Cleaning checklist for holiday rentals and Airbnb: what to check room by room before check-in
The checklist we use as the basis for every turnover: entrance, living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, outdoor areas and final checks. To do the same things every time and leave proof.
Cleaning and turnover · 10 September 2026
By Stefano R., Comfort Home’s contact for hosts and property managers
7 min read
A cleaning checklist for a holiday rental or an Airbnb is there for one thing: doing the same things, in the same order, at every guest change, even when time is short and the person coming in is not the same as yesterday. It is not a list of good intentions: it is the tool that turns «cleaning» into a repeatable, verifiable process.
Below you will find the checklist we use as the basis for every turnover in Milan, room by room, with the final checks and the things to photograph. It is designed for a whole apartment; for B&Bs and guest houses the same items apply room by room, plus the common areas. Adapt it to your apartment and keep it in the property's file: a good checklist is one that is actually used.
How do you use a holiday rental checklist?
Three rules. Always the same: it is completed at every turnover, not only when there is time; it is in the rushed turnovers that it is needed most. Room by room, in sequence: you go in, open up, air the rooms, start from the room furthest from the entrance and finish with the entrance, so you do not walk over clean floors. With proof: the ticked items count if at the end of the visit there is a time-stamped photo report, room by room, that whoever manages can look at from a distance.
The checklist is written once, at the first inspection, and updated when something changes in the apartment: a new appliance, a different bed layout, a specific request from the owner. With us it lives in the apartment's file and is the same for cleaner and runner.
Entrance and living area
The guest's first impression forms here, in a few seconds.
- Air all rooms as soon as you enter; check for odours (fridge, drains, bins)
- Collect forgotten items and set them aside for the owner; empty all bins and replace the bags
- Dust surfaces, shelves, remote controls, switches and handles (high-contact surfaces)
- Sofa and cushions: vacuum, rearrange, check under the cushions
- Table and chairs clean; rugs vacuumed; floors vacuumed and washed last, from the inside towards the exit
- Windows and interior glass without streaks; curtains and blinds in the intended position
- Wi-Fi: check that the router is on and that the name and password in the instructions are correct
- House instructions, remote controls with batteries, working lights
Kitchen
The kitchen is where traces of the previous guest show most.
- Fridge and freezer: remove food left behind, clean shelves and seals, leave on and empty (unless supplies are provided)
- Hob, oven, microwave, extractor hood: degrease inside and out; check that they work
- Dishwasher: empty, clean filter and seal, check the stock of tablets
- Sink, tap and worktop clean and dry; new sponge, washing-up liquid present
- Crockery, glasses and cutlery: check they are clean, complete and in the expected number; no greasy or chipped items
- Coffee machine or moka pot clean, with pods or coffee in stock; kettle descaled
- Cupboard doors and handles clean; bin clean with spare bags and instructions for separate waste collection
- Clean tea towels at every turnover; kitchen roll present
Bedrooms
The bed is the first thing the guest looks at and the last they forget.
- Strip the bed completely; check mattress, protector and pillows (stains, odours, wear)
- Remake the bed with the clean set already in the apartment, according to the intended layout (pillows, blanket, throw)
- Bedside tables, lamps, sockets and switches clean; reading lights working
- Wardrobes: empty, clean, with enough hangers; no forgotten items
- Under the bed and behind furniture: vacuum, not only the centre of the room
- Windows, blinds and curtains as intended; air conditioning or heating in the agreed position
- Spare linen set in the dedicated cupboard, if provided for long stays
Bathrooms
It is the room that decides the review: one hair in the shower cancels everything else.
- Sanitary ware cleaned and disinfected, including seat, outside of the toilet, brush and holder
- Shower or bath: tray, walls, glass and taps without limescale and without hair; drain clear; non-slip mat clean
- Basin, tap and mirror without streaks; shelves empty and clean
- Clean towels in the expected number for the arriving guests (large, small, bath mat per person) plus the reserve
- Toilet paper: a started roll plus at least two visible spares; soap, shower gel and shampoo full, never half-used
- Hairdryer working and clean; bin emptied with a new bag
- Floor washed last; door and handle clean; air the room
Outdoor areas, balconies and safety equipment
Often forgotten, always noticed.
- Balcony or terrace: sweep, clean table and chairs, empty ashtrays, check plants
- Doormat and front door clean; intercom and house number legible
- Fire extinguisher, detectors and first-aid kit present where provided in the apartment's inventory
- Keys, gate remotes and badges in the agreed place
Final checks and report
Before closing the door, a full round with the checklist in hand.
- Supplies checked: toilet paper, kitchen roll, soaps, coffee pods, dishwasher tablets, water; welcome kit reassembled
- Appliances, lights, windows and taps checked; anomalies photographed and reported at once, before check-in
- Room layout restored as in the listing photos
- Windows closed, lights off, air conditioning in the agreed position; no product or tool left behind
- Time-stamped photo report: made bed, bathroom, kitchen, living room, supplies; sent to whoever manages
- Used linen bag closed and ready for collection; nothing left in the building's corridor
How we do it
This checklist is the basis of our turnover in Milan: a cleaner for cleaning and resetting, a runner for linen, supplies and logistics, on average about two hours for a standard apartment, with a time-stamped photo report at the end of the visit. At the inspection we adapt it to your apartment and write it in the file, so it applies to whoever comes in. The full service is in turnover cleaning for short-term rentals; for B&Bs and guest houses in B&B cleaning; who we are is in about us.
If you are assessing a supplier, ask them to show you their checklist before signing: it is the first of the ten questions in how to choose a cleaning company for your short-term rentals. To see how it would work in your apartment, request a free inspection.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the most common questions.
For a standard apartment about two hours with a cleaner and a runner working together; with more bathrooms, more beds or a special inventory it takes longer. The checklist also helps estimate the time realistically.
The structure is: room by room, final checks, report. The items are adapted to the individual apartment at the inspection (inventory, bed layout, specific requests) and stay written in the property's file.
Yes. It is the starting point: ask your supplier to confirm in writing which items they carry out at every visit and how they document them.
Hair in the shower and the basin, spare toilet paper, stock of coffee pods and dishwasher tablets, light bulbs and remote-control batteries, the Wi-Fi password in the instructions, the fridge with food left by the previous guest.
With a time-stamped photo report, room by room, at the end of the visit, and with immediate reporting of damage or faults. It is the proof that replaces presence.
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.
See the serviceKeep reading
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Want a written checklist for your apartment?
Request a free inspection: together we define the items, the inventory and the standards, and put them in the property's file.