In the world of Airbnb, reviews are currency. While you can’t please everyone, you can eliminate the most common and damaging complaints by focusing on what guests scrutinize the most: cleanliness. We’ve seen it all, and the same five issues pop up time and time again in negative reviews. Here’s how to make your property bulletproof against them.
1. The Complaint: “I found hair in the bathroom/on the sheets.” This is the number one guest complaint. It’s an instant deal-breaker that makes a space feel unsanitary.
- The Pro Solution: Hair is notoriously difficult to spot. After cleaning, our teams are trained to use a bright flashlight held at a low angle across surfaces like floors, shower walls, and bed linens. This technique makes every single hair cast a shadow, revealing what the naked eye misses. All drains must be cleared of hair after every stay.
2. The Complaint: “The kitchen felt greasy and the microwave was dirty.” Guests who plan to cook will inspect the kitchen thoroughly. Sticky cabinet handles, a greasy range hood, or food splatters inside the microwave make the whole space feel unclean.
- The Pro Solution: A turnover clean must include wiping down all cabinet fronts and handles, degreasing the stovetop and range hood, and cleaning the inside of the microwave every single time. These are non-negotiable details.
3. The Complaint: “The place had a weird smell.” A property should smell neutral and fresh, not like the previous guest’s cooking or heavy air fresheners. Lingering odours suggest a surface-level clean.
- The Pro Solution: The key is to eliminate odours, not mask them. This means airing out the unit during the entire clean, washing linens with a neutral detergent, and sprinkling baking soda on carpets and upholstery before vacuuming to absorb smells.
4. The Complaint: “The shower had soap scum and mildew.” The bathroom must be pristine. Soap scum on glass doors or pink/black mildew in the grout gives the impression of a long-term lack of deep cleaning.
- The Pro Solution: A professional service uses specific, non-abrasive cleaners to cut through soap scum and tackles grout with detailed brushwork. This should be part of every turnover, with a deeper scrub scheduled regularly.
5. The Complaint: “It just felt ‘dusty’.” This vague but common complaint usually points to the areas amateur cleaners miss: baseboards, window sills, the tops of picture frames, and ceiling fan blades.
- The Pro Solution: Our cleaning checklists are designed to work from top to bottom, ensuring dust is systematically removed from the space, not just moved around. Wiping down baseboards is a must.
A professional cleaning service isn’t just cleaning; it’s a form of reputation management for your Airbnb business.
Eliminate cleaning complaints for good. Contact My Canada Cleaning to partner with a team that understands the 5-star standard.