10/25/2026
With all the outrage surrounding Airbnb’s new rules regarding cleaning fees and checkout expectations, I wanted to share a little perspective from someone who actually cleans these homes for a living.
I own a vacation rental cleaning business, and I think there’s a huge misunderstanding about what cleaning fees actually cover and what housekeepers are expecting from guests.
First, a $300 cleaning fee does not mean a housekeeper is pocketing $300. In my area, that would typically be the price to clean a 5–6 bedroom home. From that amount, I have to account for taxes, cleaning supplies, equipment, gas, insurance, and all the other expenses that come with operating a business. What sounds like an outrageous hourly rate to some people looks very different once you understand the actual costs involved.
And here’s the thing: I’m not against Airbnb’s new rules.
I’ve never expected guests to scrub bathrooms, mop floors, wash bedding, or leave a home spotless. That’s literally what I’m hired to do. I also understand why guests are frustrated when they’re charged a cleaning fee and then handed a long list of chores before checkout.
But I think something important is getting lost in this conversation.
There’s a difference between cleaning up after yourself and cleaning the house.
I’ve walked into homes where guests didn’t even bother using the trash cans. I’ve found f***l matter on bedding. I’ve walked into a home after guests prepared an entire Thanksgiving dinner and left everything sitting out on the table, including the turkey.
These aren’t examples of guests simply enjoying their vacation and leaving the cleaning to the professionals. They’re examples of people having absolutely no respect for someone else’s property or the person who has to walk in behind them.
And that’s what concerns me about how these new rules are being interpreted.
I’m seeing so many comments along the lines of “I’m paying a cleaning fee, so I’m leaving everything exactly where it is.”
A cleaning fee should absolutely mean you don’t have to spend the last morning of your vacation cleaning the house. But it shouldn’t mean common courtesy goes out the window.
I love my job. I take pride in making these homes beautiful for the next family coming in. I don’t mind dirty floors, messy bathrooms, unmade beds, or the normal mess that comes with people enjoying a vacation.
What I don’t love is cleaning up after grown adults who deliberately leave unnecessary messes because they’ve decided it’s somebody else’s problem.
You can believe guests shouldn’t have to do chores AND believe they should respect the home they’re staying in. Those two things shouldn’t be controversial.
I just hope that in trying to make things fairer for guests, we don’t lose sight of the people working behind the scenes to make their vacations possible.
