Self-Clean On-Arrival. New & novel approach. Seems to be working extremely well!

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Warning: This post may trigger some. This concept is ‘not for everyone’. So if you are very conservative in hosting, it may not seem like a great idea, and that is totally ok too.

For those who are open to more diversity in their hosting, and open to try new concepts however, this may well be a great idea - easier than you thought, and far more positive than even I could have imagined when I started - both for me as a host, as well as guests.

The Idea: ‘Self-Clean On-Arrival’. I try to use this phrase clearly, with capitals, and hyphens, as it is not always easy to convey the idea to others. It’s … different.

What it means is: For guests who are fully aware of this listing type, and wanting to try it - they arrive to a messy house, and have to clean up after the last guests, and do laundry and bed making. Yes, it even means cleaning the toilet and shower too.

Self-Clean On-Arrival Benefits (Guests):

  • Arrive and check-in super early, like 11am, as no need to wait for the cleaner after last guests leave. No fee for early check-in either.
  • Cheaper accommodation rates - for flexible guests

Self-Clean On-Arrival Benefits (Hosts):

  • Less admin work arranging cleaner schedules
  • Significantly less cleaner expenses
  • Increase bookings a fair bit. Fill calendars on dates when you may otherwise be unable to due to cleaner availability. Accept super early check-in bookings easily, by offering this alternative - and get more bookings.

Busting Myths
MYTH Guests will be horrified. REALITY: NO! My self-clean guest reviews (from three different listings) are all very positive, and Airbnb has had them flagged as ‘Guest favourite’. One is at 4.9 stars.

MYTH It’s against the law. It’s against Airbnb policy. It’s against common standards of public decency. REALITY: NO! It’s perfectly legitimate, not against Airbnb policies, and guests are entitled to accept their own standards that suit them. You can rent a mud hut with a straw bed on the platform, or a fancy rural designer home, where one requirement of booking is agreeing to clean on arrival. So long as it’s clear what guests are getting when they book, it’s buyer beware. The lack of negative reviews despite a couple of hundred self-clean bookings now is probably evidence it works.

MYTH Self-clean guests might not actually do any cleaning. REALITY: It’s … Complicated. About 20% of guests are perfectly happy to sleep in the beds ‘as is’, and not bother washing them after the prior guests - so I have found. Because? Well - my house has its own laundrette, with 2x massive washers (like 18kg) and 5x dryers. We wash the linen professionally several times a week on average.

Often this is worker crews, and more likely men, but can be women and couples too. Yes, I was also surprised. But as a guy, I am also comfortable with this - I just didn’t realise others were so comfortable as well. If you check the bed and it looks and smells and feels clean - who cares if someone slept in it for a night or two before. But it’s entirely up to you. You know it was used, and you are very welcome to use the professionally washed spare linen, and you make the bed fresh… If you want to.

But if you are tired and can’t be bothered, then… You have options. I don’t actively encourage this, but nor do I care. I do care that all linen is very frequently washed, and that self-clean guests are very aware of the arrangements. So if you ‘worry’ that SOME Self-Clean guests may not do any cleaning, then 10-20% of the time you would be right, except that who cares?

The more likely reality (80%+) Self-clean guests do a fantastic job. Some clean the house so professionally, it’s amazing. Some actively like cleaning. No… really. I mean they write how much they actually enjoyed the opportunity to clean the house, as it makes them feel good. Well… great then! Glad I could help, by offering a messy house for you to come stay in. No - really - I am not kidding. Multiple guests have said they liked this aspect, not just the cheaper rate or early check-in. Go figure. There is something for everyone in this big wide world.

MYTH: It’s only weirdos and bad guests that would book a Self-Clean On-Arrival listing. REALITY: NO! The guests I have are all super lovely. They are more flexible than some posh guests. They are easier to communicate with (as it’s a requirement of booking I enforce). I have literally had a bride on the night before her wedding come do Self-Clean On-Arrival. Really. Check my reviews! I have had so many positive comments by guests about this model. It’s working really well.

MYTH Very few people would ever want to book a Self-Clean On-Arrival listing. REALITY: NO! Check my reviews. Many guests do not leave reviews, but after nearly 200 Self-Clean On-Arrival stays, and all pretty positive (mostly all five stars), I think I can report this novel concept works.

