Nobody leaves a bad review because of one big thing. It's the hair in the shower. The sticky bench. The one towel that wasn't there. Small stuff, and almost all of it is avoidable.
The fix isn't a stricter cleaner. It's a checklist your cleaner can follow without having to ask you anything. Here's the one we'd use, and how to make sure it actually gets used.
Why a checklist beats "just clean it properly"
Ask five people to clean a kitchen and you'll get five different results. Your best cleaner knows your place by heart. Your backup, the one you ring at 8am when someone cancels, has never seen it.
A checklist takes the standard out of one person's head and puts it somewhere everyone can see. It also means you stop repeating the same feedback every time something gets missed.
Before the cleaner starts
A couple of minutes of setup saves a lot of messages later. Make sure your cleaner knows:
- When the guests check out and when the next ones arrive, so they know how long they have.
- Anything unusual about this stay: a dog, extra guests, a late checkout.
- How to get in. Test the lockbox or smart lock code before they turn up.
- Where the spare linen and supplies live, and that there's actually enough.
The room-by-room checklist
Copy this and cut it down to suit your place. Keep it short. A checklist with eighty items doesn't get read. Stick to the things guests actually notice.
Entry and living area
- Open the windows and doors to let some air in.
- Empty the bins and recycling, then put in fresh liners.
- Wipe tables, remotes, light switches and door handles.
- Vacuum the sofa, including down the sides where things get lost.
- Dust shelves, the TV unit and window sills.
- Vacuum or mop the floors, including under anything you can easily move.
Kitchen
- Clear out anything guests left in the fridge and wipe the shelves.
- Put clean dishes away and check nothing is broken or missing.
- Wipe the benches, sink, tap, stovetop and oven front.
- Clean inside the microwave, then the kettle, toaster and coffee machine.
- Restock dish soap, sponge, paper towel, tea and coffee.
- Mop the floor last.
Bathrooms
- Scrub the toilet: inside, outside, the base and behind the seat.
- Clean the shower, bath and basin, and check the drains for hair.
- Wipe the mirrors until there are no streaks.
- Put out fresh towels and a bath mat.
- Refill the hand soap and leave a spare toilet roll.
- Empty the bin and do the floor last.
Bedrooms
- Strip every bed, even the ones that look untouched.
- Check the mattress protector for stains and tell you about them.
- Make the beds with fresh linen, pulled tight, pillows all facing the same way.
- Look under the beds and in the drawers and wardrobes for anything left behind.
- Dust the bedside tables and vacuum.
Balcony or outdoor area
- Sweep and wipe down the table and chairs.
- Empty ashtrays and bins.
- Clean the BBQ if guests are allowed to use it.
Final walk-through
- Stand at the front door and look at the place like a new guest would.
- Do a smell test. It should smell clean, not like a wall of air freshener.
- Switch off the lights, set the heating or air-con to your default, close and lock the windows.
- Take the completion photos (more on that next).
- Lock up and mark the job as done.
Photos: the cheapest quality control you'll find
At the end of every clean, ask for a few photos: each bed, each bathroom, the kitchen bench, and anything damaged or missing. You don't need a gallery. A handful of clear shots is enough to see the job was done properly.
It pays off in three ways. You can check quality without driving over. If a guest damages something, you've got a before-and-after. And cleaners tend to be a bit more careful when they know the last step is a photo.
Linen: where turnovers usually go wrong
Most late turnovers aren't about cleaning. They're about linen. The dryer dies, the laundry service runs late, or there just aren't enough clean sheets in the cupboard.
Whatever setup you use, keep at least two full sets of linen per bed: one on the bed, one clean and waiting. If your laundry happens off-site, make it three.
How long should a turnover take?
It depends on the place, so be wary of anyone who gives you one number. Time the first few cleans yourself, or ask your best cleaner to, and put the expected duration on the job.
Then look at your tightest days: same-day checkout and check-in. Build in a buffer. A turnover that fits perfectly on paper leaves no room for a late checkout or a messier-than-usual stay.
When the cleaner cancels
Sooner or later it happens, usually on your busiest day. You can't stop it, but you can make it a non-event.
- Keep at least two backup cleaners for each area, and make sure they've seen the property before.
- Decide your late-cancellation rule ahead of time: how much notice you expect and what happens if you don't get it. Then you're not negotiating on the day.
- Send the backup the checklist, the access details and the time window in one message.
Common mistakes
- A checklist so long that nobody reads it.
- One checklist for every property, when a studio and a four-bedroom house need different things.
- No restock list, so you find out you're out of toilet paper from a review.
- Never updating it. Every time a guest mentions something, add a line.
- Paying for time but never saying what "done" looks like.
How to roll this out
- Write a first version for one property. It doesn't need to be perfect.
- Go through it with your best cleaner and ask what's missing or pointless.
- Add the photo step.
- After every complaint or missed item, add one line.
- When it works, copy it as a template for your other properties and tweak it.
Where software can help
With a handful of properties, a shared checklist and a WhatsApp group can work fine. Past that point, chasing confirmations and photos by message starts to eat your day.
That's the problem BreathWise is built for: a checklist attached to each property, photos from the cleaner, and a clear view of what's done without chasing anyone. But the checklist matters more than the tool. Get that right first, then decide whether you need software to run it.