The Most Common Cleaning Complaints That Kill Airbnb Reviews (and How to Prevent Them)

If there’s one thing Airbnb guests won’t forgive, it’s poor cleaning.
You can have a stylish property, a prime location, and competitive rates—but if your short-term rental isn’t spotless, even one missed detail can destroy your ratings.

Cleanliness is consistently one of the top reasons Airbnb guests leave negative reviews. And the worst part? Most cleaning complaints aren’t about major messes—they’re about small, repeatable oversights that professional STR cleaning companies know how to prevent.

In this guide, we’ll cover the most common Airbnb cleaning complaints that hurt host ratings—and how a professional short-term rental cleaning service like Maven Cleaning eliminates them.

1️⃣ Hair Where It Shouldn’t Be

Common guest complaint:

“Found hair in the shower / bed / bathroom floor.”

Even a single strand of hair can make guests feel the property wasn’t properly cleaned or reset.

Why it happens:

• Rushed turnovers
  
  
• Skipped vacuuming or mopping
  
  
• Missed final inspections
  
  

STR cleaning solution:
Professional Airbnb cleaners follow a systematic, top-down cleaning process with visual inspections under bright lighting. Every shower, bed, and bathroom floor gets a final check—every time.

2️⃣ Sticky or Dirty High-Touch Surfaces

Common guest complaint:

“Remote controls were sticky.”
“Light switches and door handles felt grimy.”

Guests might not notice baseboards, but they always notice what they touch first.

Why it happens:

• Checklists ignore high-touch areas
  
  
• Electronics skipped to avoid damage
  
  
• Turnovers prioritize speed over thoroughness
  
  

STR cleaning solution:
A professional STR cleaning checklist includes high-touch disinfection: remotes, thermostats, switches, handles, and cabinet pulls. These details define a 5-star clean.

3️⃣ Sand, Dust, or Debris Left Behind

Common guest complaint:

“Floors weren’t clean.”
“Found sand or dust under furniture.”

Especially in coastal or high-traffic rentals, guests expect immaculate floors.

Why it happens:

• Inadequate vacuuming equipment
  
  
• Skipping under beds and couches
  
  
• No floor inspection before checkout
  
  

STR cleaning solution:
Short-term rental cleaning professionals use commercial-grade vacuums and perform under-furniture and edge checks so floors feel as clean as they look.

4️⃣ Bathrooms That Look Clean—but Aren’t

Common guest complaint:

“Shower smelled musty.”
“Toilet wasn’t properly cleaned.”
“Soap residue everywhere.”

Bathrooms make or break a guest’s impression of your property.

Why it happens:

• Focus on visible surfaces, not deep sanitation
  
  
• Neglected grout, drains, or fixtures
  
  
• Inconsistent disinfecting practices
  
  

STR cleaning solution:
A professional Airbnb cleaning service goes beyond the surface. Toilets are disinfected, drains are scrubbed, fixtures polished, and odors neutralized. Guests walk into a bathroom that feels and smells truly clean.

5️⃣ Kitchen Red Flags

Common guest complaint:

“Grease on appliances.”
“Microwave wasn’t cleaned.”
“Food residue in drawers.”

Even if guests don’t cook, they notice the kitchen’s cleanliness.

Why it happens:

• Appliance interiors skipped
  
  
• Inconsistent wiping of cabinets
  
  
• No checklist for drawers or storage areas
  
  

STR cleaning solution:
STR turnover cleaning includes appliance interiors, handles, drawers, and all visible storage zones. Guests open a kitchen that’s guest-ready—not guest-questionable.

Why These Cleaning Complaints Keep Happening

Most negative Airbnb reviews about cleaning share one root cause:
➡️ The cleaner isn’t trained for short-term rental standards.

Short-term rental cleaning is not residential cleaning. It requires:

• Tight turnover timelines
  
  
• Consistency across every property
  
  
• Hotel-level detail and inspection
  
  
• System-based cleaning—not guesswork
  
  

How Maven Cleaning Protects Your Airbnb Reviews

At Maven Cleaning, we specialize exclusively in short-term rental turnovers.
Our systems are designed to prevent the exact cleaning issues that lead to bad reviews.

We focus on:

✅ Detailed STR cleaning checklists

✅ High-touch point disinfection

✅ Consistent quality across multiple units

✅ Reliable communication with hosts and managers

Because “clean” isn’t enough—it must feel spotless to the guest.

Final Thought: 5-Star Reviews Start with 5-Star Cleaning

Most Airbnb cleaning complaints are 100% preventable with the right cleaning systems.
When your cleaning team understands STR guest expectations, your reviews, occupancy rates, and repeat bookings all improve.

If you manage short-term rentals and want cleaning that protects your reviews instead of risking them, Maven Cleaning sets the standard for Airbnb and STR turnover cleaning.

👉 Contact Maven Cleaning today to learn how professional STR cleaning keeps your listings 5-star ready—every stay.

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