MYTH Guests will not know or understand this idea, and will be horrified when they discover the mess on arrival. REALITY: NO! Not possible. I have strict booking criteria that requires guests to read and understand the concept - including a hidden magic word so they can prove they get it. It isn’t hard to have a process that ensures guests are fully aware, and provided so - it works for everyone.

Problems of Self-Clean Bookings Really there are very few. You need to be more active in ‘vetting’ booking inquiries, to ensure it’s a good fit. The guests need to prove they understand the model, and need to demonstrate good communication with a few messages at least. You also need to be more aware of supplies, as these guests don’t buy supplies for you, or not usually.

You need to take care to monitor laundry, and ensure guests do not change for fresh sheets but do no laundry, and you end up with double laundry next full clean. But this is easy to manage with a Wifi connected washer that dobs on guests who do not do the washing… and we charge only if they have not just slept in the sheets from the old guests. The rule is they can’t add to the washing load.

Also, they need to take the bins out, else I charge a $30 fee to arrange it. It is quite normal to have a few back-to-back self clean bookings, but you really need to have a cleaner there once a week at least, to ensure no chaos. But one booking is fine, two is usually ok but mess and washing can accumulate, so I do not allow more than three S-C back to back.

Outcomes
My cleaning expenses are significantly down. You save so much by taking bookings that require no cleaning at all prior to arrival. My bookings are up a lot. It’s easy to fill gaps in the calendar with self-clean bookings. I price so they only get cheaper closer to the time, so they fill only ‘real’ gaps. I can also segment the market, and book some guests cheaper, who would not pay full price otherwise. But the S-C discount is far less than the cleaning expense, so it’s always a win regardless.

I am also now comfortable offering early check-ins free, even to professional clean booked guests, by switching them (only with their enthusiastic agreement) to a Self-Clean arrangement. I do not discount this even, I say the early check-in is the ‘bonus’ they get for Self-Cleaning.

Some of my Self-Clean guests have switched over to be regular cleaners. They enjoyed it, they want to come back, and several have been regular cleaners ever since for long periods, when I get professionally clean bookings. Sometimes I ‘contra’ a deal - they come stay a night or more, in return for Self-Cleaning the entire house. The ‘contra’ deal means they pay less to stay (zero), and I pay zero tax on cleaning fees.

Interestingly I never planned this novel booking type. It was pushed, because I kept finding myself being asked for early check-in, and not being able to deliver on it, due to cleaner schedules. I almost jokingly offered it to a guest once, who gladly accepted it to my surprise. Since then, I have discovered there is a large untapped market demand for this approach - so I took the ball and ran with it.

I asked for advice at the time in this forum, and perhaps not surprisingly, many hosts were horrified. A bunch seemed to not understand the model at all, but there wasn’t much positive support at the time. I get it. It’s different. It’s weird. A bit like Brian Chesky suggesting he could rent airbeds in strangers houses, and it might be a good business. Yes it was weird, but he now runs an $8B empire off this weird approach. So please see Self-Clean On-Arrival in a similar light. It may be weird if you have never heard or experienced it before. But take a second look, and think… it might be a good option for you, and why not give it a go. It’s not for everyone, as it will freak some folk out, but for those who are not afraid of exploring different hosting models - I hope my experience has been helpful to get some tips.

I wrote a longer story of some of my Airbnb experiences. After hosting homes in no less than FIVE continents on Airbnb, running an Experience and being interviewed on National TV three times about my Airbnb experiences and the sharing economy (and some major newspapers), I have some experience. I have over 1000 reviews as a host and global traveller. I have helped Airbnb with paid feedback on their interface, and have generally been pretty involved - including in government submissions on the sharing economy reviews and so on.

Here is the longer article if anyone is interested. It includes needing to ask a random Swedish airbnb host if she would kindly be my girlfriend in a Pandemic related drama, and other interesting stories of hosting. I hope it helps give some new ideas to some hosts, or at least makes some smile.

I expect some horrified responses, but ask yourself why you feel uncomfortable about this approach, and are there good reasons to oppose it - other than it feels weird and you have never heard others do it, and would not want this yourself. But constructive criticism is welcomed - so please engage on either side of this debate, but with clarity around rationale. Specific points are good. I am happy to answer any questions.

Overall though, Self-Clean On-Arrival has been a significant and quite unexpected success. I had assumed it was a crazy idea, nobody would want it, and it would only bring trouble. However the reality is the polar opposite. It has been an amazing success on all metrics, financial, happiness of myself and in guest reviews, and new connections.

