Vacation rental hosts worldwide have experimented with different ways to set up, organize, and declutter their Airbnb for the best success. While this task may seem overwhelming, we’ll look at how decluttering can be easily achieved with these six tips.
It can be hard to know the right level of decor to incorporate when setting up an Airbnb and what will be a little too much. Clutter is not attractive to guests, so a fine line needs to be walked when getting your property guest-ready.
1) Focus on Kitchens and Bathrooms
Let’s get started with the two areas in your Airbnb that can feel cluttered most easily: the kitchen and bathrooms.
Both of these areas are likely to accumulate more items than you actually need. The worst thing you could do would be to make it so that your guest feels crowded or uncomfortable in these areas as they try to find the household items they need.
Put Necessary Things In Plain Sight
First, ensure that everything your guests may need is in plain sight or very easy to locate. Try to store things in logical locations, and keep the items that guests will be using most frequently on the countertops.
For example, make sure the following is visible right when you walk into the kitchen:
- Coffee maker and other small appliances
- Cups, plates, utensils
- Corkscrew and bottle opener
- Can opener
Depending on what type of items are included within your property, some things might need to go into the cabinets or drawers. This is just fine, but it’s important to make sure that the most used items are somewhere that they can find easily.
Guests may feel uncomfortable digging through drawers to find what they need. Storing commonly used items in logical places helps eliminate your guests’ frustration as they try to find something.
Create a Bathroom Boutique
Next up on the declutter list is the bathroom. Like the kitchen, the same rules apply: ensure that the items most likely to be used are super easy to find.
Using open shelving in the bathroom is a great way to make sure towels, hand towels, hand soap, hairdryer, and more are within easy reach.
If you don’t have a linen closet in the bathroom, consider adding over the toilet storage or a towel ladder to create visual interest and display towels neatly.
Put Everything Else Away
While you want to keep everything needed for use in plain sight in both the kitchen and bathroom, put away everything else. If it isn’t something that your guests will need to use, put it away!
That cookie jar on the kitchen counter is just going to clutter the space, and you want to declutter as much as possible.
2) Basket it Up!
A big part of decluttering doesn’t have to be focused on throwing items away. Instead, it is about finding more logical homes for items.
One of the best ways to do this in an Airbnb is to use baskets to help organize the space.
First, look for opportunities to incorporate baskets. Placing nice wicker, wood, or wire baskets on the countertops in the bathroom, open shelves in the bedroom, and under the beds are all great ways to add additional storage.
Backstock Inventory
Next, focus on your backstock inventory. As a vacation rental host, you know you will need plenty of extra items on hand at all times within your property. Ensuring everything has a place will help you keep track of your inventory and help cut down the clutter.
Don’t let your backstock items become a financial burden. Look for ways to become more discount savvy when it comes to bedding and towels in particular. These items will need to be replaced more frequently and often come with a higher price tag.
When you choose to have baskets designated to hold something specific, it may ultimately help you decide what items to keep and what to part with.
For example, if you organize your spice collection using a basket or other storage solution, you will likely soon realize that you may have too much of a certain item. Baskets force you to work within boundaries. If it doesn’t fit or you have too much of something, get rid of it or find an alternative solution.
Utilizing baskets will help ensure things have a designated spot and help you get rid of extra things that you have in excess.
If the towel basket in the bathroom only fits five towels, then it only needs to hold five towels. The sixth towel can then be put into storage instead of trying to overfill the allotted space.
Best areas of an Airbnb space to implement basket organization:
- Kitchen – Standard cooking spices, coffee and tea supplies, basic condiments in the refrigerator.
- Bathroom – Towels, washcloths, extra toiletry items, hairdryer, extra toilet paper, and cleaning supplies if guests need to do a quick clean-up during their stay.
- Bedroom – Extra blankets and pillows.
- Living Room – Magazines, local guides, and remote controls.
Utilizing baskets in these areas will help you to see your space in a new light and get a better idea of what does and does not fit in the room. When it’s time to organize and clean between guests, everything can have its place.
