How to onboard a new Airbnb cleaner

A host on the r/airbnb_hosts forum asked recently what to give a new cleaner so they don't have to ask 20 questions. One of the replies summed up the right attitude: "I'd rather have 20 questions than 20 problems."

Both are true. Questions from a new Airbnb cleaner are a good sign. But most of them have the same answers every time, and if those answers are written down before the first turnover, the cleaner can spend their time cleaning instead of texting you from your laundry room.

Here is how to onboard a new cleaner: what to give them, how to set the standard, and how to make sure they hear about every booking. It works the same for your first cleaner, a replacement, or a backup you hope you rarely need.

What should a new Airbnb cleaner get before their first turnover?

Four things: how to get in, where everything is, what finished looks like, and what is odd about your property.

Put it in one place they can open on their phone. A shared document or a printed binder kept at the property both work. What matters is that it is the same document every cleaner uses, and that you keep it current.

The one-page property guide

Copy this and fill it in for your property.

Getting in and out

• Address and any directions that GPS gets wrong
• Where to park, and any permit or time limit
• Door code or key location, and what to do if it does not work
• How to lock up, and what to leave on or off when leaving (lights, heat, blinds)

Where things are

• Cleaning supplies and vacuum
• Clean linen and towels, and how many sets there are
• Guest supplies to restock (toilet paper, soap, coffee, dish tabs) and the minimum to leave out
• Where dirty laundry goes
• Rubbish, recycling and compost bins, and which day each goes out

The standard

• Photos of each room at guest-ready standard (see below)
• How beds are made and towels are arranged
• Your cleaning checklist, if you use one

Quirks

• Anything that needs special handling: the shower that streaks, the hob that scratches, the iron that needs distilled water
• Anything that is off limits, such as an owner's closet
• Known issues to report but not fix

When something is wrong

• What to photograph and send you: damage, stains, missing items, low supplies
• What to do with things guests leave behind
• Who to call if you cannot be reached, for a leak, a lockout or a safety problem

Timing and pay

• Checkout time, check-in time, and the latest they can finish
• How they will be paid, and when
• Any errands you would like them to run, such as restocking trips, and what they charge for them

That line about distilled water is a real example from the same forum thread. It is exactly the kind of thing a cleaner will never guess, and exactly the kind of thing that ruins an iron.

Why do photos work better than a written checklist?

Because "clean the bathroom" means something different to everyone, and a photo means the same thing to everyone.

Hosts who onboard cleaners well tend to do the same thing: they clean each room themselves, or have their best cleaner do it, and photograph it at the moment it is ready for a guest. One host in the forum thread described keeping a photo binder of each room "freshly cleaned so they know how it should look."

Good photos to take:

• Each bed, made, from the foot of the bed
• Towels as you want them presented
• The kitchen counters and what stays out on them
• Inside the fridge and cupboards, if you leave supplies there
• The bathroom, including the shower and the toilet area
• The entry and living area as a guest first sees it

A written checklist is still useful, especially for the things a photo cannot show: dusting the tops of door frames, checking under beds, wiping the inside of the microwave. Our Airbnb cleaning checklist is a starting point you can adapt. Use the photos for what it should look like and the checklist for what to do.

Should you do the first turnover together?

If you can, yes. An hour together saves weeks of small corrections.

Walk through the property with the new cleaner before their first turnover, or work alongside them on it. Show them where things are rather than describing it. Point out the quirks in person. Let them ask their 20 questions while you are standing in the room.

When my cleaner started at my place, I gave her a full tour in person. We talked about what mattered most to me, worked out how we would communicate, and agreed her fee for the property. We also settled how restocking would work, which errands she would take on and what she would charge for them, and went through the checklist of what to do on each clean. That one conversation set us up well.

If you live far away, a video call while they walk through the property does most of the same job. So does asking your existing cleaner to train a new backup for one turnover, paid for both of them.

Before any of that, clean the property yourself once if you have not already. Hosts in the same thread recommended it for a simple reason: you learn how long the job really takes. That number tells you whether your turnover window is realistic and whether the cleaner's pace is reasonable. Our guide to turnover clean windows covers how to plan around it.