It is not for everyone, but it totally is a great idea for those who are game to invest a little to set it up properly, and make it work.

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I would definitely not want the kind of guests who would be okay with sleeping on sheets some stranger slept on for a night or two. That’s so bizarre, unhygenic and disgusting.

Nice this weird rental scenario works for you, but don’t know why you bothered to post this, as I can’t imagine any other hosts considering such a thing.

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Interesting use of AI writing.

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That is too gross to even talk about.

Whatever works for you, @Chris_Cooper. But it’s a good idea to keep it to yourself and not try to inflict it onto other hosts.

If it works for you, then lovely.

You’re very evangelical about the whole thing but please be sure to allow other hosts to do things their way.

By the way, wasn’t there someone rattling on about this a few years ago?

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I think it’s helpful to have some ‘alternative’ approaches to the hosting model. Gives us something to think about even if we wouldn’t take the same approach. As for the used sheets, well it wouldn’t be for me but if that’s what a guest chooses…and it keeps the leccy bill down.

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As someone that’s stayed in over 25 Airs, the last thing I would want to do as a guest after a long car trip or flying to another continent is clean a rental.

Hard to believe anyone would go for this, but, save a few dollars, they’re all in.

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I think this posting was AI generated by a troll. If you go into Chat AI and ask it to make the case for not cleaning up your STR it looks very similar to this. I do not suffer trolls lightly and these kind of posts detract from the realities of Hosting.

That said, I asked Chat to make the case against it - and I got this very similarly formatted response:

:sponge: Why Asking Guests to Clean Your STR Upon Arrival Is a Mistake

Imagine walking into a vacation rental after a long flight, unpacking your bags, and then discovering you’re the cleaning crew. That’s not a welcoming experience—it’s an invitation to frustration.

Here’s why asking guests to clean a short-term rental when they arrive—just to save on a cleaning fee—is the wrong move:

1. It Undermines the Guest Experience

  • The first impression sets the tone. A spotless, thoughtfully prepared space says: “Welcome.”
  • Requiring guests to clean upon arrival says: “Figure it out.”

Travelers choose STRs over hotels for charm, privacy, and personalization—not to roll up their sleeves and sanitize the bathroom before using it.

2. It Erodes Trust and Reputation

  • A guest who finds hair in the shower or crumbs on the counter won’t blame themselves—they’ll post a negative review.
  • Bad reviews linger longer than saved dollars.

In an era where stars mean everything, saving a few bucks could cost you future bookings.

3. It Invites Health & Safety Risks

  • Professional cleaners follow guidelines to disinfect high-touch surfaces, change linens properly, and prevent mold or pest issues.
  • Guests aren’t trained or equipped to do this on the fly—especially after a long journey.

Skipping proper turnover puts your guests (and your liability) at risk.

4. It Breaks the Promise of Hospitality

  • Hosting is about offering comfort and care.
  • Expecting guests to clean before enjoying the space flips that promise on its head.

Even budget travelers deserve respect. Hospitality isn’t just about price—it’s about warmth.

5. It’s Not a Cost-Saving Strategy—It’s a Shortcut

  • Saving on cleaning may seem smart in the moment, but you risk:
    • More refunds
    • Higher guest turnover
    • Damaged reputation

Think long-term. A clean start leads to repeat bookings.

If you want to reduce costs without compromising quality, consider:

  • Offering tiered cleaning options for longer stays
  • Including a light tidying checklist before checkout
  • Raising your rate slightly and building cleaning into the price

Let your guests arrive and exhale—not arrive and grab a mop.

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Goodness. This is the first time my writing has been accused of being AI written lol. I will take that as a compliment though. I try to be structured and detailed, and write very fast, with almost no edits.

I am not too worried, but it might help to provide clarity so you need not be concerned about ‘AI’ as exactly zero of my words here were written by AI, despite me using it extensively for technical research.

I have written extensively for years. My significant eBook library at my former company Edval Timetables was syndicated in a National magazine (Education Technology) across numerous editions. My LinkedIn has many lengthy articles written, though none yet about Airbnb, though maybe you are inspiring me!

My Book ‘Behind the Private Eye’ has sold thousands of copies, and was reviewed by the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in significant articles (+ Good Weekend covered it too) - as well as syndicated by Security Solutions magazine. It is also a prescribed TAFE textbook, and government accredited training material. 540 pages long. It’s big!

