Even with a solid cleaning routine, most Toronto hosts eventually get a review that mentions cleanliness — sometimes fair, sometimes not. How you respond, and what you fix afterward, matters more for your long-term rating than the single review itself.
First: Investigate Before You Respond
Before writing a public response, check with your cleaning team about the specific turnover in question. Was it a same-day turnover under time pressure? Was something skipped, or was it a one-off issue like a maintenance problem (mould from a leak, an appliance malfunction) that looked like a cleaning failure?
Responding to the Review
Keep your public response calm, specific, and solution-focused — acknowledging the guest’s experience without being defensive, and briefly noting what’s been done to address it. Overly defensive or dismissive responses tend to hurt host credibility with future guests reading your review history more than the original complaint does.
Fixing the Actual Process
- If it was a one-off missed step, review your checklist with your cleaning team to reinforce the standard
- If it was a same-day turnover issue, consider building in more buffer time between that listing’s bookings
- If it’s a recurring issue (like odour or a specific area), a deeper investigation — carpet, HVAC, or plumbing — may be needed beyond a standard clean
Preventing the Next One
Photo documentation after each turnover gives you a record to compare against a guest’s complaint, and it often reveals whether an issue happened during cleaning or during the guest’s own stay.
My Canada Cleaning provides photo-documented Airbnb turnovers for Toronto hosts, giving you a clear record to stand behind if a cleanliness concern ever comes up in a review.