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We all know getting your Airbnb to rate with 5 stars is a difficult task, but achievable with the right amount of effort. What many owners do however, is expand their portfolio too quickly and start slacking off with their customer service. Others will just get lazy after getting consistent 5-star reviews for a few months and not notice their ratings slowly dropping down into the mid-4s, then even lower.
Maintaining that consistent 5 stars ongoing can be an arduous task. There are a few things you should do every month, or every two at the least, to ensure your Airbnb stays in top shape and your guests will be happy to leave your a 5-star review after they checkout. We’ve put together a bit of a shortlist to help keep you on top of things when you’re doing that monthly Airbnb deep clean. That’s right, we said deep clean.
The Monthly Deep Clean
Every month, you or your cleaning team should do an extremely thorough clean of your Airbnb. Not just a quick, 2 hour in-and-out bed sheet and towel change with a quick vacuum and/or mop. We’re talking about moving sofas to vacuum up the dust behind them, shaking out rugs, wiping down inside drawers (especially the cutlery drawer), wiping down all pots, pans, plates again etc or at least confirming they aren’t dirty or oily, defrosting the freezer (if necessary), cleaning in the little gaps in window sills, cleaning all windows and glass, dusting high up shelves, ceiling fans, air vents etc.
Doing these more difficult or time consuming cleaning tasks regularly will ensure your Airbnb is spotless for guests over the next month or at least if there is something small that is missed it won’t be compounded by the fact that the guest has spotted 26 other things that could be cleaner as well. It might cost you a bit of extra time and expense, but that is well worth it to keep that 5 star rating and the extra exposure your Airbnb will get because of it.
Towels, Sheets and Pillow Cases
We also recommend checking over these once a month to ensure they still look 5-Star (or at least usable) without getting too tatty, stained or worn. An Airbnb is more like a hotel than a typical home, so you’ll need to replace these items as they start to wear out, even if they’re still usable. Keep your linens in as new new condition as you can, and replace them as they start to look tattered or old. This is one of the most complained about things, so if you can stay on top of this then you’re off to a good start.
Check Pipes and Drainage
When doing your monthly deep clean, check that all pipes are flowing as they should be and not pooling up. Often hair or whatever guests flush down toilets/drains builds up and causes blockages. If you can spot one of these early it can save you, and the guest a huge hassle during their stay.
Lighting and Air Conditioning
Check that all lights are working, and the air conditioning is cold and the filters are clean. Dust builds up on filters and this not only causes the A/C to work less effectively, it also costs you more on your power bills! Speaking of filters..
Water and Fridge Filters
If you provide your guest with a water filter for the tap water or a fridge filter for chilled water straight from the refrigerator, make sure you change your filters when recommended. If the filters are too old and get blocked up with gunk, the water can actually come out dirtier than usual – and this is not something the guests will be happy about! Leave a note on your calendar so you know when you need to switch them over.
Ask the Guests for Feedback
As soon as the guests leave, it’s a great idea to contact them personally and ask them for constructive criticism about your Airbnb. This way they can let you know if they weren’t happy about anything at all and they’re less likely to leave that information in a review. You can even tell them you’d rather they told you in person if there were any issues so you can fix them right away, rather than making it public, and that keeping your 5-star rating is very important to you. Most guests will be touched that you reached out to them personally to garner feedback, and even if they weren’t happy about everything will often leave you a 5-star review purely because you care and you spoke to them about it prior.