All of these were written before AI arrived - so you can check it out if you were still under the misunderstanding I need AI to write. I used to be employed as a Technical document writer in fact. I write a lot!

So yes, the post I wrote to provide an alternative method of managing cleaning was written all by me, and it didn’t take long - I write fast!

Regards your post though (which was written by AI as you indicate), notice that it fails the most basic premise. I would be horrified to ask guests to clean on arrival if they didn’t already want this. If that was the case, I would agree with your findings. But that is quite not the case. Only guests who already want this arrangement, and are comfortable with it - are the ones I allow. Because I don’t accept all, you need to prove you are comfortable.

I see your AI written content mentions negative reviews. Well… I trust you do not think my Airbnb profile is a bot do you? Or I somehow engineered near a couple of hundred very positive reviews specifically for self-clean listings? If curious, you could try to find a negative review, but it would probably be pretty hard lol.

I don’t want to be adversarial Rolf, and I get that some may be uncomfortable with this arrangement. However that’s why the first word in the post was Warning! For folk like you that don’t want to even consider this approach. Not everyone thinks the same, and that is ok.

But I get young families on a budget, delighted at the value they get and eager to do an hour or two to save a lot.

I get old ladies that literally get excited about the cleaning, and want to send me pictures of the linen cupboard that they rearranged even neater, when they don’t need to… they want to feel appreciated and I enjoy giving them a big appreciation for their work.

I get a LOT of wedding folk, who always want to check-in early for their events. And my area is a bit posh, Bowral in the Southern Highlands - so frequently those doing self-cleaning are also some fancy CEO and there are Land Rovers parked in the driveway I see on the camera. More of my guests are a premium, and obviously have money to pay - but still want self-cleaning, as (for example) it’s not about the money, it’s that they want the house at 11am to get ready for the wedding. Sometimes they get the nanny to do the clean lol, I’ve had it all.

So I get that some do not want it, and that is ok. More of my guests are professional clean guests - and they do not need to clean. None of my guests are ‘surprised’ at being asked to clean, as zero are asked. If they book, I let them, but only after I verify that they are really comfortable. While rare, some I do not let book, or say I can’t offer self-clean to them, especially if they do not communicate well or there are language issues.

So as to your comment - you think this post detracts from the realities of Hosting. Given my listings are Guest favourite, and a large number of positive reviews (none negative at all I don’t think), isn’t that evidence of a good idea - for those who it suits?

Would you prefer that the young family not get an affordable option? Or the old ladies not be ‘allowed’ to clean, despite actually enjoying it? Do you think the family with the wedding has to book a whole night earlier, just to check-in by midday, when they have plenty in their group to help clean and it won’t take long at all?

It may not suit you, but there is obviously high demand. Often enough too - my self clean guests are also a host. Like you. So they are used to washing and cleaning after strangers. Like you probably do each week yourself. It doesn’t have to be a big deal to allow some guests to wash and light cleaning, noting my professional cleaner is there at least once a week anyway to do heavy stuff.

So… hope that clarifies, and gives some context. I value your opinions, and am interested in anyone else who has some innovative hosting ideas that seem to be working well for them - and their guests. It is good to have a supportive community here where we can all share our ideas, in a positive manner - noting that there will always be some who do not want to do exactly the same… and that is ok too.

Thanks for engaging Rolf, and I do hope this response is seen positively, and gives more understanding. I actually like that you thought I wrote as an AI though… yes - it is a kind of compliment!

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My memory still works well, then…

The first self-clean topic - from … guess who.

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Just a question … I’m truly intrigued to know @Chris_Cooper why you have been touting this interesting concept for the last (I forget exactly) four or so years?

How does this benefit you? I’d honestly be fascinated to know.

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I would agree with you, and not surprisingly - self clean guests are never ones who have that travel. The guests who are long car trips or flying in are always booking professional cleans, because they are tired.

No - the more typical guest is a wedding party family, who drive down in the morning, and want to get ready. So they have plenty of helpers and are usually coming from Sydney, so a 1.5hr drive only.

But I see your comment on the savings… while some of my guests book self clean to save money, at least half want to check-in very early, and 11am is nice if you want to get in early… and don’t mind doing some laundry and light cleaning. It might only take an hour or two, or less with others.

So just to clarify savings are not so much the main focus of such guests, and they would almost never be travelling long distances to come clean - that doesn’t sound fun, and is why these folk book for professionally cleaned.

