Tips For Cleaning A Vacation Home Before Guests Arrive
One of the great things about vacation homes is that you can rent them out to others when you're not staying there. This allows you to cover the cost of the mortgage and maybe even earn a little extra money on top of that. If you want your guests to be pleased, however, you need to make sure they arrive to a clean vacation home. Follow these cleaning tips prior to their arrival.
1. Use products with mild scents.
Some people find strong scents off-putting. Strong cleaning chemical scents may even give some people migraines, which is the last thing they want to deal with on vacation! So while sanitizing surfaces is important, you want to stick to milder cleaning products when possible. Use vinegar and water to wipe down surfaces. Sprinkle baking soda, rather than scented fresheners, over your carpets to freshen them up. If there are things you prefer to clean with bleach, use a weaker solution so the scent does not linger. You really only need a tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water to kill bacteria and viruses.
2. Don't skip the dusting.
You might look at the items on a shelf and think "they won't touch those; no need to clean them." But people are curious, and they are more likely to touch the items on the shelves than you might think. You need to make sure these items are clean, especially because you don't want dust to be scattered through the home if your guests do pick them up. Take the time to dust them with a microfiber cloth.
3. Check inside the drawers.
You don't necessarily need to make sure every drawer is totally organized, but you also don't want any trash, broken items, or extra clutter in the drawers as this looks sloppy. Throw away any crumbled papers, empty packages, or utensils that are too scratched or too broken to use. Make sure the paint inside the drawers is intact and not chipping away. If it is chipping, cover the inside of the drawer with some sticky contact paper as a quick fix.
4. Launder and prepare extra bedding and towels.
Make sure there is a clean, extra set of bedding on-hand in case your guests need to change it. Also, make sure you clean and set aside some extra towels. Your guests will appreciate the gesture, even if they did bring their own towels.
If you follow the tips above, your home should be well-prepared when vacationers arrive. If this sounds like too much work on a regular basis, consider hiring a professional vacation home cleaning service instead.