"How long will it take?" is right behind "what does it cost?" on every host’s list of questions. The honest answer is that it depends, but it depends on things you can see and plan for. If you are working with a tight window, read How Same-Day Airbnb Turnovers Work Between Checkout and Check-In alongside this one.
Here is what decides turnover time at the rentals we clean around Waxahachie, Cedar Hill and the south DFW area, and what you can do to shorten it.
Size is the starting point
The number of bedrooms and bathrooms sets the baseline. Every bed is stripped, remade and dusted around. Every bathroom gets a full scrub. A studio with one bath and a four-bedroom lake house with three baths are completely different jobs, even if both get "a turnover."
Bathrooms take more time than bedrooms. A house with fewer bedrooms but more bathrooms can take longer than you would think.
Laundry is the biggest variable
Washing and drying linens on site is often the slowest part of the job. The cleaning itself might be finished while the dryer still has twenty minutes left. Things that change laundry time:
- Whether you keep spare linen sets so beds can be made right away
- The size and speed of your washer and dryer
- How many beds were used and how many towels guests went through
- Extra items like throws, pool towels and kitchen towels
- Whether linens are washed on site or picked up by a laundry service
If you only own one set of linens, the turnover cannot end until the last load is dry and folded. Spare sets are the single easiest way to shorten every turnover.
How the guests left it
Two guests who stayed one night leave a very different house than a family of eight who stayed a week. Things that add time:
- Lots of dishes, or a fridge full of leftover food
- Parties, spills, sticky floors or glitter
- Pets, sand from the lake or red-clay mud from a rainy weekend
- Beds used that the booking did not mention
- Trash left everywhere instead of in the bins
When a turnover looks heavier than usual, we take photos and let the host know, especially if it might mean extra time before the next check-in.
Outdoor areas and extras
Patios, porches, hot tub areas, grills and fire pits each add time. So do the small extras some hosts want every turnover, like wiping down the inside of the oven or cleaning the windows on the back door. None of these are big on their own, but together they can stretch a turnover noticeably.
Decide which extras happen every visit and which happen on a schedule. A full oven cleaning every few weeks is plenty for most rentals. The same goes for interior windows, baseboards and inside the cabinets. Spread across a schedule, those jobs stay small. Piled into one turnover, they can push you right up against check-in.
Setup and organization
The rentals that turn over quickest are organized for it. A locked owner’s closet with labeled linens, a stocked supply shelf, a par list and furniture that goes back to the same place every time all save minutes. A messy closet where the cleaner has to hunt for the queen sheets costs minutes on every visit, and those add up over a year.
The first turnover takes longest
The first time anyone cleans a property, it takes longer. They are learning where everything goes, how the beds are made and which closet holds what. By the third or fourth turnover, the same cleaner moves through it much faster. That is one big reason to keep the same cleaner whenever you can.
It is also why a first visit often includes a bit of deep cleaning. If the rental has been turned over in a hurry for a while, catching up on the baseboards, grout and appliance fronts makes every turnover after that go quicker.
Ways hosts can shorten turnover time
- Keep two or three linen sets per bed
- Send a checkout message asking guests to start the dishwasher and gather towels
- Keep supplies stocked and labeled
- Use the same layout and decor every stay
- Tell your cleaner about early checkouts right away
- Book a deep clean between seasons so turnovers stay light
Find out how long your turnover takes
Send us your bedrooms, bathrooms and anything extra, like a hot tub or patio. We will reply with a price and timing, usually the same day.
Get a free quotePlan for the realistic version
Plan your check-in times around a normal turnover with a little cushion, not the best-case one. The day a large group leaves a big mess is exactly the day you will be glad you did. To see how we plan turnovers around your booking calendar, visit our vacation rental turnover page.