Good you made mention of some specifics though, so I can engage and clarify. Seems it isn’t very clear how the business model works, but I guess it’s probably not something others have heard of, so they assume how it might not work, and they would be right - that isn’t how it works at all lol… it is different, and works very well, but only for those who it works well for. Early check-in was the reason guests pushed me to begin offering this. I once said jokingly I just can’t let you check-in at 12pm as we won’t be done washing… unless you want to do the washing!! And they jumped at the chance and said yes… so I said it again next time I was pushed for early check-ins, and found that a surprisingly large number of guests seem delighted to take up that arrangement. If it works for them, that is fine with me too.

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Appreciate your engagement Rolf. It is good to hear, even opposing views.
I understand it may seem unusual - but there appears to be several misunderstandings - and your prompt to ChatGPT? seems to elict the correct response. It WOULD be a bad idea if guests were not expecting to clean, if they were ‘asked’ to clean. If they were travelling long distances to come and then ‘have’ to clean. But to clarify - this is the opposite of how it works.

I would be embarrassed to ‘ask’ any guest to clean, and the demographics of self clean guests are almost always not long distance driving groups who want to arrive to a clean house - of course. Also, many such guests are not seeking cost savings, they are seeking convenience of a morning check-in, at no extra cost. How can hosts offer morning check-in and also have it cleaned for them? This would be challenging, so there is a benefit there for the guests if they can arrive early and get ready for a wedding. I live in an affluent area, and most groups that want early check-ins are going to fancy weddings, and come as a large group (my house sleeps ten), so any cleaning is shared and fast by the group. If they want clean and an early check-in, they can always book the night before as well… up to them. But if not, they can arrive very early and pay nothing extra, and just have to wash and remake beds. The idea of ‘cleaning’ isn’t really correct, as our cleaners do most of the long term stuff… so self-clean guests are more about remaking beds and doing laundry really… which is something you and I do a lot of after strangers stay in our houses, as that is how STR works.

I prefer Grok for AI over ChatGPT btw, and version 4 just released beats ChatGPT by a good margin in the public AI tests. I asked it to review my post and share thoughts. It raised some concerns on reviews saying guests expect a clean space, but self clean is where they accept the cleaning is their job - but only if they want that model. Most of my guests are still professionally cleaned, but in between it is common to have self clean guests, or even two in a row.

If you have any interest, here is the Grok AI thread. Maybe it answers better than I do, but isn’t all positive either. It shows the prompt though - you didn’t share yours, but I suspect it implied guests were ‘asked’ to clean, or ‘surprised’ about the cleaning task - vs actively requesting this option, AND having to prove they really want it, and understand the arrangement. It’s quite different to the former I think.

But I really appreciate you engaging, and offering your views. Hopefully this thread may help clarify things further and clear up some misunderstandings that some might have on this (admittedly novel) approach.

https://grok.com/share/bGVnYWN5_5bdeb932-f91f-496a-8c09-c4b2880726fd

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not the onion, btw:

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Great question Jaquo, and I like your words intrigued and fascinated - shares good energy. Curiosity is always engaging.

You are correct, I made a post four years ago, and it got a bit of engagement. But then I was new to the idea. It wasn’t even mine, guests kept saying they wanted to get ready for weddings and come early, and I kept saying I could not get the cleaning done by 12pm, till finally I said ‘unless you want to do it’, and the enthusiastic reply surprised me, so I began to give it more often, and it took off a bit in a life of its own.

The reason I didn’t write anymore about it for the four years since then, was partly due to other hosts seemingly not quite understanding the approach. I was really hoping to get other views on how to make it work better, or discuss with others - as I was sure I could not be the only one that found it working so well. But there didn’t seem a lot of positive comments, so I wondered if I was missing something, and quietly left it - but continued.

Now, after more than four years though, it feels so natural and the reviews seem so positive, that I suddenly decided to make a second post on the topic, and share sort of the outcome of what has happened in that time.

I thought perhaps it might help showcase that for a small segment of the market, there are still a lot of guests who really like the self-clean idea. Some of my guests actually say they like the cleaning. A lady asked would it be ok if she rearranged the items in the kitchen cupboards and clean them - they were not terrible or anything, but seems some like the validation, or the process of bringing things to better order. I always clean up after mess I find in e.g. public toilets with waste paper on the ground or splashes on the sink, or pick up rubbish off the ground. I am sure many would think it weird and not want to do this, but I am a bit of a clean freak, and like tidying up - and prefer to live in a clean, tidy world. For sure there are guests who want cheaper rates, but really - at least half of them want the early check-in.

