No matter what kind of property you rent, you will have to take care of trash if you have guests. But how much is up to the guests and what do you have to take care of yourself? What does Airbnb’s policy say about getting rid of trash? Not everything is as simple as it seems! We’re here to help you figure out the best way to get rid of trash from a vacation rental by answering the questions you ask most often.
How to get rid of trash from a vacation rental
Keeping your property clean is important if you want your guests to have the best trip possible. There is nothing worse than booking an Airbnb and walking into a place that doesn’t feel clean. When a guest leaves the house in a very messy state, it makes it harder for you to keep the place in good shape, especially if you have guests coming back to back. So, it’s important to let guests know what you expect of them when it comes to trash and makes it easy for them to do. Here are our best tips for getting rid of trash from an Airbnb:
Put Trash Cans in Each Room
Help your guests clean up by making it easy for them to do so. Putting a trash can in every room leaves no room for people to say they didn’t know. They don’t even have to be ugly! You can get some cheap trash cans that match the decor and look right at home. Just make sure your cleaning team knows where all the bins are so they don’t forget to empty one. You don’t want a guest to arrive at a half-full trash can on their first night.
Leave more garbage bags.
You might have a group of six people who don’t make much trash and another couple who use five rolls of toilet paper in two days. There is no way to know how much trash a group will make while they are there. Because of this, you should leave a lot of extra trash bags at the property and tell people where they are. It’s all about making it as easy as possible for guests to take care of your property!
Tell people where the dumpsters are.
Do you have trash cans where guests can put their trash on your property? Most of the time, dumpsters are hidden so no one has to see them… It can be hard for guests to find them, though. Give your guests clear, detailed instructions on how to get to the trash cans, so there’s no question about what they should do.
What does Airbnb say about getting rid of trash?
Under the Guest Reliability Standards, Airbnb says, “Guests shouldn’t leave the listing in a state that needs excessive or deep cleaning” (ex: with soiled carpet, moldy dishes, excessive trash, etc.). Cleaning fees are only meant to cover the cost of standard cleaning (like doing laundry, vacuuming, etc.) between reservations.
This explanation is a little bit subjective because “too much trash” could mean different things to each property owner and manager. So it’s up to you to decide what’s okay and tell people about it. In general, it’s reasonable to expect your housekeeper to take out the trash from the trash cans inside the house (as part of the Airbnb cleaning fee).
The guests should take care of anything more than that, like cardboard boxes or bottles because it’s an “excessive” amount of trash. If that’s the case, you should tell the guests where they can throw away and/or recycle those kinds of items.
Who is in charge of taking the trash out?
First, you need to think about how trash is picked up in your area. Is there a company that comes once a week to pick up trash? Are there trash cans that guests can use at all times? Simply put, you can’t expect guests to take out the trash if there isn’t a clear and easy way to do so.
On the other hand, it’s fair to ask guests to take care of their trash if there’s an easy way to get rid of it, like dumpsters outside the house. In the “House Rules” section, you can explain exactly what your guests are responsible for and what the cleaning fee will take care of.
In addition to putting your policy under “House Rules,” you should also leave a letter for each guest explaining how trash is taken care of at your vacation rental. Not sure where to start? Don’t be afraid! You can find our free, editable garbage removal instructions letter at the end of this article. If you have a welcome book with information about the property, you should also put it in there.
How Airbnb takes care of the trash
Getting rid of trash at an Airbnb doesn’t have to be hard. By writing down the rules for Airbnb trash, you can make sure that you, your guests, and your housekeeper are all on the same page. Let’s talk about some of the most common questions about how to get rid of trash from a vacation rental.
Should people who clean vacation rentals take out the trash?
When figuring out how much to charge for cleaning, you’ll need to decide if you want the cleaners to take out the trash or not. There are pros and cons to both options. If you have housekeepers take out the trash, you don’t have to rely on your guests to do it every time. So the guests don’t have to worry as much. Who wants to worry about taking out the trash when they’re on vacation?
The downside is that you might have to charge more for cleaning to pay for trash pickup depending on your house cleaner. You might be able to find a good compromise by asking people to leave their trash bags at the door. So, it’s not too hard for the guest, but the housekeeper’s job is made a little bit easier.
Don’t forget to think about how trash is taken care of in your area and whether or not guests can do it themselves. When they check out, they should be asked to take their bags to the trash. Do you want them to put your trash cans out Thursday night and then pick them up again Friday morning? Maybe not.
Should guests be asked to take out the trash?
The only thing that matters is how easy or hard it is to get rid of trash on the property. If all they have to do is throw their trash bags in a dumpster when they leave, it’s not a big deal. If they would have to go out of their way to get rid of the trash, you risk making them angry and maybe getting a bad review. Try to see things from the guest’s point of view. If the Airbnb place you were staying at had the same rules about garbage disposal as your current place, would you think it was fair or be annoyed?
How do I write a review on Airbnb if a guest left trash?
After every guest stays, whether they like it or not, you should write a review. If you haven’t been doing this already, you should start right away. Reviews help other hosts figure out who will stay at their place and what to expect from them. No matter what you want to say about the guest, keep it professional. Be honest without letting your feelings get in the way. You want to say exactly what happened with this guest and why you would or wouldn’t recommend them to other hosts without making it personal.
As part of the review process, Airbnb will ask you to rate the guest on how clean they were, how well they communicated, and how well they followed the house rules. If the guest left a lot of trash behind, you might want to give them a low score in the “Cleanliness” category. Also, if trash removal is part of your House Rules, you should take points away from them there.
Then, Airbnb will ask you to write up to 1000 words for a public review. It is posted on the guest’s Airbnb profile, where other hosts can read it. Here, you should be honest but still professional. For example, if a guest left a lot of trash behind after checking out, you could say something like, “The guest left a lot of trash behind after checking out, even though the House Rules say that all trash must be taken to the dumpster.” It’s straightforward and to the point but not mean or rude.
After the public review, you can write a private note if you want to. This is optional and goes straight to the guest. If you want to talk to the guest about something but don’t want it to show up on their profile, this is the place to do it. Lastly, Airbnb will ask if you would host the same person again.
