When my husband and I started cleaning Airbnb’s, I had no experience in how to turn them over or what the client expected. I was scared and little nervous when I received my first call. I had the cleaning experience of over a year, but not in the area of Airbnb cleaning services. While speaking to her she liked my organization and persona over the phone. What I realized as I was speaking to her was that it did not necessarily matter how much experience I had but how I carried myself. She explained to me what was expected, and she even had her former cleaner call us to see what my cleaning company did. We set up a time for my team and I to meet the old cleaner to train us in what needs to be done. So even though I had no experience she still gave me a chance to prove myself and what my company was all about.
Lessons Learned From the Initial Meeting:
1. Be yourself and no one else. Have confidence in yourself and your company and it will all fall into place.
2. Act like a business owner. Talk like a business owner. You must run your business not just work it.
So next we met with the former Airbnb cleaner and she explained to us how to take care of everything. She gave us the checklist of what needed to be done in the home such as stocking, changing sheets etc. To this day I thank this woman for everything she taught us and everything we have learned. I admire her for all her knowledge and how she allowed us to get into her head and teach us everything we know.
Lessons Learned from Speaking With Experienced Cleaners:
1. Always ask questions and always find someone who has more experience than you do. Those awesome people can be
a game changing experience for you and your business.
2. Pay close attention to the whole house and steps. Ask yourself how would I want this house to look if I was renting it
for a couple of days? What would I want stocked in the home during my stay at the home?
The former cleaner then had us perform the turnover for her that day as a test of our abilities. She asked us to send pictures of the completed project and she would come back later to check it out. She would then decide if we were a good candidate for the job. So, we did as we were told and cleaned and stocked. After two hours of cleaning to make sure everything was perfect, we left and waited to hear about how we did. She called us later that night and told us she was very impressed with our work and would let the Airbnb owner know. I gave the owner a bid and waited.
We finally got that email the next morning stating we had received the contract and she accepted our bid. We were so excited by the news! Since that moment we have expanded our business and our Airbnb contracts. Starting our first Airbnb really took off our business and we are still growing. We have a full schedule, and even have won an award in our area for best cleaning service. We have almost doubled our income and we are still moving forward!
About the Author: Crystal is a professional Airbnb Cleaner located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. To view Crystal’s profile or to book her for your next short term rental cleaning, visit her profile or find an Airbnb cleaner in your area.
