Copy the spring clean-up checklist we use as short term rental hosts to prepare our home each season.
In This Post
Preparing Our Home for the Short Term Rental Season
We know we’re biased, but we think our Michigan Tree House is a special place to visit any time of year. That said, harsh winters pose a few logistical challenges that prevent us from confidently renting it to guests throughout the coldest months of the year. For example, our gravel driveway is tough to plow without damage so a high-clearance AWD vehicle is often required. On occasion, storms in our heavily wooded area take out internet and power lines. Things can be a little unpredictable to say the least, so we pause our bookings from Thanksgiving through March, which removes stress and allows us time to give the home a full reset. We take full advantage of the quiet off-season to make sure things are just right for the season ahead. We start making our to-do lists in January and try to tackle everything throughout February. Which brings us to now!
Many of us have likely stayed in short term rentals that weren’t quite what we were expecting, so we strive to leave no stone unturned. We want our home to exceed expectations wether your’e visiting for the first or fifth time. This year, we’ve already dusted ceiling fans, purged the junk drawer, ordered new phone charging cables for both bedrooms, wiped down cabinet faces, touched up the doors and deep cleaned all of the light fixtures. Phew. And we’re just getting started.
Below, you’ll find some examples of the task lists that we check off for each specific room, as well as an open-ended task list that applies to every space in our home, and likely yours!
*Note | A few of these items, like restocking welcome gift bags, are specific to a short term rental home but the vast majority are universally applicable
*Another note | All Tree House sources are listed here for reference!
The Every-Room Task List
- Spackle and sand wall nicks
- Touch up wall paint
- Touch up millwork and door paint
- Clean windows inside and out
- Vacuum ceiling corners
- Wipe tops of door and window millwork
- Vacuum upholstered furniture and cushions
- Vacuum under furniture
- Lubricate doorknobs and hinges
- Clean HVAC vents and surrounds
- Rinse window screens
- Dust and rinse light fixtures
- Vacuum/wipe window coverings
- Wipe shelves and dressers
- Vacuum inside drawers
- Wipe switches and switch-plates
- Wet mop hard floor surfaces
- Trim live plants/repot as needed
- Dust artificial plants
Living Room
- Wash all throw blankets
- Wash all throw pillow covers
- Deep Clean rug
- Clean and lubricate ladder and winch
- Wipe all loft railing surfaces
- Condition leather sofa and ottoman
- Clean and purge inside banquette
- Clean and tighten stools
- Clean banquette seat fabric
- Change furnace filter
Bedrooms
- Vacuum under beds
- Wash and organize bedding
- Wash mattress protectors
- Rotate mattresses
- Replace pillows as necessary
- Replace bedding as necessary
- Organize, clean and purge toys and books
- Inspect and replace charging cables
Bathroom
- Clean vent fan
- Deep clean wall tile and grout
- Deep clean floor tile and grout
- Bleach or replace shower curtain liner
- Wash shower curtain
- Purge and organize medicine cabinet
- Polish all metal
- Deep clean and condition wood shelf
- Deep clean sink
- Restock shampoo, conditioner, hand soap
Kitchen + Mudroom
- Wipe down all cabinetry and cabinet hardware
- Wipe all barstool surfaces
- Clean out drawers
- Re-stock paper goods and gift bags
- Clean bench cushion
- Inspect fire extinguisher
- Clean dryer vent inside and out
- Deep clean washer, dryer and dishwasher
- Deep clean sink and grate
- Inventory dishes and replace as necessary
- Restock basic spices
- Drawer re-organization
- Purge and clean under sink
- Replace anything broken or missing
- Deep clean rugs
- Top up laundry and dish pods
- Inventory cleaning supplies
- Update Rental License and contact information, on display for guests
- Deep clean small appliances
- Inventory cutlery and sharpen cutlery
- Deep clean fridge and freezer
Outside
- Pressure wash house and gutters
- Pressure wash deck (every other year)
- Pressure wash outdoor furniture
- Remove tree sap from all surfaces
- Blow off roof (3-4x/year)
- Clean and condition teak table
- Touch up trim paint
- Spray pest block around all openings
- Lubricate window mechanisms
- Inspect all outdoor lighting
- Power wash outdoor furniture
- Top off gravel as necessary
- Inspect garden hose and sprayer
Our Go-To Cleaning and Organization Supplies
We hope this list is helpful and comprehensive for your own home or rental! If there’s anything we missed, please let us know! We’re always striving for as close to perfection as we can get. Our highest priority for this space is that new and returning guests are equally impressed by the care and love that we pour into this home year after year. It’s a lot of work, but it’s truly rewarding to see the same families returning to Tree House year after year, sometimes multiple times per season!
Below, we’ve rounded up some of our tried and true cleaning and organizing products that have proven to make our lives easier and keep our shared home tidier. This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything we use, but more of an ‘unsung hero’ scenario. This year, #3 absolutely changed the organization game! We hope it helps!
1. bamboo crates | 2. embossing label maker | 3. bed sheet organizers | 4. leather cpr | 5. usb c cables | 6. dyson cordless vacuum | 7. handy paint pail package | 8. wooster paint brush | 9. wet microfiber mop | 10. glass cleaner set | 11. microfiber clothes | 12. bissell wet dry vacuum | 13. folex spot remover
Looking for more short term rental content? Here’s our experience after our first* Airbnb season, our experience after our first full season, how we use smart home devices to manage from afar, our general tips for running a successful short term rental, our favorite outdoor security camera, and how we maximized every square inch of our 850 sq. ft. home
I love this list! I wish every short term rental owner updated their property like this yearly. I seriously have fears about renting other people’s homes because they probably don’t do these things. Also, this is just a great list for me to do around our own house.
Thanks Julie! We take a lot of pride in our short term rental and we hope it shows to our guests.