Cleaning between two guests: keeping to the 11am-to-3pm window

The guest returns the keys at 11am, the next one arrives at 3pm. In between, you have to empty, wash, remake, check and photograph. On paper, four hours is enough. In real life, there’s the guest who leaves at 11.40, the dryer that hasn’t finished, the sofa bed to unfold and the drive between two flats. Here’s one way to keep to the window, property after property.

It’s all decided the day before

A cleaning that goes off the rails almost always starts with something forgotten the day before. Before the big day, four things must be sorted:

• Linen. The clean set is already in the property, or in the bag of the person coming. Two sets per bed is the minimum to turn things around; three if the linen goes to a laundry.
• Stock. Toilet paper, bin bags, cleaning products, coffee, soap. Running out of toilet paper on a Saturday evening means a message at 10pm and an emergency shopping trip.
• The next stay. The person coming knows how many guests are arriving, at what time, and what extra needs preparing: a cot, the sofa bed, a welcome basket.
• The checkout. A message the day before reminds the guest of the checkout time, where to leave the keys, and what to do with the rubbish and the dishes.

The four hours, in order

Here is an example for a one-bedroom flat sleeping four, with a washing machine and dryer on site, fifteen minutes’ drive from the previous property.

Time	What gets done
11:00	The guest checks out.
11:15	Arrival. Air the place, then walk round the property, phone in hand: a photo of anything wrong, breakage, forgotten items, stains.
11:25	Beds stripped, first wash on.
11:35	Kitchen: dishes, hob, oven, fridge emptied, bins.
12:20	Bathroom and toilet, finishing with the floor.
13:00	Linen goes into the dryer. Bedrooms: dusting, beds made with the clean set.
13:40	Living room and hall: vacuuming, then floors mopped from the back towards the door.
14:20	Final check, restocking, end-of-cleaning photos room by room.
14:40	Departure, with twenty minutes to spare before the arrival.

These times are an example, not a standard. Time five cleanings of each property: you’ll know what it really takes, and you’ll see straight away whether two cleanings can be done back to back on the same day.

The rules that save time

Whatever the property, the order stays the same. Top to bottom, and dry to wet: dust falls on what hasn’t been cleaned yet. The kitchen and bathroom come first, because they’re the rooms the guest inspects and the ones that need to dry. The floor is done last, backing out towards the door. And one person does the final check, with the same checklist every time.

Dirty linen never travels loose from one property to another. One bag per property, closed, labelled if needed: it’s quicker to sort, and it’s the first line of defence against bedbugs.

The checklist, room by room

• Hall: door handle and light switches, mirror, house rules in place.
• Kitchen: fridge emptied and wiped, oven and microwave, hob, sink, coffee and tea restocked, bins emptied with new bags, clean tea towels.
• Bathroom: hair, in the basin, in the shower, in the drain and on the floor; taps free of limescale marks, towels folded, soap and toilet paper.
• Bedrooms: under the bed, bedside tables, hangers, clean mattress protector, bed made without creases, pillows plumped.
• Living room: under the sofa cushions, remote controls, dust on screens, throws folded.
• To finish: windows closed, heating or air conditioning set, and the hall light on if the guest arrives at night.

End-of-cleaning photos

A few photos per room, always from the same angle, taken at the end. They serve twice. First, you see the work done without having to go there. Then, they show the condition of the property just before the next guest arrives. In case of damage, both Airbnb and Booking.com give you 14 days after checkout to report it, and a dated photo carries more weight than a memory. Our guide on security deposits by card hold covers what happens next.

When the window slips

The guest leaves late. Remind them the day before, and offer a paid late checkout rather than putting up with it: they get the time they want, you know where you stand, and the cleaner isn’t left waiting at the door.

The next guest wants to arrive earlier. Don’t promise anything before the cleaning is finished. An early check-in is confirmed on the day, once the end-of-cleaning photos have come in.

The scheduled person is ill. For each property, keep a second person who knows it, with access to the linen storeroom and the codes. The day you need them, it’s too late to show them round.

The guest arrives at midnight. It changes nothing for the cleaning, except two details: the hall light left on, and the key box code checked by the person leaving, not discovered by the person arriving.

The bedbug reflex

When stripping the bed, take a look at the mattress seams, the bed base and the headboard. Adult bedbugs measure 5 to 7 millimetres, the size of an apple pip, and are brown or reddish. At the slightest doubt, stop there:

• the linen and the items in the room go into closed bags, never loose;
• the linen is washed at over 60°C, or tumble-dried on a hot setting for at least thirty minutes, as recommended by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional health agency;
• the person doesn’t head off to another property with the same bag or the same belongings;
• you inform the owner and close the dates while a professional treats the property.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to clean a one-bedroom flat?

It depends on the property, its equipment and the number of beds. The most reliable approach is to time five cleanings of the same property, then keep a margin for the unexpected.

Is it better to wash linen on site or use a laundry?

On site, you need a washing machine, a dryer and time within the window. With a laundry, the cleaning goes faster, but you need a bigger stock of linen. The choice is made property by property.

What should you photograph at the end of the cleaning?

Each room from the same angle, the beds made, the kitchen, the bathroom, and anything that could lead to a dispute: a light-coloured sofa, a parquet floor, the appliances.

Sources

1. Bedbugs: better protection and prevention, Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional health agency (in French).
2. Host damage protection, Airbnb help centre.
3. Damage deposit policy, Booking.com.

The times in this guide are an example to adapt to each property. Platform deadlines reviewed on 23 October 2026.

The OmniStay team