How to organize apartment cleaning for short-term rental

Renting out apartments short-term instead of long-term allows you to earn much higher monthly profits. But nothing comes for free – the owner has to devote more of their time and money to continuously handling matters related to renting out the apartment.

One of the key issues is cleaning after every single short-term stay. Assuming the owner rents out the apartment for a minimum of 3 nights, cleaning is needed anywhere from several to as many as 10 times a month. Cleaning is, in theory, a simple matter, but in the case of short-term rentals it is actually quite problematic, as it requires proper planning of the work and of the finances.

What matters most when cleaning an apartment?

Guests demand the highest quality of service, which is why the cleanliness of the apartment is crucial. It affects both the customer's comfort and their review. Profits are important, but you earn them thanks to satisfied customers. A customer who is unhappy with the service will not leave a good review or recommend the listing to friends or family.

The hotel day usually ends around 11:00 a.m. and begins around 4:00 p.m. That gives you 5 hours for cleaning. However, for a two-room apartment of about 50 m2, cleaning should take about 3 hours. This does, however, depend on the condition in which the guests leave the apartment.

After one set of guests leaves and before the next ones arrive, a few key tasks need to be done:

• checking that the sofa and any curtains or drapes are clean, and cleaning them if necessary;
• changing the bedding and towels for clean, ironed and fresh-smelling ones,
• dusting the entire apartment,
• vacuuming and mopping the floor,
• if necessary, washing the window along with the windowsill,
• cleaning the bathroom (bathtub, shower, sink, toilet) and restocking soap or toilet paper,
• cleaning the kitchen (fridge, stove, sink, countertops), washing the dishes, emptying the trash bins.

An apartment requires constant monitoring of its condition. Every now and then the curtains, drapes and sofa will need to be washed.

Customarily, apartment owners charge, in addition to the nightly rate, a final cleaning fee of PLN 100–200 (depending on the size of the apartment).

Cleaning and preparing apartments for the next stay yourself

One way to handle cleaning between stays is for the apartment owners to do it themselves. This can be problematic, however, because 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. are standard working hours. If you run your own business or work a full-time job, you won’t be able to devote time to cleaning. Only an owner who doesn’t work, is retired, or has a job that allows them to set aside a few hours several times a month for cleaning can afford to do this.

If you decide to do the cleaning yourself, in addition to the time spent cleaning the apartment itself, you need to set aside time for washing and ironing bed linen and towels, as well as buying cleaning products. Doing the cleaning yourself lets you save the money for cleaning that you receive from guests.

Hiring a private individual to clean

Most apartment owners don’t have the time or desire to deal with cleaning the apartment and prefer to hire a third party to do it. If the owner has a trusted person among friends or family who would like to take on such a task and “earn a little extra,” this kind of arrangement can easily be set up. If not, the remaining option is to find someone by posting a job offer on websites such as OLX. Many people are looking for casual work for a dozen or so hours a week, so you can easily find the right person.

With the person who is to clean the apartment, you can agree on a fixed rate per cleaning of the unit or per hour of work. In addition, the owner has to invest in cleaning products and the tools needed for cleaning, such as sponges, cloths, a mop, a vacuum cleaner, etc. Washing and ironing can be done in the apartment if conditions allow – if not, you can agree that the person you hire will do these tasks in their own home. The amount received from the guest for the cleaning service will fully cover all the costs.

An important issue is the availability of the person hired to clean the apartments. There are no working days fixed in advance for the whole month, and the need for cleaning arises only a few days ahead. This person should be aware of this and agree to such a work arrangement. In addition, the owner must have an emergency backup in case the cleaner is unable to perform the cleaning service due to unforeseen circumstances (an accident, illness, a family situation). When hiring a stranger, we may also encounter dishonesty or a sudden resignation. So it is an inexpensive option, but it can be risky if the owner doesn’t have a permanent, trusted collaborator.

Hiring a cleaning company

Another option for cleaning an apartment is to hire a professional cleaning company. Before choosing a specific one, it’s worth checking several offers and reading reviews to make sure you’ve chosen the best one. When using the services of professionals, the apartment owner doesn’t have to provide either cleaning products or the tools needed for cleaning. There is also no risk that the apartment won’t be cleaned because an employee fell ill or can’t come – another one will take their place. Cleaning companies also offer additional laundry, ironing and mangling services.

The big advantage of such companies is therefore flexibility and availability. The downside of choosing this option is the higher price of cleaning, which can be as much as twice as expensive as hiring an individual to clean. The upside, however, is great convenience for the apartment owner, who doesn’t have to spend their own time organizing the cleaning service.