3) Empty Out Drawers, Closets, Shelves
As a homeowner, people are used to filling their shelves with personalized items like picture frames, decorations, and knickknacks to help fill the space.
Hosts organizing their Airbnb may be tempted to follow the same procedure, filling up space, but this would create a very cluttered atmosphere for guests. Leaving plenty of room for your guest’s items is essential.
The following areas are where you will want to make sure your guests have sufficient space for their items:
- Closets – Whether it is a bedroom closet or an entry closet, guests will need room to hang clothing, outerwear, and store shoes.
- Drawers – In addition to space to hang items, giving guests additional space in the bedroom or bathroom drawers is also important.
- Bathroom – Having an area in the bathroom for guests to place personal items is also great. Even if you have a small space without much (or any) countertop area, look for creative ways to add smart storage solutions to the bathroom.
Whether you have a large or small Airbnb property, every size of space can benefit from decluttering.
The timeless saying of less is more couldn’t be more true for a vacation rental property. Yes, it may feel strange to leave so much space left unused. Instead of thinking of it as unused space, think of it as more room for your guest to occupy.
Remember, even the smallest areas, like the nightstand, need to be clutter-free to allow more space for your guests’ personal items.
4) Hang it Up
Another great decluttering tip is to incorporate more ways to hang things. It might not be your first instinct, but hanging things helps spread things out while also keeping them very accessible.
Add some hooks in the kitchen for oven mitts, cooking utensils, and other items that should be easily accessible. This also works great for displaying functional items that also look nice.
Increase your cabinet space by adding an easy-to-install hanging rack on the door to free up more space. Include space-saving risers or under-shelf hooks to keep coffee mugs orderly.
Storing aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and plastic bags can benefit from a door-mounted organization system rather than cramming them into a drawer.
This tactic can be applied in every room of your vacation rental property. Take time to identify other items throughout the property that could benefit aesthetically or functionally by being hung up.
As a bonus, cleaning your Airbnb gets much more manageable when things have a designated spot!
5) When in Doubt, Get Rid of It
As an Airbnb host, you likely already know you should remove personal effects such as family photos and artwork drawn by their children. But you don’t need to stop there.
Airbnb hosts that aren’t yet sure how to declutter their space should remove at least three more things from each decorative area than they think they should. Using this rule of thumb will ensure that your space is not overly decorated or too crowded for a guest to feel comfortable.
Minimalism is key, and many people are not used to decorating for minimalism inside of a home. Think about a hotel room. Now, imagine how you can make that just a little homier. You don’t want to go too far and flood the space with items.
Once you think that you are finished decluttering the Airbnb space, take a walk around with a box in hand. Chances are you may be able to remove a few more items to add to your box.
One too many vases on a shelf or too many extra towels in the bathroom just do not need to be there.
6) Create Hidden Storage Spaces
A common problem for hosts is figuring out where (and how) to store extra items. A stash of toilet paper or extra cleaning supplies is great but can quickly clutter your Airbnb.
One way to fix this is to set up an area where you can store items that the guests cannot access. A hallway closet that can be locked, for example, is a great place to hide the following:
- Extra bedding, towels, washcloths, etc.
- Backup cleaning supplies
- Bulk toilet paper, soap, and other toiletry items available for guests
- Extra copies of guest instructions and guidelines
Determine what items could be easily tucked away that are not necessary for your guests. Some items are convenient to keep on-site but don’t need to be accessible to your guests and can easily be hidden away. If you don’t have a closet that locks, consider installing a lock or getting a wardrobe that locks to hide away these items.
The Easy Way to Help Declutter Your Airbnb
Working with a regular Airbnb cleaner or cleaning service will help maintain your vacation rental property’s tidiness. A professional Airbnb cleaner will ensure items remain in their designated spots for the next guest.
Review these cleaning tips from the experts to find additional ways to declutter, clean, and maintain your property.
Ready to get started? Find your next Airbnb cleaner in your area today.
