The 4 Types of Airbnb Cleans (And Why Your Checklist Is Everything)

Most hosts think all cleans are the same. Here's why that's costing you money.

I used to think cleaning was cleaning. The guest checks out, you go in, make it sparkle, and done.

Then I learned the hard way that a weekend warrior leaves a completely different mess than someone who's been camping out for three weeks.

After three years of running cleaning operations, we've nailed down exactly four types of cleans that every Airbnb needs. Miss this, and you're either overcharging (losing clients) or undercharging (losing money).

The Departure Clean – Your bread and butter. The guest stayed under 14 days, standard turnover. Strip linens, restock amenities, and wipe everything down. We charge a flat rate for these because they're predictable. Same scope every time.

Extended Stay Clean (14-30 days) – Here's where it gets interesting. When someone lives in your place for two weeks, they use every shower, touch every surface, and dig into cabinets you forgot existed. We bill hourly at 1.5x the departure rate because the scope varies wildly.

Deep Clean (30+ days or onboarding) – Full reset mode. Baseboards, blinds, washing dishes in cabinets, the works. Takes twice as long as a departure clean, billed hourly. If you're onboarding a new property, this is non-negotiable.

Arrival Clean (vacant 10+ days) – Insurance policy. The property's been empty; you want eyes on it before the next guest. Bugs, water damage, who knows? One hour minimum, billed hourly.

The game-changer? Having a bulletproof checklist for each type. We use over 60 line items with photo requirements. No guessing, no "I thought you meant..."

Want the exact checklists we use? They're all inside the Airbnb Cleaning Business Handbook – same ones our teams see in Breezeway every day.

Pick one property this week and audit which type of clean it actually needs. You might be surprised by what you find.

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