As Scottsdale’s premier vacation rental business we know a thing or two about cleaning. Ensuring your Airbnb rental is clean for the next set of guests is paramount. It can ensure a strong review, presents a great first impression and sets the property up in the best possible way for success. But, Scottsdale is a sandy city in Arizona and if your guests like to move around a lot they might leave the property needing a pretty good clean before the next group of guests arrive.
Remember, 4.4 million people visit Scottsdale a year. It’s a popular location but competition is high. You need to do all you can to garner good reviews and keep bookings coming in. Here are some of our insights on how to keep your Scottsdale property in great condition.
Invest In Good Quality Cleaning Materials
Good quality cleaning materials send a message about commitment and good service. Great cleaning products not only enhance the efficacy of the cleaning process but they also help extend the lifespan of the clients assets. Top level cleaning materials are better at removing stains and blemishes and also reduce wear and tear. High quality materials tend to be eco friendly too. Even if you’re running a one property short term rental show, invest in quality cleaning materials. It’ll make your job a lot easier. We only use the best, because we want the best for our clients. If you focus on that mantra you won’t go far wrong.
It doesn’t matter if you’re cleaning luxury living accommodation or something more rudimentary: you should always give your best to ensure repeat bookings.
There is some debate regarding what the best cleaning materials are as a lot of it comes down to raw opinion. Whatever you choose, investing in better materials isn’t just a higher cost of business, instead it’s a strategic move that can actually yield significant returns in the long run.
Air Conditioning Filters: Ensure They’re Clean
You might not need to do this upon every single clean. But, in the summer Scottsdale sees temperatures of 105°F so all of your guests are probably going to have the air conditioning units running all night, and whenever they’re on the property during the day. You’ll have to clean the filters a bit more than in the winter months. If you don’t, the air con wont work as well and you could end up with a bad review as a result.
You also need to make sure the units themselves are clean. Wipe away any residue from the outside. Same with the control panel. Sticky fingers leave residue or dirt that’s not nice to touch so ensure you give it a wipe down so it’s as good as new.
Sanitization: People Are Used To It Now
It might not be needed anymore, with Covid in the past. Yet, people like the thought of high touch surfaces being sanitized between stays. So, as part of your clean sanitize those areas. It keeps things clean and ensures guest happiness. It’s something you can shout about too. On your booking page you can talk about sanitization etc. It goes a long way.
Sanitizer is pretty cheap and you just need to add it to your cleaning checklist. Our cleaners in Scottdale as part of our airbnb cleaning service sanitize all high touch areas and make sure they sanitize as they leave the property…leaving it ready for new arrivals.
Attention To Detail Is Everything
Each clean has to be a thorough clean. There’s no paint doing half a job. For example, we always envisage each clean is for a client that’s going to write a review. We try to wow them every single time. Not all write reviews, but if you imagine they’re all going to you’ll put more effort into the clean. You have to focus on the details, the smaller areas that people often forget. Even the best cleaners can, when under pressure, forget detail areas. It’s why a checklist is a great idea. Here are some of the detail areas we hit on every clean:
- Ceiling fan dust
- Toaster/toaster oven crumb tray
- Mirror smears
- Clean the oven
- Shower curtain/wall
- windows
Paying that little bit of attention to detail isn’t hard if you have a list. However, so many cleaning companies for short term rentals miss this. You can really get an easy win here. If you’re looking for an airbnb cleaning service in Scottsdale, ask them about their attention to detail and you should expect it as standard.
Remember, detail might differ between each property. Yours may not have a ceiling fan, but there will 100% be something else that requires a more detailed clean.
Give Outdoor Spaces More Time In The Summer
People, logically, spend more time outside in the summer. The low parts of Arizona stay hot in the summer and can still be warm in the winter. It’s why Scottsdale is such a sought after vacation destination. As such, you should ensure the outdoor spaces are cleaned to a high standard. Ensure leaves are cleared away, furniture should be wiped down and pathways swept. If you have grassy areas, you should keep these trimmed low. This strays into maintenance rather than cleaning, but it’s worth a mention.
When the temperature is colder, people spend more time inside and as such, your focus should shift to those areas. Good rental management requires you to properly forecast how the property will be used during each month of the year.
A Clean Pool Is Vital
A quick look through airbnb reviews and you’ll find out pretty quickly that people do not like dirty pools. After each clean short term rental, make sure you check and clean the pool. Just wipe dirty tiles down and ensure there isn’t anything in the pool that you’d need to fish out. It’s likely you’re using a pool maintenance plan with a local contractor but they don’t always clean it right, they just make sure the water is clean. There’s nothing more off putting when you arrive at a property than something floating in the pool.
The same goes for a hot tub or jacuzzi. People check these out pretty soon once they’ve walked through the door so they can make or break a first impression.
Keep On Top Of Restocking
We find restocking is best done in line with cleaning. It just makes sense. You’re looking at toilet paper, towels, soap, and toiletries.
In the kitchen you might need to replace dish soap, sponges, dishwasher fluid, and disposable items like coffee pods or filters, trash bags, snacks, etc. You need to do this after every single visit because each visit will be different. Some might not drink coffee at all, for example whereas the next group of guests might consume all the pods entirely. You need to check after each visit because guest requirements do differ widely from one group to the next.
If you’re cleaning your own rental property you can keep restock items somewhere safe, like a cupboard or storebox. Many vacation rental management services or cleaning services will keep restock items for you and complete the restock each time, saving you time.
Cleaning a short term rental in Scottsdale: Frequency Explored
Here’s the general frequency you should clean each area, along with a baseline time it should take. This can differ depending on the time of the year, and the property in general. Also, it depends on experience. We’ve been doing this for years and this is what we think it should take, but people with less experience in cleaning might turn things over a bit more slowly.
| Area/Room | Cleaning Task | Frequency | Estimated Time |
| Living Room | Dusting furniture | After each guest | 10 minutes |
| Vacuuming | After each guest | 15 minutes | |
| Kitchen | Cleaning appliances | After each guest | 20 minutes |
| Wiping countertops | After each guest | 10 minutes | |
| Bathroom | Cleaning toilet | After each guest | 10 minutes |
| Scrubbing shower/tub | After each guest | 15 minutes | |
| Bedroom | Changing bed linens | After each guest | 15 minutes |
| Dusting furniture | After each guest | 10 minutes | |
| Outdoors | Sweeping patio/deck | Weekly | 20 minutes |
| All Areas | Cleaning windows | Monthly | 30 minutes |
| Deep carpet cleaning | Annually | 2 hours |
Leave It Smelling Great
A good cleaning company or vacation rental management company will ensure the property smells great when the new arrivals walk through the door. Sometimes cleaning materials can smell a little harsh on the nose, especially if you’ve used bleach. You can spray some air freshener, but it doesn’t really last. A well placed diffuser or plug in scent can ensure a pleasant smell not only on arrival but throughout the stay. A good cleaning company for short term rentals will be able to do this for you.
Remember, cleaning a home is time consuming. It takes long enough to clean one property, and if you have multiple this can turn into a huge time suck. Especially if you have short term rentals on your properties…it could be multiple cleans per week. It’s why so many of our clients trust us to clean their properties for them. If you feel like you’d benefit from our service, feel free to contact us and we can talk you through what we do.