I love hosting. I actually sold my global tech business some years ago, so am fortunate to not need to work. My wife laughs and asks me why I keep hosting, as I am busy with it - still worrying about who put the bins out, even though I am living in the USA lol. But my motivation is the happiness I get from sharing a lovely house with others, to hear their delight at staying, engage with messages and get good reviews. It feels good to share this positive experience, and for some reason the self clean guests seem even happier. I was surprised to see the rating on my self-clean listing was more than my professional one… and I suspect the review comments are slightly better sometimes too. Self clean guests seem more engaged or something, more ownership perhaps. Not all, but more so than professionally clean guests who may not message much at all. I like to write a lot, and it is good to message with guests, and there is much more to message with them when they are asking how to empty the vacuum cleaner or something!

So the benefit you ask? It’s certainly not the money (despite Self-Clean noticeably increasing revenue), it’s more the guest interaction I suppose. Hearing the delight from the young couple who could not otherwise afford my professional booking rates, but can still stay. The old ladies who seem so pleased to be thanked for their very good cleaning work, and the wedding party that got to access my house super early for their wedding prep. These are all really good feeling stories, and it makes me happy.

I share here, as it seems a good forum for host support. To share ideas, and help other hosts improve their offering, to see what works and doesn’t. Of course offering the idea in my now two posts (with significant engagement on each one) doesn’t mean I am suggesting it is how it should be done, or that regular cleaning is bad and hosts should change. But I take the time to write and share in order to help others… offer my approach to anyone that may want it, as it has certainly been a surprise to me that it works so well - and I wish I had discovered this approach much earlier. Having been hosting for years (as I believe you have too), I would have loved to have read this idea earlier and given it a try. So if it helps even one other host to explore some new ideas and get benefit - it is great to hear.

Thanks for your interest though. It is great to be asked questions. I know may other hosts may see it as a weird idea, but few seem to ask questions - and that helps clarify misunderstandings I guess.

You said you would be fascinated to know - I hope this (lengthy I know!) reply answers your question. I would love to answer any others from anyone too - ask away! The more we hosts can engage and share together as a community, the better I think. We may not always agree with others - but the freedom to share, and engage is important I think, so thank you for the opportunity Jaquo :slight_smile:

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Yes noted. Amusing. It was quickly fixed, but the story will live on lol.

ChatGPT has invented fake legal cases, and accused real people of sexual harassment cases. All AI has this problem - it’s nothing new.

But rather than talk about if my writing was done by AI, or what AI problems there are - I wonder did my explanation help? That I see it totally wrong to be asking guests to clean? Your post seemed based on this idea, that guests might be ‘surprised’ by cleaning tasks, or that hosts would ask them to clean.

Does this help show the idea in a new light at all with this correction?
I appreciate you engaging though, but wonder if there are any other aspects you still see as problematic? or maybe good about the concept now it is more clarified? It’s hard for me to know what others think about it without specific details. For example a recent post said it is the last thing guests who travelled a long way would want to do - clean… and of course this is why this demographic never books self-cleaning. I guess anything new can be confusing, but I am willing to engage and keen to know your views on any aspect of the model itself.

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Pretty weird that you think they don’t want to clean the house just “because they’re tired”.

I suspect that your house is not as clean as you seem to think it is, even with your “professional” clean if a guest asked if she could clean the cupboards, and when you say “they were not terrible or anything”.

You saying you have no problem sleeping on sheets someone else has slept on indicates to me that you aren’t that fussy about cleaning, even though you profess to be, and don’t see a lot of the dirt.

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@Chris_Cooper - thank you for your explanation. It has helped me to understand this system and I can see how some hosts could find it occasionally useful. Although I don’t see that self-cleaning could work for many hosts, me included, I still have a few questions though (of course :slight_smile: ).

For hosts who are considering using the self-clean model, I imagine that some questions they might ask may be as follows:

I’m wondering how Airbnb views self-cleaning? Of course, Airbnb might be only one of the many OTAs you use but I’m assuming that you do advertise on Airbnb and its hosting ‘rules’, for want of a better word, expect hosts to provide a clean place for guests.

How do you manage restocking? Many hosts here who have left supplies in unlocked areas have complained about guests taking all their spare supplies when they check out. Do you have co-hosts who regularly restock the property?

