A professional Airbnb cleaner shares the 3 red flags to look for as soon as you check into a new place

16.09.2023 - 14:07 / insider.com

How clean is your Airbnb, really?

Diana Cruz, a Florida-based professional Airbnb cleaner, is tasked with making sure that the answer is really, really clean.

Since quitting her office job five years ago, Cruz, 29, has been cleaning Airbnbs full-time with her husband. As it stands, the pair has about 10 clients, each with two or three properties, Cruz told Insider. Insider has verified Cruz's employment.

And while it's Cruz's goal to always leave a home sparkling clean, sometimes that's not always the case. Cruz shared the three red flags you should look for when you check into an Airbnb — and why they may indicate your place isn't as clean as it should be. 

A representative for Airbnb told Insider the company holds hosts to "high standards, including cleanliness," and that "hosts who violate cleaning standards may be subject to warnings, suspensions, and, in some cases, account removal." The company has a resource page on its website dedicated to keeping homes clean. 

"As soon as you get there, look at the sheets," Cruz told Insider. "You can easily tell whether they smell good or if they just look they have not been cleaned."

Cruz said that fresh, clean bedding is one of the most important things to ensure a great Airbnb stay. She recommended that hosts have a closet filled with clean linens, so that cleaners can quickly make the bed with clean sheets without waiting on the laundry.

"That way we take away everything that is dirty, and you just switch it out with new things," Cruz said.

For some of us, the space beneath the bed is for storage, dust bunnies, and things we're too lazy to properly put away (guilty!). But a dirty floor under the bed is a no-go in an Airbnb.

So, while you're already in the bedroom checking the sheets, Cruz said you should look under the bed. Doing so will give you an idea of how detail-oriented the cleaner was — and how thoroughly the rest of the Airbnb has been cleaned. 

"Under the bed, if you're finding bottles and all sorts of socks and stuff, that's a big red flag," Cruz said. 

Finally, head to the bathroom to scope out your Airbnb's shower — which is one of the things any cleaner should give extra attention to, Cruz said.

For example, if the shower has hairs from the previous guest stuck to the tub or lingering shampoo or conditioner residue on the shelves, it's a good indication the Airbnb probably isn't as clean as it should be. 

"Go into the shower," Cruz said. "On the edges, you can tell if there are any hairs or anything like that. That's something that a cleaner should definitely be paying attention to."