What should be cleaned between guests at a vacation rental?

Clean everything a guest touches, sleeps in or eats from, every time. That means fresh bedding and towels, bathrooms and the kitchen cleaned and then disinfected at the touch points, the refrigerator emptied, the floors vacuumed and mopped, and every bin emptied. A good turnover adds three checks guests never see: mattress seams for bed bugs, smoke alarms tested, and the dryer lint filter cleared. Work from the top of each room down and leave floors for last, so nothing you knock loose lands on a clean surface.

Start with a walk-through

Walk every room before you clean anything. Look for damage, stains, broken items, things left behind and any sign of water: a drip under the sink, a wet ceiling stain, a damp carpet by the tub. Photograph what you find so the owner has a record. Water is the urgent one. EPA's advice is to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth,^[12] so a leak found at turnover is reported that day, not at the next booking.

Beds and linens

Strip the beds and gather every towel, bath mat, kitchen towel and throw blanket that was used, and get the first load going so laundry does not hold you up at the end. EPA's bed bug advice is to wash and heat-dry bed sheets, blankets and bedspreads,^[3] and to remember that bed bugs and their eggs can hide in laundry containers and hampers,^[3] so wipe out the laundry baskets too.

With the sheets off, look at the mattress. Bed bugs can move by traveling on furniture, bedding, luggage, boxes and clothing,^[2] and a rental sees more luggage than a home. The signs EPA lists are rusty or reddish stains on sheets or mattresses, dark spots of bed bug excrement, and tiny eggs and eggshells (about 1mm) or the pale yellow skins young bed bugs shed.^[1] Look near the piping, seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks on the bed frame and headboard,^[1] and, in a heavily infested room, in the seams of chairs and couches, between cushions and in the folds of curtains.^[1] If a crack will hold a credit card, it could hide a bed bug.^[1]

Encasements make this check faster. A protective cover that encases mattresses and box springs removes many hiding spots, and its light color makes bed bugs easier to see;^[2] EPA also says to check the encasement regularly for holes.^[2] How to check a mattress for bed bugs has more detail.

Bathrooms and the kitchen

These two rooms are where guests judge the whole stay. Clean first, then disinfect. EPA's directions are to wash the surface with soap and water first if the directions mention pre-cleaning or if the surface is visibly dirty,^[4] then apply the disinfectant and leave it for its contact time. The surface should remain wet the whole time.^[4] Do not dilute disinfectants or mix them with other chemicals unless the label tells you to.^[5]

In the bathroom, that means the toilet inside and out, the sink and faucet, tub and shower walls, the mirror, the floor around the toilet, and the towel bars and hooks. Check the drains for hair and the shower curtain or liner for mildew.

In the kitchen, use a product made for food-contact surfaces on counters and anything that touches food. If the label says the product can be used on food-contact surfaces, it can be used on dishes, cooking utensils and countertops.^[6] Empty the refrigerator of everything guests left, then follow FDA's simple rule: clean the refrigerator regularly and wipe spills immediately.^[7] While the door is open, glance at the thermometer; FDA's advice is to keep the refrigerator at or below 40° F.^[7] Run and unload the dishwasher, put every dish back where the next guest expects it, and wipe the stovetop, oven door, microwave inside and out, toaster crumbs and the coffee maker.

Touch points, floors and trash

Go room by room over the things every hand touches: door handles and lock keypads, light switches, remotes, the thermostat, faucet and toilet handles, appliance handles, chair backs and table tops. Dust from high to low, including ceiling fan blades and window sills when they need it.

Floors come last. Vacuum carpets, rugs and upholstered furniture, then mop hard floors. For spills on carpet, the carpet maker Shaw puts it plainly: "Always blot your carpet, never rub or scrub abrasively".^[8] Empty every trash and recycling bin, inside and out, and leave fresh liners.

Safety checks every turnover

A smoke alarm only works when it is properly installed and regularly tested,^[9] and the U.S. Fire Administration's instruction for every type is "Test the alarm monthly".^[9] A rental with weekly guests can simply test at each turnover. Do the same with any carbon monoxide alarms; EPA's advice is to install a CO alarm in the hallway near every separate sleeping area,^[11] so tell the owner if a sleeping area has none.

If the unit has a dryer, clear the lint. The U.S. Fire Administration says to clean the lint filter before and after each cycle^[10] and to clean the back of the dryer where lint can build up.^[10]

Restock and finish

Make the beds with freshly washed and dried linens, hang towels, and restock toilet paper, hand soap, dish soap, paper towels, trash bags and anything the listing promises. Then take a photo of each finished room and send the owner a short note: what was damaged, what ran low, what needs a repair. Those notes are what keep small problems from turning into bad reviews.

Stop and call a pro if

• You find signs of bed bugs. Do not spray or move furniture between rooms; tell the owner and call a pest control company before the next guest checks in.
• There is a leak, wet drywall or spreading mold. Report it the same day so it can be dried and repaired.
• You smell gas, a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, or a hardwired smoke alarm keeps chirping. Leave, call the gas utility or 911 as appropriate, and let the owner bring in a licensed pro.
• A guest left blood, vomit, sewage or other biohazards beyond an ordinary spill. That calls for a cleanup company equipped for it.

Getting help

If you would rather not run turnovers yourself, read whether to hire a company or an independent cleaner and how often a rental needs a deep clean, browse short-term rental cleaners, see cleaning businesses near Blacksburg, or read more cleaning answers. To get quotes for your turnovers, describe the job on Loclis.