Is your STR insurance company aware of the self-cleaning system that you use? Are they OK with it?

I am my own cleaner for our two apartments (and co-host for a neighbour) and. except for days when I have back-to-back guests in both apartments my cleaning includes all windows, all cutlery, crockery and glassware, all paintwork, inside all closets etc., plus random prep such as restocking, welcome snacks, toiletries, checking all appliances and lighting and so on.

But when I have back-to-backs in both apartments (I’ve never had three, phew) some things get missed simply because of the time constraints. This means that every so often I need to have a super-clean session (for instance when a guest leaves early to catch a flight or whatever) to do jobs that might have been missed or rushed - behind the fridge, inside the oven, tops of pelmets, ceiling fan blades etc. etc. Because no one cleans as well as a host ( :innocent:) how often do you have to do a deep clean?

I don’t have carpets and curtains and other items that soon get smelly - do you have a schedule regular specialist cleaning services?

Anyone else have questions for Chris?

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Great to hear from you Jaquo, and I love your curiosity. For some reason this concept seems quite misunderstood, but I think it may be more fear of something new. I am trying to see what negatives there may be, but apart from concerns on negative reviews - which are not the case at all as four years later I have yet to get one. But it’s almost the opposite due to more engaged guests that seem slightly happier in fact than regular ones.

To answer your interesting questions
Airbnb Rules
Airbnb doesn’t dictate to use who does the cleaning. That is our responsibility. So if we essentially hire someone to clean, that is the cleaner. A guest who has taken on the responsibilities of cleaning ‘is’ the cleaner, and is getting a discounted rate in lieu of being paid - but regardless, they are the cleaner. If they are not happy with the cleaning, then ironically they can complain, but as they are the cleaner, they would be complaining about themselves really.

Also note that my professional cleaner is always there at least once a week anyway, so all deep cleaning floor washing and serious bathroom and kitchen stuff is done very regularly, as is laundry. If you have seen the photos of my laundry you will note it’s very extreme. Both because of the high volume we do ourselves, but also to ensure guests have a super easy time if they are electing to do cleaning themselves.

So my home is always pretty clean really, given we do it ourselves regularly. Most often the self-clean guest bookings will interleave with professional ones, and there are still more professional clean bookings anyway. So it’s quite rare to have back to back self-cleans, but it does happen.

The reason for my first post on this topic four years ago, was discovering that I had three self-clean back to back, and that was before I was even advertising it directly. Hence I was reaching out to the host community for advice, though seems I was and may still be the only one doing this arrangement. It was always driven by wedding groups wanting early check-in, and when I discovered it wasn’t weird to offer, but often resulted in delighted guests, that was when I started more often answering with this as an ‘Option’ if they wanted it. Asking them to pay more for a second cleaner to do it in half the time is another option I offer as well, but really not many take that up as they prefer to self-clean, and regardless it’s harder to get two cleaners in, who don’t want to be paid just two hours each, so it’s harder to justify the ‘double cleaner’ model if you don’t have say a hubby+wife combo or something doing it.

Regards Airbnb rules, I am not offering guests a messy house, I am offering them a self-clean option. It’s quite different I think, and it is not so uncommon for some listings to have check-out chores of laundry, though the model of guests cleaning ‘ready for other guests’ is problematic. I did have another listing to offer that when I was trying to see what works, but you can’t trust guests to get the cleaning right. I would go check most times, but the checking and the ‘fixing what wasn’t done’ means it can work but rarely. When I connect with an especially eager self-clean guest who seems responsible, I consider it. Some older retired guests seem to love it. Sounds odd perhaps. Maybe I should offer an Airbnb Experience. Come clean my house lol. Some like the approval, and to show their skills, or to bring order, or something. Older guests often have far more time, arrive earlier, and are more relaxed. Self-clean really doesn’t work with guests in a rush, driving far and coming late - they don’t usually book this listing, as it is not what they want to do on arrival… so they happily book my normal listing, which has normal rates and cleaning fees.

Restocking
I keep supplies in the garage cupboard. Partly to keep slightly out of sight of regular guests, but also convenience. I don’t tell the self-clean guests where supplies are, as they should not generally need them. Given the self-clean bookings are more likely interleaved between professional ones, there is only so much supplies dwindle. I use a toilet paper spike for spares by each loo, and put four or sometimes five DOUBLE LENGTH toilet rolls, specifically so there is ample for several bookings without replacement.

