How Much Should You Charge for Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Cleaning? 

Pricing short-term rental cleaning can be more complicated than pricing traditional residential cleaning.

A vacation rental turnover may involve much more than cleaning floors, bathrooms, and kitchens. Cleaners may also be responsible for laundry, bed resets, restocking supplies, checking inventory, inspecting for damage, documenting maintenance concerns, and completing a final guest-ready quality check before the next arrival.

Because every property is different, there is no single price that works for every Airbnb, Vrbo, or short-term rental property.

Why Short-Term Rental Cleaning Pricing Is Different

Short-term rental cleaning is usually tied to a fixed turnover window between guest checkout and the next arrival.

That means cleaners often need to complete multiple responsibilities within a limited amount of time while still meeting consistent cleaning and presentation standards.

Your price should account for the full scope of the turnover — not just the time spent wiping surfaces and vacuuming floors.

Want Professional Short-Term Rental Cleaning Training? 

The AHCA Certified Short-Term Rental Cleaning Professional program provides comprehensive online training for cleaners and cleaning companies serving Airbnb, vacation rental, and other short-term rental properties.

LEARN ABOUT STR CERTIFICATION 

What Should You Consider When Pricing an Airbnb Cleaning?

Before quoting a short-term rental property, consider the specific requirements of that property.

Property Size

Larger properties generally require more labor, more supplies, and more time. Square footage matters, but it should not be the only pricing factor.

Bedrooms and Bathrooms

The number of beds and bathrooms can significantly affect turnover time, especially when the cleaner is also responsible for stripping beds, replacing linens, washing towels, and resetting sleeping areas.

Laundry Requirements

Laundry can become one of the largest operational costs in short-term rental cleaning. Consider whether linens are washed onsite, offsite, through a laundry service, or handled by the property owner.

Guest Capacity

A property that sleeps two people will usually require a different level of turnover work than a property designed for ten or twelve guests.

Restocking and Amenities

If your team is responsible for checking and restocking toiletries, paper products, kitchen supplies, coffee, laundry products, or other guest amenities, that time and responsibility should be considered in your pricing.

Travel Time

Vacation rentals may be spread across a large geographic area. Travel time, mileage, parking, access restrictions, and routing should all be included when evaluating the profitability of a property.

Know Your True Cost to Clean

One of the biggest pricing mistakes cleaning businesses make is setting prices based only on what competitors are charging.

Your price needs to cover your actual costs and leave room for profit.

Labor Costs

Consider the total labor required for the turnover, including cleaning, laundry, inspections, restocking, travel, and quality control.

If you have employees, remember that the actual cost of labor can include more than hourly wages.

Cleaning Supplies and Equipment

Account for chemicals, microfiber products, trash bags, gloves, equipment wear, specialty products, and any supplies your company provides.

Laundry Costs

Laundry may involve labor, utilities, detergent, equipment, transportation, commercial laundry fees, or linen replacement.

Administrative Time

Scheduling, communicating with property managers, documenting damage, managing inventory, and resolving turnover issues all require time even though that work may happen outside the property.

Should You Charge a Flat Rate or Hourly Rate?

Many professional short-term rental cleaning companies use a flat turnover price rather than charging the client by the hour.

A flat rate can make budgeting easier for the host or property manager and rewards the cleaning company for improving its systems and efficiency.

However, the flat rate should be calculated using realistic labor estimates and actual business costs.

Consider Additional Charges for Extra Work

Your standard turnover price should clearly define what is included.

Additional charges may be appropriate for work outside the normal scope of the turnover.

Examples May Include:

• Excessive cleaning

• Unusually heavy trash

• Pet-related cleanup

• Additional laundry

• Same-day emergency turnovers

• Restocking trips

• Supply purchasing

• Deep cleaning

• Oven or refrigerator cleaning

• Excessive guest conditions

• Additional beds or sleeping areas

• Maintenance coordination

Do Not Forget About Profit

Revenue and profit are not the same thing.

If a turnover brings in $200 but costs your business $180 in labor, travel, supplies, laundry, and administrative time, that property may not be as profitable as it appears.

Professional pricing should cover your operating costs and produce a reasonable profit for the business.

Review Pricing as Properties Change

Short-term rental properties can change over time.

Owners may add beds, increase guest capacity, change linen requirements, add amenities, or increase restocking responsibilities.

Your pricing should be reviewed whenever the scope of work changes.

Professional Training Can Help You Build Better STR Systems

Pricing is only one part of running a successful short-term rental cleaning service.

Cleaners and cleaning business owners also need reliable systems for turnovers, laundry, inspections, damage reporting, inventory, final quality control, communication, and property-specific procedures.

The AHCA Certified Short-Term Rental Cleaning Professional program includes training on the operational and business side of short-term rental cleaning, including understanding your true cost to clean, labor, supplies, travel costs, pricing, scheduling, efficiency, and profitability.

Learn More About AHCA Short-Term Rental Cleaning Certification

If you want to strengthen your short-term rental cleaning systems and earn a professional credential specifically designed for cleaners serving vacation rental properties, explore the AHCA certification program.

Explore the AHCA Short-Term Rental Cleaning Certification