Interior Design

The Bed Is Dusty

Here's why you need a structured cleaning plan

Sound Familiar?

Pesky Problem

The extra bedroom has a dusty bed.

We’ve seen this. A lot. Like way more than you’d expect. Incredible Airbnbs that have a spotless master bedroom simultaneously have a second or third bedroom with a tactile layer of dust on top of the bed’s comforter.

Nobody wants to sleep there. Or worse. Tuck their kids into that bed.

And yet, as strange as it might sound, we can totally understand how this happens. Couple after couple visits your place, and you make the environmentally sound decision to leave the linens on the unused beds.

Unfortunately, this strategy has a shelf life. After a few weeks, the dust starts to gather on the bed spread just like it’s been gathering everywhere else: on the nightstand, on the dresser, which you have been dusting. Inevitably someone will arrive, touch the bedding, and be understandably repulsed.

Let's Try This

Bite-Size Solution

Get intentional and make a cleaning checklist.

These are the types of situations that crop up with a more lackadaisical cleaning approach. After guests leave, if your cleaning strategy is, I’ll just clean what looks dirty, then it’s definitely time for a more structured strategy.

Meet Sarah, an Airbnb Superhost in Norfolk, Nebraska. This is a host with a plan. When we asked about her cleaning strategies, she had a multi-step approach: a routine between each guest, a routine between every three to four guests, and a routine for longer breaks between guests with even deeper cleaning tasks.

For Sarah, cleaning isn’t just another back burner maintenance activity. It’s something to take pride in. And it shows. Take a look at Sarah’s reviews for The Roland Hills Hideaway. It feels like every other review explicitly mentions how clean the place is. That’s a recipe for even more bookings.

5 Minutes

Here's Your First Step

Tally up your repeat guest requests.

Each spring we point hosts back to our tried-and-true spring cleaning blog post. These 12 questions will catapult you into the necessary spring cleaning all Airbnbs need, and help you formulate an effective cleaning checklist going forward.

You’ll find prompts to get you cleaning like:

Where are you scared to look?
What do your guests interact with most?
What fabrics aren’t routinely washed?

INSPIRED BY you

This week’s edition of Big Heart Hosting was inspired by Sarah, an Airbnb Superhost in Norfolk, Nebraska, USA. Just click here to explore the full listing.

get social

save or share this post

keep reading

ready for the next one?

bye-bye blindspots

The Ultimate Airbnb Checklist Collection

The number one question we hear from hosts is “What am I forgetting to put in my Airbnb?” This collection is the definitive answer to that question. In our signature product, we go room-by-room, step-by-step until your Airbnb is perfectly appointed and ready to impress. Bye-bye blindspots and hello happy guests!

free checklist!

Even the best hosts can forget a thing or two

Luckily all 15 of these common mistakes are super easy to fix. Grab your copy of the checklist below and dive on in!

WELCOME TO

big heart hosting

we help hosts thrive

You’re an ambitious Airbnb host with a big heart. But on some days, hosting isn’t exactly what you had imagined. Maybe it’s overwhelming. Or isolating. Or just not making the kind of money you had envisioned. At Big Heart Hosting, we’re on a mission to help hosts like you thrive, not just get by. We create step-by-step resources that bring together the best hosting strategies from around the world. We’ll give you the knowledge and community you need to create the joyful, prosperous Airbnb you deserve.