If self-clean guests ask specifically for supplies, I am happy to share where they are, but few ask. I should point out that Self-Clean On-Arrival is not meant to be ‘deep cleaning’ or supply run top ups and so on. We handle all that each week anyway. It’s pretty rare to get three in a row self-clean and I would not accept more than that as a rule specifically to ensure things don’t get out of hand, and that supplies are topped up ok.

I am very environmentally conscious too. Not just Solar panels, 2x PowerWall home batteries, Ventilation, Heat pump hot water and heat pump dryers… but also in supplies. I do not want to supply conditioner, or softner. We are heating the planet, and putting so many chemicals into waterways. I do not like disinfectant also for environmental reason too. There was so much drama with Covid, but unsurprisingly the advice is now that disinfecting surfaces doesn’t do anything for that, and is not recommended due to other issues with chemicals. I would not be worried if others want to disinfect everything, but personally it is a shame due to pollution and other issues with chemicals that harm our planet and our children. So cleaning products yes, and for toilets, but not specifically disinfectants, softners, conditioner, or even body wash. I have not once in ten years had complaints, but only provide shampoo - as that is basically identical chemically to body wash anyway as I learned from a chemistry student once. So guests can bring their own. It’s not about cost, it’s slightly about the hassle for what seems not just unnecessary but undesirable (for me) - but really it’s more about care for our planet. (While not wanting to shame others who do see these chemicals as important)

So my co host and cleaner do regular restocks as they are there each week anyway, often more than once. Supplies are never a problem really - and being in a somewhat affluent area with guests who are not paying low rates generally, means I do not see much shrinkage from supplies.

But it may be another misunderstanding of the model. I don’t expect self-clean guests to use a lot of supplies, as we do that professionally and regularly.

Insurance
I am fortunate enough to be financially secure and hosting (while extensive and across several countries) is really more a side gig for personal enjoyment. So I don’t need to insure, and think it unwise for myself. If I was not in this position I may consider it, but really I see insurance as an unnecessary cost. I have not insured my car or my hosting, and after ten years I am quite sure I would be better off financially. I think I only made two AirCover claims for very small amounts in the whole time I host, and won them both. I am comfortable with the Airbnb insurance from the platform anyway - if guests were to have some major accident on their stay, provided I was not providing something crazily unsafe I guess.

Back-to-Back
I hear you on this issue, and it was another driver to consider this model. Back to backs stress cleaners or myself when I was doing them. The self-clean allows a B2B with zero effort on my part. Well, effort is in guest communication and vetting (ensuring they are a good fit and understand the model), which is slightly higher than for regular guests… but the cleaning work is zero at least for B2B… so long as I do professional cleaning reasonably frequently… which is the case naturally due to the fewer bookings of Self-Clean On-Arrival.

I totally agree with you that nobody cleans as well as a host! Yes to that. I have some good help that is very professional though, and an emergency option that is enough to get by less often - though I always ensure we have professional level clean done very regularly. You need to, even with Self-Clean On-Arrival. That model works perfectly for say ONE of these bookings B2B after a professional clean, and also provided it wasn’t a whole week or something. I do occasionally run a clean for a Self-Clean just because I want to ensure supplies are up, and all in order. So that is a bonus. You can see the last guest review and a bunch of others commented the place was clean on their arrival despite booking Self-Clean, and that is specifically to address concerns you mention here. Actually that guest got lucky and TWICE got a full clean place regardless, though they are booked again all week in fact, and know that this time I don’t need to clean for them, so it will be a more normal Self-Clean arrangement.

I would happily welcome any questions on this arrangement. It wasn’t my idea to be honest, I felt pushed into it (perhaps because I get so many wedding groups who have a 1pm or 2pm ceremony and want to get in midday or earlier to set up and do makeup etc. But over time I have refined it, and more actively offered it - and been surprised how well it seems to work.

I note that it seems to ruffle some feathers though, and that is understandable. It’s new. It may feel weird, but so too it was weird to have guests come stay in your house before short term rental was a ‘thing’!

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Please explain…

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@Chris_Cooper self-insures their car. I suspect they purchase any insurance they are required to have by law, but save money on not purchasing insurance against damages to their vehicle (collision insurance). If nothing happens to their car, they “win”. If something significant happens to their car, they “lose”

IMO, everyone should insure what they can’t afford to lose. @Chris_Cooper appears to be able to afford to lose the cost of their car.

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