A holiday let changeover clean resets the whole property between guests. In practice that means stripping and remaking every bed, cleaning and sanitising the kitchen and bathrooms, dusting, hoovering and mopping throughout, emptying the bins, restocking essentials and checking for damage or left-behind items.
Knowing what to clean is the easy part. The challenge is fitting it all into the gap between check-out and check-in without missing anything, every single time. Owners who get consistently good reviews, from cottages in Beverley to sea-view flats in Bridlington, tend to work from a written checklist rather than memory. Below is the one our cleaners follow.
Key takeaways
- Work top to bottom and dry to wet: strip beds and start the laundry first, and finish with the floors.
- Use the same written checklist for every changeover so standards never depend on memory.
- Restock supplies and do a final walk-through from a guest’s point of view before you lock up.
- Schedule deeper jobs such as ovens, carpets and mattresses separately so changeovers stay fast.
What does a holiday let changeover clean include?
A changeover is more than a tidy-up. It covers four jobs: cleaning, laundry, restocking and inspection. Skip any one of them and the next guest will notice, usually in their review.
- Cleaning: every surface guests touch, plus floors, bathrooms and the kitchen.
- Laundry: fresh bed linen, towels, tea towels and bath mats for every stay.
- Restocking: toilet roll, soap, washing-up liquid, bin bags and any welcome items you provide.
- Inspection: spotting damage, breakages, missing items and maintenance problems before the next guest does.
It is lighter than a deep clean but has to be thorough on everything a guest will see or touch. If you would rather hand the whole job over, our holiday let and Airbnb cleaning service works around your booking calendar, seven days a week.
The best order to clean a holiday let on changeover day
Working in a fixed order saves time and stops you cleaning the same area twice. The basic rule is top to bottom and dry to wet, with floors last.
- Walk through first. Open the windows, photograph any damage and note left-behind items.
- Strip the beds and gather towels. Get the first wash on, or bag linen for a hire collection.
- Clear out. Empty the bins, fridge and dishwasher.
- Spray the bathrooms. Let the cleaner work on toilets, showers and basins while you do the kitchen.
- Kitchen. Clean appliances, worktops, cupboard fronts and the sink.
- Bathrooms. Come back to scrub, rinse and polish.
- Bedrooms and living areas. Dust high to low, then make the beds.
- Floors. Hoover, then mop, working back towards the front door.
- Restock and final check. Replace supplies, set the heating and do one last walk-through.
Laundry is often what holds a changeover up. Our guide to managing holiday let linen on quick turnarounds covers how many sets to keep and how to get them dry in time.
Room-by-room holiday let changeover checklist
Kitchen
- Wash, dry and put away anything left out; run and empty the dishwasher.
- Wipe worktops, splashbacks, cupboard fronts and handles.
- Clean the hob, the front of the oven and the inside of the microwave.
- Check inside the oven and grill pan for spills from the last guest.
- Empty and wipe the fridge, including shelves and door seals, and bin anything opened.
- Wipe the kettle, empty the toaster crumb tray and clean the coffee machine.
- Clean the sink, taps and draining board, then polish dry.
- Check crockery, glasses and cutlery are clean, complete and chip-free.
Bathrooms
- Clean the toilet inside and out, including the base, seat hinges and behind the cistern.
- Scrub the shower, bath and screen, and remove hair from plugholes and drains.
- Clean the basin, taps and mirror, and buff to a streak-free finish.
- Wipe tiles, light pulls, switches and door handles.
- Check silicone sealant and grout for mould and limescale build-up.
- Replace towels, bath mat, toilet roll and soap, and empty the bathroom bin.
Much of East Yorkshire has hard water, so taps and shower screens can look dull quickly. Our hard water and limescale guide explains how to keep on top of it between changeovers.
Bedrooms
- Strip the beds, check mattress and pillow protectors, and replace any that are marked.
- Make the beds with fresh linen the same way every time.
- Look under beds and in drawers and wardrobes for anything left behind.
- Dust bedside tables, headboards, lamps, skirting boards and window sills.
Living and dining areas
- Hoover sofas, clear crumbs from down the sides, then plump and straighten cushions and throws.
- Wipe the dining table, chairs, coffee table and TV unit.
- Dust the TV screen, then wipe remote controls with a disinfectant cloth.
Entrance and outside space
- Sweep the doorstep, shake out the mats and wipe the door handles.
- Tidy garden furniture and clean the barbecue if guests have used it.
- Put the bins out or bring them in, depending on bin day.
Restocking and presentation: the finishing touches
A clean property can still feel unprepared if supplies run out. Keep a locked owner’s cupboard with backup stock and check it at every changeover.
- Toilet roll, hand soap, washing-up liquid, dishwasher tablets, sponges and bin bags.
- Tea, coffee, sugar and any welcome pack items you offer.
- Spare light bulbs and batteries for remote controls.
- An information folder with Wi-Fi details, house rules and local tips.
Presentation matters as much as cleanliness. Fold towels the same way each time, open the curtains, set the heating to a comfortable level and leave a lamp on if guests arrive after dark. These details all feed into earning five-star cleanliness reviews.
Holiday let cleaning schedule: changeover, monthly and seasonal tasks
Trying to do everything at every changeover is how cleans overrun, so split the work.
| How often | Tasks |
|---|---|
| Every changeover | The full checklist above: beds, bathrooms, kitchen, floors, bins, restocking and a final check |
| Monthly, or every few stays in busy periods | Inside the oven, skirting boards, door frames, light fittings, inside windows and descaling shower heads |
| Every few months | Wash duvets, pillows and mattress protectors; clean behind and under furniture; wash curtains or nets; check sealant |
| Between seasons | Deep clean of the whole property, professional oven clean, carpet and upholstery cleaning, mattress cleaning and exterior windows |
For the seasonal jobs, a professional oven clean and carpet and upholstery cleaning make the biggest visible difference, and our kitchen deep clean checklist covers the rest of the kitchen. Coastal lets in Hornsea or Bridlington may need some of these more often, so see our advice on cleaning a seaside property.
Common changeover cleaning mistakes to avoid
- Using one cloth for everything. Moving from the toilet to the kitchen with the same cloth spreads germs. Colour-code instead.
- Skipping the hidden spots. Under beds, down the sides of the sofa and inside the microwave are exactly where guests look.
- Leaving hair behind. One hair on a pillow or in the shower can undo an otherwise spotless clean.
- Not reporting damage. If it isn’t photographed and logged on the day, it is hard to raise later.
- Missing the final walk-through. A few minutes viewing the property as a guest would catches most slip-ups.
Tip: Use red cloths for toilets, yellow for the rest of the bathroom, green for the kitchen and blue for general surfaces, and keep the system the same in every property.
Keys, access and reporting problems
Changeovers run smoothly when your cleaner can get in without waiting for you. Many owners use a key safe; others prefer a cleaning company to hold a key. Our guide to key holding and security explains the options.
Ask for a short report after every changeover: photos of each room, anything broken or missing, low stock and maintenance issues such as a dripping tap. It gives you a record if a guest disputes a damage claim.
Let our team handle your holiday let changeovers
If you are juggling bookings, laundry and your own work, our holiday let cleaners can take it on. They are DBS-checked and insured, bring their own equipment and products, and work to a checklist agreed with you. Every job has a fixed quote agreed before work starts.
Tell us about your property and booking pattern through our contact page and we will put together a changeover plan that fits.
