Airbnb Turnover Checklist: What to Do Between Every Guest Stay

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Back when I was new and still feeling my way around the market, one thing I knew with absolute certainty was that there was a particular way I wanted my property cleaned and maintained. I came from a Hospitality Recruitment Management background, was working in Healthcare Recruitment at the time, and I guess I felt that I was the one who could do it the way I wanted it done.

If you're new here, good day! My name is Sam and I am an Airbnb Superhost with properties in the great states of Maryland and West Virginia. For the first few weeks after setting up our very first of those three properties, The Mountain View Cottage, in Harpers Ferry West Virginia, my husband Ray and I did all the cleaning and property maintenance ourselves.

We have grown since then, figuratively and literally. We now have a cleaning team who handles our cleaning at all three of our properties. We were able to transition out of doing the Airbnb cleaning ourselves because of the Airbnb checkout checklist systems we developed.

We now have a master blueprint of how the properties should be checked between every guest stay. Whether you're self-managing or handing off to a cleaning crew, this checklist is the difference between a rushed turnover and a five-star reset.

In a rush? Jump straight to my full list of curated Airbnb & Vacation Rental Hosting Essentials on Amazon.

The Airbnb Turnover Checklist

1. Strip and inspect all linens — For us this includes everything including the duvet covers. Pull every sheet, pillowcase, and towel and check for stains before washing. Treat stains immediately with Miss Mouth's stain spray — it removes virtually anything and has saved us more than a few sets of white linens.

2. Restock the essentials — Batteries, charging cables, makeup wipes, shower caps, and your first aid kit. These are the small items guests notice when they're missing. I discuss more about this in my 25 Most Overlooked Airbnb Essentials Every Host Needs.
3. Reset the coffee station — Fresh clean mugs out, packets restocked (regular and decaf), sugar cubes, creamer, and assorted sweetener packets. Remove anything used or opened. A clean, welcoming coffee setup signals to guests that your home is ready to welcome them.
4. Run the air purifier — Especially after cooking smells, pet-friendly stays, or back-to-back bookings. We run ours for at least an hour before the next check-in. Air purifiers are one of the most underrated tools in a host's arsenal.
5. Wipe down all high-touch surfaces — Remotes, light switches, door handles, cabinet pulls, and wash the coffee maker pots. These are the surfaces guests touch most and also notice most.
6. Check every remote — Dead batteries in a TV remote are one of the most common guest complaints. It takes 30 seconds to check. Do it every single turnover.
7. Reset the thermostat — We pre-set ours to 75° on hot summer days and 68° on cold winter days before check-in. Walking into an Airbnb with a comfortable temperature is one of the first things that your guests will notice. Read more about this in The First 5 Minutes.
8. Wash, fluff and display the cozy blankets — Basket out, blankets displayed, not folded away in a closet. This is one of my signature small touches that makes the space feel lived-in and welcoming rather than sterile. This is how we display ours at Mountain View.

9. Magic eraser the walls — Do a quick scan near light switches, door frames, and hallways for scuffs. A magic eraser takes care of most marks in seconds.
10. Do a "guest eyes" walkthrough — This is the most important step. Walk in through the front door as if you are a guest arriving for the first time. Look at everything with fresh eyes. Is it warm? Does it smell clean? Is the lighting on? Is the Wifi password visible? This is your final quality check before the five-star clock starts ticking.

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A smooth turnover isn't just about cleanliness — it's about resetting the entire guest experience from scratch. Every item on this list is something we've learned the hard way, so you don't have to.

If finding and training the right cleaner has been your biggest challenge, my Airbnb Hiring and Operations Playbook walks you through exactly how to do that.

If you haven't already, check out my other posts:

• 25 Most Overlooked Airbnb Essentials Every Host Needs
• The First 5 Minutes: How Guests Decide Whether Your Airbnb Is Worth 5 Stars

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If you want to take the guest experience a step further, the words you send before arrival matter just as much as what the guest walks into. Check out my Airbnb message templates on Etsy — written from real hosting experience.