Listen, we know that you keep your rental properties clean and safe for your renters all year long. However, some tasks may fall by the wayside when it comes to keeping your rental properties clean daily. The winter is a great time to visit your rental properties and take care of some of the tasks that may take a little longer than you don’t get to do as often when so many guests are staying at once. You’ll feel better, and your guests will greatly appreciate it.
Here are 5 cleaning-related tasks you should take care of while you’ve got a few more empty properties than you might in the summer.
1. Drains
As someone who owns a short-term or vacation rental property, you know how many people come and go from that property, and how many people are washing their hair in the showers contained therein! The average person loses 100 strands of hair a day, but usually, those strands don’t fall from the head until they’re washed out.
Given our location, too, there are even more factors that contribute to hair shedding. Saltwater, chlorine, sun exposure, and tight hairstyles (that one might wear hiking or to the beach) all contribute to more hair-shedding than in normal life. As much as it’s yucky to think about, there’s probably a lot of hair stuck deep in your drains, keeping them from performing as they should. Not only that but they could be built up with sand and seaweed which could lead to their corrosion.
If you haven’t recently, it’s time to clean and snake out all the drains on your properties so that they can be running in tip-top shape (and so you can stop thinking about what’s down in them, yuck!)
2. Anything higher than eyesight
Something that we so common miss when doing daily cleaning tasks is dust of all kinds. You try to get all the dust every time you clean, but usually, one area of dusting will evade you, and often that area will be out of eyesight. The tops of doors, the blades of the ceiling fan, and the tops of kitchen cabinets are some of the most commonly missed areas when it comes to dusting.
Dust may seem harmless, especially in areas out of the way of regular renter traffic like that, but about 10% of the world’s population is allergic to dust mites and about 100% of the world’s population is just grossed out that there are even mites that live in dust! Every time the air moves in your short-term rental property, it moves around any forgotten dust to areas that you thought were clean, which is insanely frustrating! While you may have a little extra time, make sure to bring in a stepstool to your cleaning day to make sure not to neglect out-of-reach places
3. Anywhere where moisture collects
Here in Destin, we’re (obviously) constantly dealing with the damage that water can do to a property, whether that’s a wet swimsuit tossed onto your hardwood floors or a hurricane coming through the window. Something we can forget to check, though, is areas where moisture can build up in the kitchen and bathroom. Water can collect in these areas due to the humidity created by hot showers or washing the dishes. The trouble spots include the kitchen or bathroom sink, cabinets that are near either one of those sinks or the bath or shower and the ceiling around sinks and baths or showers.
This water collection can cause a host of problems, but the main concern is mold. Such growth can be harmful to people who are sensitive or allergic. Make sure to get in and clean those areas thoroughly this off-season to scare away any lurking potential mold!
A few extra steps in deep cleaning can make a world of difference for your short-term rental property. We hope we inspired you to throw on some music and get scrubbing!
