Cleaning products for an Airbnb: what a company uses and what you really need in the home
Which products and tools a short-term rental turnover needs, which surfaces need care and what to leave in the home for guests. No brands: categories, uses and mistakes to avoid.
Cleaning and turnover · 10 September 2026
By Stefano R., Comfort Home’s contact for hosts and property managers
6 min read
Whoever searches for «Airbnb cleaning products» usually wants to know two things: what is really needed for a turnover done well and what to leave in the home for guests. The professional answer is shorter than it seems: a few product categories, used the right way and with the right tools, cover everything a short-term rental apartment requires between one guest and the next.
In this guide we do not name brands: we talk about categories, uses, delicate surfaces, tools and how to organise the kit per apartment, that is, the things a cleaning company specialised in short-term rentals sets up at the first inspection. We close with the most common mistakes of those who clean on their own and the minimum inventory for guests.
The product categories a turnover needs
An essential turnover kit covers six product families. Each has a job and a way of use: mixing them or using one for everything is the fastest way to ruin a surface or to clean badly.
- Kitchen degreaser: hob, extractor hood, oven, cupboard doors near the burners; with contact time and rinsing
- Bathroom limescale remover: taps, shower enclosure, basin; never on marble and natural stone
- Floor cleaner suited to the material: parquet, porcelain tiles, terracotta and marble do not want the same product
- Glass and mirror cleaner, streak-free, with a dedicated cloth
- Disinfectant for high-contact surfaces: handles, switches, remote controls, sanitary ware, tables
- Neutral multi-purpose cleaner for dust, furniture and non-delicate surfaces
Tools matter as much as products
The difference between a professional and a domestic clean often lies in the tools: microfibre cloths colour-coded per area (one colour for the bathroom, one for the kitchen, one for surfaces), replaced or washed at every turnover, so as not to carry bathroom bacteria onto the kitchen table; a vacuum cleaner that works on floors and fabrics; a floor-washing system that does not leave excess water; gloves; non-abrasive sponges for delicate surfaces; a scraper for residues on the hob.
Dosing is part of the method: more product does not clean more, it leaves residues and streaks. Labels state dilutions and contact times, and they should be respected: a degreaser left to act for two minutes works instead of the arm. That is why in cleaning companies products are used diluted in labelled bottles, not poured by eye.
The surfaces that need care
In a short-term rental apartment the delicate surfaces are also the ones that cost most to replace. Before the first turnover they should be identified and written in the apartment's file, with the right product next to them.
- Marble and natural stone: no limescale removers or acidic products; neutral cleaners and immediate drying
- Parquet: very little water, a specific cleaner, never steam; watch for scratches from chairs and suitcases
- Stainless steel: a gentle degreaser and a cloth in the direction of the grain, so as not to leave marks
- Resin, laminate and painted wood worktops: no abrasives and no rough sponges
- Shower enclosure glass: limescale remover with a short contact time and rinsing; a squeegee after every shower reduces limescale
- Fabrics (sofas, headboards, curtains): vacuuming and targeted stain removal; washing only if planned
How do you organise the kit per apartment?
Two models. Kit brought along: whoever cleans arrives with their own products and tools, the same for all apartments; the apartment stays free of bottles and there is nothing to restock. Kit in the home: a closed basket with dedicated products, in a space not accessible to guests (or with the agreement that they may use only the minimum), useful when the same apartment has special needs or when a specific product is needed for a surface.
In our case we bring the professional products ourselves, suited to the surfaces in the home; if an apartment has special needs (a delicate surface, an owner's preference), we put them in the checklist and in the dedicated kit. What stays in the home is the inventory for guests, not the turnover products.
What to leave in the home for guests
The guest does not have to do the turnover, but they must be able to keep things tidy for a few days. The minimum inventory is short and should be checked at every change, like the other supplies:
- Washing-up liquid and a new sponge at every check-in
- Dishwasher tablets or pods in sufficient quantity for the stay
- Broom, dustpan, cloth and a cloth for the kitchen worktop
- Bin bags and clear instructions for the municipality's separate waste collection
- A neutral multi-purpose cleaner, if the stay is long; no aggressive products within reach of children
The most common mistakes of those who clean on their own
We see them in the apartments we take on, and they almost always show in the reviews too.
- One cloth for the whole apartment, bathroom included
- Bleach or limescale remover on marble, stone and steel: permanent stains
- Too much product and no rinsing: streaks on floors and sticky surfaces
- Strong air fresheners instead of cleaning: the smell covers, it does not remove
- Steam on parquet and plenty of water on wooden floors
- No attention to high-contact surfaces (handles, switches, remote controls), which are the ones guests touch first
How we do it
In the turnovers we look after in Milan we use professional products suited to the surfaces in the home, with colour-coded cloths per area and label dosing; delicate surfaces and the owner's preferences are in the apartment's checklist, defined at the inspection. The complete turnover (cleaning, linen, supplies, check, time-stamped report) is described in turnover cleaning for short-term rentals; the room-by-room checklist in cleaning checklist for holiday rentals and Airbnb; who we are in about us.
If you want the surfaces of your apartment treated with the right product at every guest change, request a free inspection.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the most common questions.
Six categories: a kitchen degreaser, a bathroom limescale remover, a floor cleaner suited to the material, a glass cleaner, a disinfectant for high-contact surfaces and a neutral multi-purpose cleaner. Plus colour-coded microfibre cloths per area and a good vacuum cleaner.
Professional products, suited to the surfaces in the home, diluted and dosed according to the label. If you have special needs (delicate surfaces, specific preferences) we put them in your apartment's checklist.
Only the minimum to keep things tidy during the stay: washing-up liquid, a new sponge, dishwasher tablets, broom and dustpan, bin bags. The turnover products are brought by whoever cleans.
With great care and never on marble, natural stone, steel and fabrics: it leaves permanent stains and strong odours. For high-contact surfaces there are suitable disinfectants that do not damage materials.
Marble with neutral cleaners and immediate drying, never acids; parquet with very little water and a specific product, never steam. They should be noted in the apartment's file, with the right product next to them.
The related service
Turnover cleaning
Checklist-based professional cleaning, linen change, welcome kit, property check and a photo report with date and time. Two hours of coordinated work between a cleaner and a raider.
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