Why Are Airbnb Cleaning Fees So Expensive?
Seattle is one of the country’s great cities, explaining why the city receives over 18 million visitors yearly. Of course, with so many visitors, you have ample opportunity to earn some money by running an Airbnb in Seattle. But when looking into the industry, or even from personal experience of staying in other Airbnbs, you might be a little curious about Airbnb cleaning fees and why they always seem to be so expensive.
If you are or are planning to be one of the hundreds of Airbnb hosts in Seattle, read on to better understand the ins and outs of the Airbnb cleaning fee and why it can be so costly.
How Do Airbnb Cleaning Fees Work?
Airbnb cleaning fees are included in the price of every booking as a non-negotiable cost. While the price of vacation rental cleaning will vary from property to property, it will never vary between bookings for the same rental. The standard fee doesn't account for any additional costs that may come up if the property is left with a disrespectful amount of mess (based on the host's discretion).
The price itself isn't standardized by the platform, meaning hosts can set it themselves. This may seem like a clear reason as to why the cleaning fees are seemingly so high in general, but there's a lot more to it.
How Expensive Are Airbnb Cleaning Fees?
Airbnbs in Seattle can have cleaning fees anywhere between $50-$500, with the size and value of the property (and its contents) being the main factors determining this cost. On average, hosts in the city of Seattle tend to charge around $100-$250 per stay for cleaning vacation rentals, which seems high considering the average cost for a night’s stay is just $153.
However, it’s worth considering that an Airbnb cleaning fee cost generally won’t change, regardless of how long you spend in the property. This means the cleaning cost is often the same for one night as it is for a week-long stay, meaning a shorter stay might be less economical for guests.
What Do Airbnb Cleaning Fees Cover?
The amount of an Airbnb cleaning fee isn’t just plucked out of thin air—maintaining a clean property requires countless moving parts, and none of them are free.
For example, an Airbnb cleaning checklist can include, but isn’t limited to:
Making the bed (with clean sheets)
Washing and drying towels
Cleaning floors
Wiping down surfaces
Dusting downsides
Cleaning the bathroom
Replenishing toiletries (toilet roll, shampoo, soap, toothpaste)
Replenishing any complimentary items
Taking out the trash
Reorganizing furniture
Plumping up sofa cushions
When you consider all of these steps, it’s no wonder that a vacation rental cleaning fee might be so high. Whether a host hires a professional Airbnb cleaning service or plans on completing the cleaning themselves, it takes a lot of time and money to do so.
Is the Airbnb Cleaning Fee Justified?
The Airbnb cleaning fee is something hosts charge to clean their rental property between guests. It's important because it helps hosts keep their properties in good condition and maintain high standards of hospitality.
It can be a lot of work to clean a rental property, and the fee covers the cost of cleaning supplies and other items like light bulbs and batteries. It's important to keep the property in top shape for guests who expect a high level of service. The fee also helps cover the cost of having a professional Airbnb cleaning company handle issues that may arise during a guest's stay.
Keeping a property spick and span does not come cheap, with prices for cleaning only increasing once professional help is included. It’s also worth considering that many Airbnb hosts manage multiple properties or have day jobs, meaning they can’t handle the cleaning entirely by themselves. This can be another reason that a cleaning fee might seem so high.
Hosts cite cleanliness is one of the key selling points for properties, with the cleanest homes garnering the best reviews and reputations—cutting cleaning costs isn’t a viable option.
For guests, paying the cleaning fee means they can trust that their accommodation will be clean and comfortable when they arrive. Whether or not the cleaning fee is worth it depends on how much value each guest places on having a clean space during their stay.
Can Expensive Airbnb Cleaning Fees Scare Off Guests?
In short, yes. If a host charges a standard price regardless of the length of a stay, cleaning fees can scare off customers from making shorter trips, which is a large sect of the Airbnb economy. This issue can come up in Airbnbs of all price ranges and sizes, as the cleaning fee will generally reflect the size and quality of the home.
If you’re running an Airbnb or planning to, this may come as a concern, as it’s already been established that cleaning costs are totally unavoidable. But you can take steps to ensure that these costs don’t affect your business too much.
How to Keep Your Airbnb Cleaning Fees from Appearing Too Expensive
You must carefully consider your budget when figuring out how to charge your Airbnb cleaning fee.
You could complete the cleaning yourself if you want to keep the literal cost down and have enough spare time. In this case, your only financial cost would be the materials (plus the cost of time and energy) used in the cleaning process, keeping your spending on labor and the cleaning fee far lower.
Similarly, you can charge smaller cleaning fees for shorter stays, but this is a less ordinary course of action in hosting. You can’t guarantee that a more temporary stay will result in less mess than a longer one, and vice versa.
From the guest's perspective, staying longer in an Airbnb can seem more cost-effective because the cleaning fee is a one-time charge regardless of the length of your stay. For example, if the cleaning fee is 25% of the rate for one night, it drops to 12.5% of the rate for two nights. If you spread a $150 cleaning fee over a two-week stay, it would average out to around $10 per day. However, if you only stayed for one day, you would still pay the full $150 fee.
Knowing that you can spread out the cleaning fee over a longer stay can be an incentive to treat yourself to a more extended vacation.
Generally, Airbnbs are cheaper for long-term stays compared to hotels. But for short stays, hotels can be more affordable due to the added cleaning fees for Airbnbs. If you plan your trip to stay in one Airbnb for many days instead of switching between different Airbnbs, you can save money in the long run.
Airbnb House Cleaning Is Worth It!
Airbnb cleaning fees are an essential facet of running a vacation rental property, and they’re always going to be at least as expensive as the cleaning process itself.
By carefully considering the average cost of cleaning compared to the average lengths of stays, it is possible to avoid scaring off guests with what appears as massive additional costs to their stay.
Nevertheless, it’s most important to remember that cleanliness is king, and the good reviews it can foster will likely bring in more business than an expensive cleaning fee will push away.
Still curious? For more information on vacation rental cleaning services in Seattle, contact us today!