Airbnb cleaning in North London: what a proper turnover looks like

Checkout at 11. Next guest at 3. Four hours to make a flat look like nobody’s ever stayed there.

That window is the whole job for short-let hosts. And cleanliness isn’t a nice extra on Airbnb. It’s one of the categories guests score you on after every stay, sitting right alongside accuracy and check-in. One review that mentions hair in the shower can sit on your listing for months.

We clean short lets across North London, including Edgware, Harrow, Barnet and Camden. Here’s what a proper turnover involves, and what to agree with a cleaner before the first booking.

What a turnover should cover

A turnover is a reset. The next guest should walk in and find no trace of the last one.

• Beds stripped and made up with fresh linen
• Fresh towels laid out for the number of guests booked
• Bathroom cleaned top to bottom, with extra care on hair, limescale and the toilet
• Kitchen reset: dishes done and put away, hob and microwave wiped, fridge checked for anything left behind
• Bins emptied and relined
• Floors vacuumed and mopped
• Surfaces, switches, handles and remote controls wiped
• A final walk-through with the listing photos in mind, so cushions, throws and furniture are where guests expect them

The things hosts get caught out by

Left items. Guests leave chargers, jewellery and the odd passport. Agree what the cleaner does with them, whether that’s photographing and messaging you or bagging them somewhere safe.

Damage. A cleaner is the first person in after a guest leaves. If something is broken or stained, you want photos straight away while you’re still inside Airbnb’s window to raise it.

Consumables. Loo roll, washing-up liquid, coffee, bin bags. Decide whether the cleaner restocks from a supply you keep on site, or just tells you when things are running low.

Back-to-back days. Busy weekends and school holidays mean several turnovers across different properties on the same day. Ask how the cleaner handles that before peak season, not during it.

Linen and towels

Linen is usually the bottleneck. With one set per bed you’re stuck waiting for the wash. Our turnovers include cleaning plus a linen and towel change, and we cover how to set up your linen stock in our guide to linen and towel changes for short lets.

Why local matters

A cleaner coming from across London is at the mercy of the North Circular. For a tight turnover window, someone close by is less likely to arrive late. We’re based on Watling Avenue in Edgware, so Harrow, Barnet, Mill Hill and the surrounding areas are on our doorstep, and Camden is a straight run down the Northern line.

Getting started

Tell us how many properties you have, how many bedrooms, where they are and roughly how often they turn over. We’ll start with one turnover, agree what “ready” means for your listing, and build a routine from there.

Ask for a short-let quote or call 020 7205 7386.