Short-Term Rental Turnover Cleaning

Purpose

Define the short-term-rental (STR) turnover protocol - between guests at Airbnb, VRBO, or owner-managed rentals. Tighter than standard residential, faster than deep clean. Speed matters (typical 3 - 4 hour window between checkout and check-in), consistency matters more (the next guest's review depends on every visible detail).

Scope

Applies to:

• Single-family residential short-term rentals
• Condo / townhouse STRs
• Backyard ADU / casitas
• Studio / boutique-hotel-style listings under STR platforms

Excludes traditional hotel housekeeping (different scope + scale), and long-term residential rentals (use Standard Residential Cleaning SOP for recurring; Move-Out Cleaning for tenant transitions).

Responsibilities

• Property manager schedules turnovers based on platform booking calendar
• Lead cleaner completes turnover with photo documentation
• Cleaner texts photos to manager when done (verification of unit-ready)

Procedure

Pre-clean (5 minutes)

1. Walk every room with the camera. Photograph ANYTHING flagged before touching:

• Damage that wasn't there last turnover
• Items left behind by guest (often valuable; return per platform policy)
• Stains or spills that need extra attention

1. Strip beds first. All linens + towels into the laundry bag. Speeds drying.

Whole-unit reset (1 - 2 hours)

1. Bedrooms:

• Remake beds with clean linens (verify pillows + duvet inserts present + clean)
• Tight hospital corners on sheets (visible quality signal)
• Coordinate decorative pillows + throws
• Vacuum + dust all surfaces

1. Bathrooms:

• Clean toilet, shower/tub, sink, mirror
• Restock toilet paper (minimum 4 rolls per bathroom)
• Restock towels: 2 bath, 1 hand, 1 face per guest per bathroom
• Refill amenities (shampoo, body wash, soap)
• Wipe down all visible surfaces

1. Kitchen:

• Wash any dishes guest left
• Wipe down countertops + appliances
• Refill paper towels, dish soap, sponges
• Check coffee supplies, salt + pepper, basic spices (per property's amenity standard)
• Clean inside microwave if any visible residue

1. Living areas:

• Vacuum / sweep
• Reset furniture to "photo position" (the way the listing photos show it)
• Plump pillows + drape throws

1. Trash: empty every can; replace liners
2. Final sweep: vacuum entire unit; mop hard floors

Welcome touches

• Welcome card OR welcome message on a counter
• Local guidebook visible (per property)
• Lights on for daytime check-in expectations
• Heat/AC set to comfortable temperature for arrival time

Photo documentation + handoff

• Photograph EVERY room from listing-photo angles. The photos verify cleanliness + match how the listing presents the property.
• Send photos to property manager via app or text.
• Property manager confirms readiness OR requests touch-ups.

Acceptance Criteria

• Every surface visibly cleaned
• All linens + towels replaced + restocked
• All amenities refilled
• Welcome touches in place
• Photos sent + property manager confirmed
• No visible damage NOT documented from pre-clean photos

References

• Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA) standards
• Manuall internal: Standard Residential Cleaning Service, Deep Cleaning Service