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Assuming this passes and most of us get to host again in the future, how are you using this time to help your STR business?
Defrosting the mini-fridge’s freezer and then leaving it off or turned way down.
JohnF mentioned cleaning the gutters.
Shampoo the carpets.
Painting and re-grouting.
Install the window A/C or get out the fans and make sure they are clean. Perhaps install a ceiling fan?
Refinish any wood furniture that needs work.
Take down and wash anything you do on a rotating basis, or if you think it will get dusty again, just take it down, clean it and put it away ready for reinstallation later.
If you can afford it, now is the time to do that remodeling you know it needs or needed maintenance like a new roof.
Working on your listing’s website (I think @LoneStar mentioned this already?) and other ways to promote your listing so you’ll never have Airbnb to blame again.
I should be working on the web site, but I was planning on updating it with new photos. It doesn’t look much like I am going to be able to travel there to take new photos, and I don’t feel like writing a new blog post. I am a terrible blogger.
However, I have noticed engagement is up on my Instagram content.
I would encourage hosts to set up Instagram. It’s where people go to dream about future vacations. It’s also a good way to plug into the local biz network.
I don’t do Facebook. I personally think Insta, as a photo sharing platform, is the right social media channel for hosts. People go there for inspiration. It’s where you go to try to ‘meet’ next season’s customers.
We are enjoying an early Spring here and are mostly working in the yard and gardens. We are growing our own flowers and vegetables and putting up a gazebo that we bought 1.5 years ago. I bought paint for some of our outdoor furniture last Spring and am happy to finally get to painting it.
If we can scrape together some spare paint or money to buy some, I will paint the back interior staircase.
Otherwise, we are finally unpacking our own apartment after 2 years of it sitting full of moving boxes. Every box is like Christmas, because I’ve forgotten what we have in there!
When I moved to Mexico from Canada, I left my stuff in boxes in my friend’s basement and every summer when I traveled back to Canada, I went through them again and took out more stuff that I brought back to Mexico with me. But there was so much stuff that I hadn’t seen or needed in a year that I found myself thinking “Now why did I bother keeping this?”
I probably got rid of half the stuff I’d packed up and it felt really good to divest myself of all that “stuff”. I’ve often thought about the fact that humans are the only animals on the planet that require “stuff”.
There’s been a little of that but I have always moved a lot so am able to pare down pretty well. At this point, it’s pretty much just books, art and some things that were my mom’s. Though I am currently wishing I had kept more kitchen stuff as I now have some time to do more cooking.
lol … and my dog when her bedding is being washed. she pouts and stomps at me. and then there is the constant cuddling with her food dish in her bed, no matter how many times i return it to its spot.
We’re pretty much setting up for our usual Summer Slack Season anyway. Clean and turn off the mini-fridge; turn off the dedicated water heater. Wash & re-hang curtains, clean the AC body and filters. Strip the Mop&Glo tile floor cleaner with ammonia/water, and lay down a couple new coats to make the tile floor shine.
Ha, I’m not doing all this, only the defrosting the mini fridge. I’m taking days between guests so have a few things I can do. I’ve wanted to change the paint color on the walls so maybe I’ll get my chance soon. For now I’m still getting some bookings.
I have painting projects in the 1938 cabin and windows to wash in both cabins. The bigger list is our own home, refinishing kitchen cabinets, interior painting, exterior staining. I think it should be ready to sell on short notice just in case…
Still one of the best things to give relatively porous tile – 4x4 restaurant floor tile – a sealer and shine. Works good, looks great – a combo that’s hard to beat. I strip it back once a year in our off season.
I am also planning to “Summer-ize” my listing after my current guest checks out on Tuesday. A full cleaning, turn off the water heater and HVAC, unplug the refrigerator, water cooler and everything that consumes electricity. Then trim all the plants back. The whole place will need minimal care and have minimal cost for at least 3 months.
Curious what you do for toilets and drains? I go in once a week to flush and turn on the faucets / shower to avoid those little flies. Deep cleaning like the attached article describes? Any other suggestions?
Since I live so close, I normally do what you do and just flush the toilets and run water in every sink/shower/tub for about 10 seconds once once a week.
If I have to go away for several weeks, I put plastic wrap across the toilet bowl and the shower drains. I also close the stoppers and plug the overflows in all of the sink and tub trains. I have let it go for over 10 weeks without any traps drying up and I have never seen drain flies before.
Since there aren’t going to be any guests for a while, I’ll do a pesticide treatment, too. I try to do them about every 3-4 months and I do it when nobody will be in the house for several days. I spray Bifen I/T around the stem wall and soffits for termites and other insects. I sprinkle Amdro granules on the ground within about 5 feet of the house for ants. I don’t use any pesticides inside.
I’m in a 4 year old house on septic (albeit a pretty high tech septic system) but first home I’ve ever had on a septic system, so maybe that is the reason i see them if I don’t follow the once a week task.
Washed down and touched up spots on the walls. Replaced all (13 in total!) the old, inefficient ceiling fans with new ones. Cleaning out the storage shed and throwing away the junk (our people in St Lucia keep EVERYTHING until we get there, including broken mirrors). New wifi extender, weather station fixed, cabinets scrubbed with Kotton Klenser, outdoor grout repaired. Pool being drained and repainted. More solar panels. Will probably paint a few interior walls.
My DH is super busy!
No guests for at least four weeks, probably eight.
Repainting the kitchen cabinets and patching walls. The apartment is new, so there’s not that much to do. However, we’re very grateful for the extra space as my husband has turned it into his office/movie viewing room. It’s kind of like going to the movies…at least we get to leave the house.
