How often should a short-term rental be deep cleaned?

No rule sets how often a short-term rental must be deep cleaned, so the useful answer is a schedule tied to how hard the unit is used. For a busy rental, the approach that tends to work is to add one deep-clean zone to each regular turnover, so every part of the unit gets a deep clean every few stays, and to book a full deep clean before and after the busy season. On top of that, a few jobs run on their own fixed clocks, whatever the bookings: alarm tests and HVAC filter checks monthly, and professional carpet extraction every 6 to 18 months.

Use the turnover count, not the calendar

A rental that hosts eight stays a month wears faster than one that hosts two, even though both are "a month" old. Virginia Cooperative Extension makes the same point about any surface: "How often will depend on the surface material and how often the surface is used or touched".^[1] So start by counting your turnovers in a typical month and in your busiest month. That number, more than the date, tells you how fast dust, grease, soap scum and wear build up.

Rotate deep-clean zones through your turnovers

Instead of one long deep clean a few times a year, many hosts split the deep-clean list into zones and add one zone to each turnover:

• Kitchen appliances. Inside the oven, refrigerator and freezer, the microwave, the dishwasher filter, the range hood filter, behind the toaster and coffee maker. FDA's advice for refrigerators is "Clean the fridge out frequently".^[8]
• Bathrooms. Grout, the shower door track, the exhaust fan cover, behind the toilet, inside the vanity and the shower curtain or liner.
• Bedrooms and soft furnishings. Under the beds, mattress encasements, pillows, duvets, blankets, curtains and upholstery.
• High dusting. Ceiling fans, vents, light fixtures, the tops of door frames and cabinets, blinds and window sills.
• Floors and edges. Baseboards, under and behind furniture, rugs, and the corners of hard floors.

With four or five zones and several turnovers a month, every zone gets done every week or two without a separate visit. It also spreads the time, so no single turnover blows past the check-in time.

Book a full deep clean between seasons

Rotation keeps build-up from showing, but it rarely moves the sofa or pulls the refrigerator out. Book a full deep clean before your busy season and again after it, and use it to look closely at the unit for damage, leaks and pests. If your rental has a quiet season, the start of it is a good time for the jobs that need the unit empty for a day, such as carpet cleaning.

ENERGY STAR's advice for heating and cooling equipment fits the same rhythm: annual pre-season check-ups^[2] by a contractor, with the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall.^[2]

Jobs with their own clock

Some jobs do not depend on bookings at all:

• Monthly. Smoke alarms: "Test the alarm monthly".^[4] HVAC filters: inspect, clean, or change air filters once a month.^[2] If the unit has ever smelled musty, check a humidity meter too; EPA's advice is to keep indoor humidity below 60 percent (ideally between 30 and 50 percent) relative humidity.^[9]
• Every 6 to 18 months. Carpets. Shaw's advice is "Schedule a professional hot water extraction (steam cleaning) anywhere from 6-18 months, depending on traffic",^[3] and a rental's traffic is high. Between cleanings, Shaw says "Vacuum the carpet traffic lanes daily to extend the life of your carpet",^[3] which in a rental means at every turnover.
• Yearly. For alarms with 9-volt batteries: "Replace the batteries at least once every year".^[4]
• With the deep-clean zones. For the dryer, clean the back of the dryer where lint can build up^[5] and check the venting system behind the dryer to make sure that it is not damaged, crushed or restricted.^[5]
• Every 10 years. For 9-volt and hardwired alarms: "Replace the entire smoke alarm every 10 years".^[4] Long-life alarms are replaced on the maker's schedule.

Keep bed bug checks on the schedule

A rental sees more luggage than a home, so bed bug checks belong on the calendar as well as the turnover list. EPA's prevention advice is to regularly wash and heat-dry bed sheets, blankets, bedspreads and any clothing that touches the floor,^[6] and during deep cleans to vacuum rugs, floors, upholstered furniture, bed frames, under beds, around bed legs, and all cracks and crevices.^[6] Virginia's bed bug action plan for hotels describes a monthly inspection plan so that staff actively scout guest rooms for bed bugs on a regular basis,^[7] which a host can copy at small scale by adding a closer look at headboards, sofa seams and encasements to each deep clean.

When to deep clean off schedule

Some stays leave more behind than a regular turnover can handle. Add an unscheduled deep clean after:

• A stay of a week or more.
• A pet stay, especially on carpet or upholstery.
• A party, a large group or a reported spill.
• A guest who was ill.
• Any sign of smoking.
• A vacancy of several weeks, when dust and stale air have settled in.

Price these with your cleaner in advance so the cost is clear when you need one. How much Airbnb cleaning costs in Virginia covers what to ask for in a quote.

Stop and call a pro if

• A deep clean turns up signs of bed bugs. Leave the room as it is and call a pest control company before the next guest.
• You find mold, a leak or wet drywall. Report it the same day so it can be dried and repaired.
• The dryer vent is crushed, disconnected or blocked, or a hardwired smoke alarm fails its test. Have the right tradesperson fix it.
• Carpet or upholstery has stains or odors that ordinary cleaning does not lift. Book a professional cleaner.

Getting help

Read how to make a cleaning checklist for a short-term rental to fold these zones into your turnover list, and why guests complain about cleanliness if reviews are already slipping. Browse short-term rental turnover cleaners, see cleaning businesses near Blacksburg, or read more cleaning answers. To book a seasonal deep clean, describe the job on Loclis.