Turning Over a Palm Springs Vacation Rental Between Guests

Guests don't review your thread count or your mid-century furniture first. They review whether the place was clean. One hair in the shower or one crumb-filled drawer can outweigh a great location, and in a market like Palm Springs, where guests have plenty of other homes to choose from, that stays in your reviews for a long time. A turnover is the reset between one stay and the next, and it works best as a repeatable routine rather than a cleaning session you improvise each time.

Walk in as an inspector first

Before anything gets wiped, walk the whole property and look. Check for damage, missing items, anything left behind by the guest, windows or sliders left open, and appliances still running. Do this first because once you start cleaning, a chipped plate or a stained cushion can get lost in the work. Whoever turns the home over should know how to report a problem to you the same day, with a clear note and ideally a photo.

Lost property deserves its own mention. Decide ahead of time where found items go and who contacts the guest. Nothing sours a good review faster than a missing phone charger nobody can find.

Beds and linens carry the review

Strip every bed completely, including the pillow protectors and any throw blankets that guests used. Look at the mattress protector for marks, and check pillows for makeup or hair. Make the beds the same way every time, so the home looks like your listing photos. Towels should be folded the same way too, because consistency is what tells a guest the place was prepared for them and not just tidied.

Keep a spare set of linens for every bed. If a sheet has a stain that won't come out, you swap it and move on, instead of sending a guest to a bed with a compromise.

The kitchen is where guests look closest

Guests open drawers, check the refrigerator and look inside the microwave. Empty the refrigerator of any guest food, wipe the shelves, clean the microwave inside, and run or unload the dishwasher. Check the coffee maker, the toaster tray and the sink drain. Wipe down cabinet handles and the stovetop, and look inside drawers for crumbs. Count the plates, glasses and utensils against your inventory, because it's easier to catch a missing set on turnover day than three stays later.

Bathrooms: hair, water spots and the details

Check the drains for hair, then work on the shower glass and chrome, which show water spots quickly in a dry climate. Wipe mirrors until there's no streak, since bathroom mirrors are where guests take a close look. Restock the toilet paper and soap, put out fresh towels, and empty the bin. Do a final look at the base of the toilet and the grout line along the tub, because those are the places a missed clean shows.

Pool decks, patios and the outdoor reset

Many Palm Springs rentals sell an outdoor lifestyle as much as the interior, so the patio and pool area deserve the same attention as the kitchen. Sweep the deck, wipe down patio tables and loungers, and shake out or wipe outdoor cushions. Dust and fine sand collect in the tracks of sliding glass doors, and guests will notice the grit under their feet. Clean those tracks every time.

Check the outdoor grill, the fire pit area and any outdoor shower. Make sure towels left on the deck are collected, and look for glassware or bottles that were left behind at the edge of the pool area.

The last walk-through, through a guest's eyes

When the work is done, go back to the front door and walk in slowly the way a guest would. Notice the smell first. Look at the floors in the light coming through the windows, because desert light shows every streak. Sit on the sofa and look at the room from there. Check that the thermostat is where you want it, the remote controls are in place, and any welcome materials are laid out.

• Beds made, towels folded, every light working.
• Refrigerator empty, dishwasher unloaded, counters clear.
• Floors dust-free, sliding door tracks wiped, windows free of marks.
• Pool deck swept, patio furniture wiped and arranged.
• Supplies restocked: paper goods, soap, trash bags.

One last habit: whoever does your turnovers, give them a written checklist for your property, not a generic one. List the quirks: the sticky cabinet, the guest closet that needs the extra blanket, the sliding door that needs a firm pull. A checklist that matches your house is what lets a turnover happen well when you aren't there to watch it.

Sun Care Cleaning Solutions offers Vacation Rental Cleaning for house cleaning, Airbnb and VRBO properties across Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, and has been cleaning in the valley since 2000. To talk about your property, call (760) 813-7160 or toll free (888) 597-1228.