen change. (Bedding, towels, shower curtain, bathmats etc.) Not only does this help me keep an eye on the place and ensure that the linens aren’t being overused, it means that I can see what the guests are up to.
For example, many guests who are not used to our warm climate will leave food or crumbs around. So I can let them know how they should deal with that.
I tell guests that this will happen, not that it’s an option. I give them the choice of being there when I clean or having me clean when they are out. I also give them a relatively wide time window ("Friday morning’, ‘Tuesday afternoon’ etc.) Usually, they prefer this to happen when they are out, and in the morning.
To make sure that the guests feel special, I usually add a posy of flowers from the garden, 
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May depend on location. If in a city where guests are out all day could work. My place is a lake house where guests are usually there. They would not want the intrusion. Think about at a hotel, have you ever been in the room when the house keeper cleans ?
I would never do this because I’m too busy. I would not do this to minimize destruction, I don’t see it impacting that. I would consider it an amenity for the guest if you believe they would appreciate the clean up.
If I have guests staying in my B&B for five days or more, which is rare, their rooms are cleaned and linens changed, no quibbling, but I offer it as part of normal service.
As a guest myself, I would expect a similar clean/linen change after 5/7 days in an apartment, hotels daily. I’m not concerned about being “checked up” on.
Hotel staff seem to have an uncanny ability to know when your room is empty.
I think it would depend on whether your listing guests are apt to go out and about during the day. I used to tell people that I would only go into their room on request or clean once a week if they failed to ask. Once a man was sitting at the desk in the guest room. I knocked and asked if I could change linen. He smiled and said yes. I started and then realized that is very slight, 15 year old son was asleep in the bed! I guess dad wanted him to get moving.
I am not sure that if I was a guest that I would be entirely comfortable if a host cleans the space every few days. Some guests might not mind but I know that I would. It also depends if it’s a room listing or a whole place listing. If it’s the former I think such type of cleaning would be over the top.
Hmmm. Wouldn’t do it for me.
A bottle of local wine would make me feel special, or a bottle of local gin, which would make me feel really special. Five star review guaranteed 
JF
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When I started using white sheets and towels I came to understand why hotels change the sheets daily. To keep them white.
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Normally, if someone is staying more than a week, I offer (or insist on depending on the guest) a lite cleaning that includes a linen change. We put fresh flowers in too like @jaquo. However, we are not doing that right now during the pandemic. The highest risk is in the air inside a confined space.
Right now, I wouldn’t go in while guests are staying unless they opened all of the windows and stayed out of the apartment for 3 hours before I was to go in to clean. That seems like too much inconvenience all around. So for now, we offer a fresh set of linens. We leave them on the door in a laundry bag. If they want to change their linens they can then leave the dirty ones on the door in the laundry bag and we’ll pick them up. And we leave fresh flowers outside the door for them.
I have been wondering how to handle the mid-stay cleaning. I suddenly got a 3 week booking from a couple who is relocating to this area. I would normally clean and change linens after a week. I prefer to, that way things don’t get out of hand and I know I won’t find more than a week’s mess when they leave. However maybe this time I won’t do it, in which case I’d like to let them know in advance. I don’t think I’ll offer my laundry room either. Since I cancelled my last guest due to the protests, I didn’t want to turn this down, but I really prefer shorter stays. I am not 100% decided.
I get quite a few 10 day-2 week bookings. I have never gone in to clean at all when I have guests, but I host a private room/bath in my home. If I hosted a separate unit, I would definitely be inclined to do the once-a-week thing, to make sure they weren’t living like pigs, and if so, to keep it down to a dull roar. If I found the place was neat and clean, and the guests were staying for a couple or more weeks , I might ask if they wanted me to continue to come in to clean, or they’d prefer not.
I offer guests clean bedding and towels at the halfway mark if they stay at least a week. I always ask if they’d like me to change the bedding and do a quick clean, but so far, everyone has said they’ll change the bedding themselves and cleaning wasn’t necessary (I could see it wasn’t, from their open door- I’m lucky to get quite clean and tidy guests for the most part- they don’t like living in a mess). This gives me the impression that guests prefer their privacy.
Then do what you prefer, I do not want long stays either.
If you do take the booking block a few days right after NOW so there is no extending…
RR
Yes, well, I told them I wouldn’t be doing the mid-stay cleaning and they thanked me and said they were canceling because they found a permanent place. So the issue is moot.