How will your new cleaner find out about bookings?

Decide this before the first turnover, because it is the most common reason a good new cleaner misses a job.

A new cleaner needs to know about:

• Every new booking, including ones that come in late or for the same week
• Changed dates, when a guest alters their stay
• Cancellations, so they do not turn up for a clean that is no longer needed
• Unusual stays, such as a pet, a long stay, or an early check-in you agreed to

There are three common ways to handle it. You can text them each booking yourself, which works until the week you forget one. You can share your Airbnb calendar with them, which shows bookings but leaves them to check it and spot changes. Or you can automate the notifications.

GleamSync, a vacation rental cleaning coordination tool, does the automated version. It reads the iCal calendar feeds from your Airbnb, VRBO and Booking.com listings, detects every turnover, and notifies your cleaner by email, SMS or WhatsApp when a booking is added, moved or cancelled. Your cleaner does not need an account or an app, which matters with a new cleaner, since you are already asking them to learn a lot.

Whichever you choose, tell the cleaner how it works on day one, and tell them what to do if they think they have missed something.

How do you keep the standard consistent after the first week?

By treating the property guide as a living document and giving feedback early.

Check the first few turnovers. Look yourself, or ask a trusted neighbour, especially before guests who arrive the same day. Small slips caught in week one rarely become habits.

Give feedback quickly and specifically. "The shower glass had streaks, the squeegee is under the sink" is easy to act on. "It wasn't quite right" is not.

Update the guide whenever something changes. New linen, a new appliance, a new supply cupboard. If a guest mentions something the cleaner missed, add it.

Ask what is making the job harder. Cleaners often know exactly what would save time: more towel sets, a better vacuum, a supply cupboard closer to the bedrooms. Small fixes keep good cleaners.

Pay fairly and promptly. A cleaner who feels valued stays, and a cleaner who stays learns your property better every turnover. Our guide to why good Airbnb cleaners quit covers what tends to push them away.

What about onboarding a backup cleaner?

Do it before you need them, using exactly the same guide.

A backup cleaner who has never been inside the property is a slow backup. Give them the guide, walk them through once, and ideally pay them for one real turnover so the first time they see the place is not an emergency. Our guide to what to do when a cleaner doesn't show up explains why that preparation matters.

If you have more than one cleaner across more than one property, a shared guide per property keeps everyone working to the same standard. Our guide to managing multiple cleaners covers the rest.

Frequently asked questions

What should I give a new Airbnb cleaner?

Access details, where everything is kept, photos of each room at guest-ready standard, a list of the property's quirks, and clear instructions for reporting problems. Put it in one document they can open on their phone.

How do I train a cleaner for my Airbnb?

Walk through the property with them before their first turnover, or work alongside them on it. Show them your room photos as the standard, then check their first few turnovers and give specific feedback early.

Should I write a cleaning checklist or take photos?

Both. Photos show what finished looks like, which written instructions struggle to describe. A checklist covers the steps a photo cannot show, such as checking under beds or wiping inside appliances.

How long should a new cleaner's first turnover take?

Longer than later ones. Clean the property yourself once to learn how long it takes, then expect a new cleaner to need extra time on their first few turnovers while they learn where things are.

How do I make sure a new cleaner knows about every booking?

Decide how bookings will reach them before the first turnover. Texting each one works until you forget. Sharing your calendar helps but leaves them to spot changes. Automated notifications cover new bookings, changes and cancellations without you remembering.

Related reading

• How to find an Airbnb cleaner, and vet them first
• Airbnb cleaning checklist
• How to share your Airbnb calendar with your cleaner
• Turnover clean windows: how much time your cleaner needs
• How to manage multiple cleaners across your properties

Give your new cleaner one less thing to learn

Your new cleaner has enough to learn about the property. GleamSync takes care of the bookings part, telling them about every turnover and every change by email, SMS or WhatsApp, with no account needed on their end. It costs $8 a month per property.

See how it works