Understanding Airbnb Cleanliness Ratings
Airbnb's cleanliness score — the separate rating guests give on a 5-star scale for cleanliness, alongside location, value, check-in, and communication — is one of the most important metrics for Ontario hosts. A dropping cleanliness score affects search visibility, Superhost status, and guest conversion. Here's how to understand and manage it.
What Guests Are Actually Rating
Guest cleanliness ratings aren't just about whether the space was cleaned — they're a holistic assessment of whether the property felt professionally maintained. Common sources of low cleanliness ratings in Ontario Airbnbs:
- Hair in the bathroom (shower drain, on surfaces) — the #1 most-cited cleanliness complaint
- Previous guest items left in the unit (personal items, forgotten food)
- Musty smell or stale air smell — a clean-appearing unit can get a low rating for smell alone
- Visible dust on surfaces — particularly on ceiling fans, light fixtures, and high shelves that guests don't use but notice
- Kitchen surfaces with residue — even minor grease on the stovetop is noticed and noted
Recovering a Dropping Score
If your cleanliness score has dropped below 4.7–4.8, the threshold where Airbnb's algorithm begins de-prioritizing a listing, action is needed:
- Book a professional deep clean of the entire unit — not just a turnaround, but a comprehensive deep clean that resets the baseline condition
- Review your turnaround checklist for the items that most commonly generate complaints — hair, smell, kitchen, and bathroom are the priority areas
- Consider switching from self-cleaning to professional cleaning for turnarounds if self-cleaning volume or quality has been inconsistent