No. These are two different surfaces. One is non porous with a wider margin of error that the virus can potentially live on for 48 hrs, and the other isn’t.
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I think they still have it as an option but I do not know if they are mandating anymore. Also the wordage on their new cleaning protocol says its a 5 step cleaning profile— much more abbreviated—which is “based on” a larger protocol and they give you a link to it to read thru it. So hw to interpert it is anyones guess. Here are the repurcussions of not following:
All hosts and guests are required to follow the COVID-19 safety practices outlined above, as applicable. If you’re a guest, you will not be eligible for a refund if your host cancels your reservation because you did not comply with these practices. Similarly, if you’re a host, you will not be eligible for a payout if a guest cancels their stay because you did not comply with these practices. Hosts who don’t agree to these practices by November 20, 2020 may have their calendars blocked. Any host or guest who repeatedly violates these guidelines may face other consequences, including account suspension or removal from the community.
Right, but I was talking about the 24 hours between specifically, not the cleaning protocols. We had taken the cleaning commitment day one it was offered so we’re good there.
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Here’s my dilemma: I don’t know whether I have agreed to these practices. I remember reading about a Covid-19 cleaning quiz earlier this summer, but I don’t know if I completed it. Is there a way for me to determine whether I did? Our rooms are both closed, but we might want to open again when the virus danger is past.
Go to “Listings” in your dashboard then click on “Preview Listing”.
If you have already agreed to the cleaning protocol it’ll show on your listing.
You’ll see:
Enhanced Clean
This host committed to Airbnb’s 5-step enhanced cleaning process. [Learn more]
JF
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Perfect, @JohnF. Exactly what I needed to know. Glad to see that I’m “committed” (some would say it’s about time). 
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When you realize you committed to something months ago you haven’t been doing. 
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I just got my email notification today. Although we aren’t open yet, we have already established the process to do most/all of the new requirements.
Our challenge is that our home is open-air, meaning the windows don’t have glass over them and the house is not sealed well. It also means that the house gets dirty quickly with dust coming in from outdoors, especially in the dry season on windy days. The good news is that there is so much UV light and air turnover in the house that viruses don’t live long and never have a chance accumulate in the air.
The last thing I want is a guest arriving and reporting to AirBnB that we didn’t clean because there is some dust, getting their money back and getting us kicked off AirBnB. I think I’ll add to the “amenity limitations” that the open-air design means that the house gets dusty very quickly and that dust is not proof that we did not clean.
Anyone have better advice or wording?
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I have the same issue where I live in Mexico. Really dusty in the dry season. It’s not exactly open-air- I do have widow glass, but the widows are almost always open, it would be way too hot and stuffy if they weren’t.
What I did, pre-COVID (not hosting now, as it’s a home-share) was to clean the guest space really well the day before, as I’ve always left 1 day prep time, and then just before the guest is due to arrive, do a really quick walk-through with a slightly damp microfiber cloth and wipe any dust, gecko poop, etc. that had accumulated since the day before off of the surfaces.
But I don’t think there is anything wrong with mentioning to guests about the dust factor the way you’ve proposed it. I might write it like you started out your post here- that it gets dusty quickly, but the good news is…"
El Paso has the same problem and I agree with the importance of a last minute check. I had a guest on Sunday and it had been over a week since the last guest and about 5 nights since I had done my first clean of the room. I went in Sunday morning for the final clean and found a dead beetle on the floor right in front of the door, the usual dust and when I checked the window sill behind the wood shutters, several large dust specks and a couple of tiny “no-see-um” type flying insects.
It’s also good to look and make sure the fridge is still running, the TV turns on, the internet signal is on, no water connections are leaking, etc. Due to the pandemic I’m wearing a mask when I do the last check.
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I do the same. Water the plants. Check the back yard . Check the propane on the grill. Last minute dusting. Turn on the ac plug in an airfreshener. Wipe down the front door handles with disinfectant on my way out all wearing a mask and gloves.All more difficult with covid precautions in place.
Just an FYI. Some of us are negatively sensitive to many scents. Some of those plug ins are awful to me and as soon as I came in I’d be hunting it down to unplug it. I’m one of those folks who is annoyed by all the women (usually older women so I guess they can’t smell any longer) who wear too much perfume.
So something to consider is that is an added cost that doesn’t have a universal benefit. I think you would put off more guests than you would please but maybe that’s just my scentsitivity speaking.
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True. Had two guests mention that very thing but also had several guests say they loved the scent. So will think about that.
Maybe leave it but not plugged in. I can literally get a headache from smelling the wrong scent and many here will tell you that they have even stronger reactions.
Just nope. We’re out. Not going to commit to washing every piece of cookware and tableware at every turnover, and not going to reduce our cooks’ kitchen to a picnic site. With our four-day vacancy buffer between stays this is not necessary for anyone’s safety, and the reduced availability means we can easily stay booked on Vrbo and our direct-booking site.
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I would turn around and walk out of a place that had “air fresheners” plugged in. They don’t “freshen” the air, they just add a smell, and they are disgusting to me, not to mention bad for your health. Just because something smells good to you doesn’t mean it smells good to others.
If a place needs an air freshener to smell clean, then it’s not clean.
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There isn’t anything crazy is the cleaning protocol. I voluntarily signed up for it and how does airbnb enforce anything? It’s your home. I’ve been doing this for 8 years and haven’t had any problem with airbnb. I know some have, not saying they haven’t, just saying I haven’t. All I did for the new cleaning protocol is use hotter water and wipe things down with stronger solutions. It’s been no big deal.
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I’m sure many hosts will have the same view, so as a guest I wouldn’t trust that the badge means anything at all.
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As a real estate broker, when I walk into a place and smell and see plug in air fresheners my first thought is what are they hiding? I would unplug them and put them outside if I came across them in a STR
RR
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I thought you only had a kitchenette, or did I misread your previous posts…
JF