Why Vacation Rental Cleaning Is a Different Business
A house cleaning takes 3 hours, happens every two weeks, and tolerates a 30-minute schedule slip. An Airbnb turnover takes 90 minutes, happens between an 11 AM checkout and a 3 PM check-in, and a missed window costs the host a 1-star review. If you treat them the same, you'll lose money — or worse, lose the host.
How to Price Airbnb Turnovers
Hosts typically charge guests a flat cleaning fee and pay you out of that. They want predictability, not hourly billing. A common structure:
- Studio: $75–$95 per turnover
- 1-bedroom: $95–$130
- 2-bedroom: $130–$180
- 3-bedroom: $180–$250
- 4+ bedrooms or luxury: $250–$400+
Always charge a same-day turnaround premium ($20–$40) when the next guest checks in the same day. That's high-stress work and you'll need extra hands.
What Hosts Actually Want
- Hotel-quality presentation: Tight bed-making, fanned towels, restocked toiletries.
- Damage reports with photos: Broken glasses, stained sheets, missing items — text the host immediately.
- Restocking: Coffee, toilet paper, paper towels, soap. Track inventory and reorder before it runs out.
- Linen handling: Many hosts pay extra for off-site laundering. This is a huge margin add — $25–$50 per turnover for laundry alone.
- Lockbox / smart lock access: No coordination headaches. Get codes in writing.
Operational Differences vs. House Cleaning
- 11–3 PM crunch: Most checkouts are 11 AM and check-ins are 3 PM. You'll cluster all your turnovers in that 4-hour window. Build your route accordingly.
- Two-person teams: A solo cleaner can't reliably hit 90-minute turnovers. Pair up.
- Linen sets per property: Each property needs 2–3 full linen sets so you can swap, not launder on-site.
- Photo documentation: Snap photos of every room before leaving. Settles disputes instantly.
The Revenue Math
One Airbnb property turning over 3 times per week at $120/turnover = $360/week = $18,720/year — from one property. Land 10 properties and you're at $187,000/year before any house cleaning revenue.
How to Find Airbnb Hosts
- Direct outreach: Message hosts on Airbnb (use the inquiry feature) offering to take over cleaning
- Property managers: Companies managing dozens of rentals will hire one cleaner across all of them
- Local Facebook groups: "Airbnb hosts of [city]" — post your availability
- Turno (formerly TurnoverBnB): Marketplace specifically for vacation rental cleaners
Once you have one host, ask for referrals. Hosts know other hosts.
Watch Out For
- Underpriced first jobs: Hosts will test you cheap, then keep the price low forever. Quote your real rate upfront.
- Late check-outs: Build a clause that late check-outs after 11:30 AM trigger a $30 fee — paid by the host, who recovers it from the guest.
- Pet messes: Charge extra for pet-friendly properties. Hair adds 30 minutes per turnover.