Tips and Hacks for Hosts

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Running an Airbnb comes with its fair share of challenges, but we all have those little tricks that make life easier—whether it’s streamlining cleaning, simplifying guest check-ins, or just keeping things manageable.

Let’s share our best tips and shortcuts to make hosting less of a hassle and more enjoyable!

I’ll start: I had been using the big blue IKEA bags to carry bedding, linens etc into and out of the space, but I found online "moving bags’ that also can be used as a ‘backpack’ - freeing up BOTH hands to open doors etc. Zippers on them improve on the ‘shopping bag’ IKEA design and make them safe from spills (I am sometimes clumsy!). BIG difference from using laundry baskets, which are unwieldy and awkward on stairs…

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On sale now for $19.99!

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I’ve been looking forward to replies to your post @Rolf. I’d love to see other people’s hints here. When I first started using Airbnb, I read this entire forum. (It was a lot smaller then).

Even though I’d been in the STR business for years, the advice and tips here were invaluable.

Where is everyone?

:slight_smile:

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I always set it up on day of. exactly the same for each booking. My comms are the same too, more or less.

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So where’s your tips and hacks? :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Ok, my cleaning tip wouldn’t work for many room set-ups, if there is a lot of heavy furniture, carpeting, etc. But my guest room and bathroom have tiled floors, a single bed that is easy to slide around, and apart from that, just a couple small beside tables and a wooden chair. (Countertop/desk is built-in concrete)

To clean, I slide the bed over to the other half of the room, and put the bedside tables and chairs, the throw rug, and the garbage basket out on the balcony, leaving one side of the room empty. Then I clean from ceiling to floor, ending with washing the floor and wiping the baseboards on that side of the room.

While the floor is drying, I go clean the guest bathroom, except for the floor, as I will still need to go in there to get water to finish cleaning the bathroom.

I then go back to the bedroom, wiping down the chair, bedside tables, empty the garbage basket and shake out the throw rug, and move those things, along with the bed, back to the clean side of the room. Then I clean the same in the now empty side of the room. (The only furniture that lives in that side of the room is the chair, which I’ll move into place when all is clean).

While that part of the floor is drying, I go gather the new supplies- toilet paper, towels, bedding, etc. and then take them up and put them in place. Last thing is washing the bathroom floor.

It’s so much easier and faster to clean a space which is completely or almost empty of furnishings.

Of course, there are cleaning chores I don’t need to do every time, like cleaning the ceiling fan, washing the windows, and washing the bedroom throw rug. But for the rest, as I live in the tropics where there are insects, gecko poop, and lots of dust in the dry season, everything else needs to be cleaned, even after a 3 day booking. So I basically need to do a deep clean every time.

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There are many - scattered all around this forum. :slight_smile:

The first thing I do when a guest has checked out, is go and inspect the rental. There are three reasons for this.

The first thing I look for is anything the guest might have left behind. This has happened quite a few times but I’ve always been able to get in touch with them while they are still nearby to come back and get it. This is because in my early days here there were many discussions about returning things to guests.

(If it’s booze that’s been left, I keep it for myself.)

Then I check the state of the apartment for the review. 99 times out of 100 it’s in great condition.

The third thing is to go into the bathroom without my glasses on and flush the toilet without even looking at it. This way, if there’s any unpleasantness left in the bowl, it’s gone, and I don’t have to look at it.

:rofl:

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This is SO IMPORTANT! And I will add the ‘next step’ - remove any bedding and air out the room, hopefully immediately.

Especially (for some reason) solo men in my private rooms leave the room a bit rank. Every hour that the rankness remains means it will eventually permeate even the walls. Removing everything from the bed, and leaving it to air out (at least until you remake the bed later after cleaning) means that the mattress cover has time to evaporate any sweat that has come through.

I also have my HVAC set to run ‘fan only’ every day at 10am (my checkout time), 11am, and noon, for 15 minutes. This helps getting the air around.

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Four properties and 17 beds in total.
Every clean, 1 room is is done completely, moving the furniture, fans. Skirtings, architraves, windows, blinds and carpets done professionally every 6 months.Bathrooms and Kitchens are deep cleaned every time.
Nothing gets really bad and if you stay on top.

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I have all my often used texts saved on my iphone as keyboard shortcuts. I type a few letters and it fills in. I change things every so slightly when I realize a guest didn’t quite understand something. I always message and text the morning of the incoming reservation and let the guest take the lead on how to communicate going forward. In my experience most guest prefer to direct text.

My check out texts are written in a way that I almost always get reviewed the same day and 5 stars in the norm. I subtly let them know they are getting 5 stars and offer direct book going forward which leads to 5 stars for me because they don’t want to miss a discount.

The review system is broken, I do what I need to do.

RR

RR

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Wish I’d thought of this ‘trick’ a long time ago.
To encourage the younger generation to sleep on the fitted sheet we fold the top sheet, blanket and quilt down about a foot - still making up the bed with all of the pillows. It’s inviting and forces them to sleep civilized. :crazy_face:

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I give guests one “get out of jail free flush” where I flush toilet without looking, and if it’s now free of “unpleasantness” then guest won’t get marked down for cleanliness. Of course sometimes after one flush there is still a mess, in which case guest gets marked down one star (or more if multiple extra flushes are required).

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Seriously? It’s not like the toilet will not need to be cleaned anyway.

I do not see how this benefits you as a host? Would a streak in the toilet mean you do not want the guest to return? Because a poor review will result in them not coming back.

RR

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With every guest, it’s my goal to create either repeat guests or at least generate referrals. So gross as it is to clean a toilet, I’m not going to be overly bothered about a little unpleasantness if the guests were otherwise good.

After all, it could be the fault of the curry they had last night.

:rofl:

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  1. Try to add wheels to as much furniture and household appliances as possible. It saved me half of my cleaning time and spared my back; plus, the house became easier to update and adapt to the various needs of guests.
  2. Have a stable, foldable stair hidden somewhere inside your property. You will thank me later :slight_smile:
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To prevent the bed from damaging the wall, place cleats or a piece of wood at the bed frame’s legs near the head of the bed. This will stop the bed from moving against the wall and causing gouges or stains.

The same works for tables placed up near a wall.

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I tried to add a picture with a “swivel castor with brake” but I can’t find a way of adding a picture in this forum :joy: Ha! Found it:

IMG_20241211_012851
IMG_20241211_0128511071×1014 95.3 KB

This kind of castor can insure stability to your assets.

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