10 cleaning mistakes that cost you bad reviews

A property can be beautifully decorated and perfectly located: all it takes is one hair on the pillow or a musty smell when the door opens for the stay to get off to a bad start, and for the review to suffer. The figures speak for themselves: around 95% of guests mention cleanliness in their reviews, and a cleanliness rating dropping below 4.8 can mean almost 20% fewer bookings.

The good news? Bad “cleanliness” reviews almost always come from the same 10 mistakes, repeated from property to property. Rarely major blunders: more often, details you stop noticing after cleaning the same place over and over. Here’s how to spot and eliminate them for good.

Why cleanliness matters so much in your reviews

A useful reminder: cleanliness isn’t just another criterion, it’s the number one factor. According to an AHLA study cited in the industry, 81% of guests put it at the top of their list when choosing accommodation (Hospitable). The effect works both ways: listings rated 5 stars for cleanliness are booked about 25% more often than others (Smoobu), while a global rating consistently below 4.35 stars puts your listing at risk of removal from the platform. The rating criteria, including the dedicated cleanliness score, visible to all future guests, are detailed in the Airbnb Help Centre.

In other words: each mistake below isn’t just a simple oversight, it’s a measurable business risk.

Mistakes 1 and 2: hair and high-up dust

Mistake no.1: missed hair and pet fur. The most common complaint in negative reviews. A hair in the shower or on the pillow sends an instant message: “someone was here before you”. Critical zones: shower tray, pillows, sofa, bathroom skirting boards and behind the toilet door. The fix: after vacuuming, use a slightly damp microfibre cloth on light fabrics, then inspect on your knees, at a child’s eye level, that’s where you’ll spot what the vacuum missed.

Mistake no.2: dust up high (and underneath). On top of door frames, lampshades, fridge tops, extractor vents grey with dust: guests notice these, especially in mezzanines or bunk beds where their eyes are level with high surfaces. Same goes for under beds and sofas: if a phone drops, the guest discovers dust bunnies. Add these areas to your rotation once a week, not every clean, but keep track so they never go more than 7 days without attention.

Mistakes 3 and 4: odours and questionable bedding

Mistake no.3: ignoring the entrance smell. Guests judge cleanliness by smell before they do by sight. Damp, drains, stale smoke, forgotten bin: a suspicious odour taints the impression of the whole property, even if spotless. The bare minimum: air out for 10 to 15 minutes at every clean, pour water into drains in rarely used properties, empty all bins, including the bathroom one. Avoid masking with strong air fresheners: a heavy chemical scent suggests you’re hiding something, and ANSES reminds us these products emit volatile compounds best limited indoors. For a cause-by-cause approach, see our dedicated guide: Eliminating Bad Odours in a Rental: The Guide.

Mistake no.4: bedding that raises doubts. Yellowish stains on a pillow, missing mattress protector, duvet that smells musty: nothing puts guests off faster. Hotel standards are clear: all linen changed after every stay, washed at 60°C to eliminate mites and bacteria, duvets and pillows washed once a month (Direct Hôtellerie). Equip every bed with washable mattress and pillow protectors: a few pounds that save mattresses worth hundreds.

Mistakes 5 and 6: streaky glass and a rushed bathroom

Mistake no.5: mirrors and windows with marks. A bathroom mirror splattered with toothpaste is one of the most photographed details in negative reviews. The problem is often the kit: a greasy sponge or fluffy cloth just spreads the mess. The winning combo: diluted white vinegar (or glass cleaner) + special glass microfibre + final vertical wipe, checking the result from an angle, against the light, that’s how guests will spot streaks.

Mistake no.6: the bathroom done in a rush. This is where guests are most unforgiving, and for good reason: a poorly maintained rental bathroom can harbour up to 3 times more bacteria than a hotel bathroom (Smoobu). Three recurring black marks: limescale on taps and shower screens, blackened grout, plughole full of hair. Plan a weekly limescale treatment with white vinegar, treat grout at the first sign of black, and always check the plughole. The full hotel protocol: Immaculate Bathroom: Hotel Cleaning Techniques for Hosts.

Mistakes 7 and 8: “surface clean” kitchens and high-touch details

Mistake no.7: cleaning the kitchen without opening it. Worktops spotless… but a smelly fridge, oven splattered with burnt-on grease, microwave with splashes, or worse: a greasy pan put away by the last guest. The rule: at every clean, open and check fridge, microwave, oven, dishwasher and bin, and spot-check the crockery, a glass with lipstick marks almost always ends up in a review.

Mistake no.8: forgetting touch points. Light switches, door handles, remote controls, appliance buttons, stair rails: these are the most touched and least cleaned surfaces. Since enhanced cleaning protocols became standard in 2020, disinfecting touch points with contact time is now expected. A quick wipe with a disinfectant cloth on this list takes less than 5 minutes per property.

Mistakes 9 and 10: cleaning from memory and tight scheduling

Mistake no.9: relying on memory. Most oversights aren’t due to lack of care but to cleaning “from memory”, differently each time or depending on who’s doing it. Without a written list, everyone has their own blind spots: and they show up in reviews. The solution: a room-by-room checklist, the same for everyone, with sensitive points specific to each property (the bathroom extractor vent, the cutlery drawer that gathers crumbs…). Our full template is here: Complete Airbnb Cleaning Checklist: Never Miss a Spot.

Mistake no.10: underestimating the time needed. A rushed clean is almost always a clean scheduled too tightly. Allow on average 35 to 45 minutes for a studio, about 60 minutes for a one-bed flat, and 100 to 120 minutes for a house, more after a long stay or with pets. If the slot between check-out at 11am and check-in at 3pm leaves only 45 minutes for a family house, the result is inevitable. Schedule with a buffer, and have a plan B for same-day turnovers.

The anti-bad review method: standardise, prove, check

Eliminating these 10 mistakes once isn’t enough: they need to stay eliminated at every turnover, whoever is cleaning. Three pillars:

1. Standardise.A checklist for each property, explicitly including the risk zones from this article (touch points, high-up areas, plugholes, fridge). What isn’t written down will eventually be forgotten.
2. Prove.Ask for end-of-clean photos of the sensitive spots: made bed, bathroom, kitchen, empty bins. Both remote quality control and proof in case of dispute.
3. Check and correct.Read every review mentioning cleanliness and trace it back: which mistake, which property, which slot was too tight? A recurring complaint = a point to add to the checklist.

As for products, a few basics used well (white vinegar, degreaser, disinfectant for touch points, dedicated microfibres for each area) cover almost everything: ADEME even recommends limiting the number of products to reduce costs, indoor air pollution and the risk of dangerous mixes.

In summary

Bad cleanliness reviews rarely come from a major issue, but from small repeated details: a hair, a smell, a mark, a forgotten fridge, a slot that’s too short. Treat these 10 mistakes as a permanent checklist and your ratings will follow.

To lock in the system, Cleanclac automatically schedules a clean for every booking thanks to iCal sync with Airbnb and Booking, and gives your cleaners property-specific checklists with end-of-clean photos: so you can check quality remotely and make these mistakes disappear from your reviews. Try it at cleanclac.com.