We all know how important good reviews can be in the vacation rental business. Guests are much more likely to rent a place with a good collection of glowing feedback than a place with mediocre reviews (or none at all). Additionally, a person who leaves an excellent review is more likely to return in the future as they were clearly happy with their stay.

Unfortunately, many rental property owners struggle with gathering those good reviews. They find that guests tend to leave reviews only when they are exceptionally happy or terribly disappointed. This fact makes it quite difficult to get that great feedback as it requires providing something unusually outstanding.

One of the best ways to make your guests’ stays exceptional is to go all-out when it comes to vacation rental turnover cleanings. While it may seem silly to deep-clean between each guest, it can truly make a world of difference when it comes to the feedback you receive.

Here are 7 ways a good turnover cleaning can improve their experience and help you collect some incredible reviews.

Avoid Stains

All too often, spills are simply wiped up and proper scrubbing and cleaning is skipped over. If allowed to sit for too long, these spills can lead to permanent blemishes. Because stains suggest a dirty overall appearance, even the cleanest rental can be poorly reviewed due to these eyesores.

This fact makes thorough turnover cleanings—and immediate stain treatment—invaluable. Consider the cost of renting a carpet cleaner (or hiring a specialist) compared to the possible bookings you might lose due to letting stains sink in. Don’t wait to make these spots go away.

Skip Buildup

Another problem with skipping cleanings—or opting for very light cleanings between guests—is succumbing to a buildup of dust, dirt, and other grime. Because this buildup can give a musty or grungy vibe to a home, it’s important to keep on top of it in order to avoid poor reviews. This is best done through regular dusting as well as thorough bathroom and kitchen cleanings after each and every guest.

Another benefit of staying on top of cleaning dirt and avoiding buildup is the ease of cleaning. After all, a week’s worth of dust is much easier to wipe away than the dust of several months.

Find Damages Right Away

Just as stains tend to worsen if left sitting, damages can become more of an issue if they go unnoticed for a long period of time. Not only can broken things become more damaged, but some items could potentially cause harm to a guest should they go unaddressed.

Thorough cleanings between guests will help ensure you find any damages right away. This will make it possible for you to fix hazardous situations and make repairs before the damages become more significant and lead to poor reviews. Additionally, this practice will allow you to know exactly which guest caused the issue in the first place in case it becomes a matter of requesting reimbursement.

Put Guests’ Health First

While a guest is unlikely to give a great review simply because they didn't fall ill during their stay, a bad review is sure to be written if they do become sick while visiting your place. Therefore, regular turnover cleanings are a must, especially during the time of year when people tend to carry germs.

By cleaning regularly and well, you will be putting your guests’ health first. This will ensure you have a good number of happy and healthy visitors leave your vacation rental ready to write great things about you.

Reduce Allergic Reactions

Allergies and asthma are very serious issues for many people. Even if your vacation rental unit is pet-free, there’s a good chance some of your guests will have pets at their own homes. This means pet dander is very likely going to make its way into your rental property—something your guests with allergies are bound to notice. Moreover, even a few days of dust buildup can irritate a person with allergies.

You can make your allergic guests perfectly comfortable despite these things by cleaning thoroughly after every stay. This will rid the space of pet dander and excessive dust, leading to a happy visit and, hopefully, a good review.

Banish Pests

Pests are sure to bring in bad reviews. From microscopic bed bugs to rats and mice, nobody wants to find insects or rodents hanging around in their vacation rental.

Of course, we all know the best way to avoid most pests is to keep the place as clean as possible. However, creatures such as lice can find their way into even the cleanest of homes via the belongings of guests who may not realize they have tiny hitchhikers.

Very thorough turnover cleanings are one of the best ways to make sure no little visitors are hanging around when your next guests arrive.

Keep Consumables Stocked

There are few things quite as annoying as using the restroom only to find the toilet paper is gone. Keeping consumables stocked is an easy way to ensure your guests have a stress-free stay in your rental.

Cleaning the space after each guest is a surefire way to make sure consumables stay well-stocked. This will give you the opportunity to check on the status of toilet paper, paper towels, soap, shampoo, and laundry detergent, and restock them if necessary.

If you wish to go above and beyond, consider offering a variety of soaps for your guests to choose from and adding lotion, razors, or toothpaste to the lineup. This will leave your guests feeling well taken care of—something that is crucial for getting amazing feedback later.

As you can see, cleaning between guests is a very important part of keeping your customers happy. As we all know, happy customers are the key to good reviews as well as return customers and word-of-mouth advertisement. As all of these things are crucial for those who wish to find success in the vacation rental business, we suggest you make turnover cleanings a must.

For some, heading to their vacation rental property every single time a guest checks out is too much to add to their to-do list. In these cases, a professional cleaning service should be brought in. Cleaning professionals will ensure everything is spick-and-span for the next guest and they’ll alert you of any problems you may need to address.

This makes your life as a rental property owner easy while giving your guests an experience worth some positive feedback.

This article is courtesy of MaidThis! Cleaning. MaidThis! is a California-based cleaning service specializing in vacation rental cleaning. They currently serve the greater LA, Orange County, and San Francisco areas.