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Vrbo Cleaning Checklist and Standards

Vrbo does not set a mandatory cleaning checklist for hosts. Its help center offers cleaning guidance and says it does not verify whether hosts follow it, so your own room by room standard, backed by proof, is what protects your cleanliness reviews. Below is a practical Vrbo cleaning checklist, followed by the Vrbo policies that affect cleaning.

If you list on more than one platform, the cleaning job is the same everywhere. What changes is the fine print around reviews, guest chores and fees, so both are covered here.

What Vrbo says about cleaning standards

Vrbo's help article About vacation rental cleaning standards says the guidance was developed with government, health and travel industry experts, and that Vrbo does not verify or endorse the content or anyone's adherence to it. The optional measures it describes include:

• Enhanced cleaning practices and use of disinfectants
• Days between guest stays
• Contactless check in and checkout
• Disinfecting high touch surfaces
• Washing laundry at 60ºC (140ºF)

The same article says hosts can share extra cleaning measures in the Policies section of the property page, and that travelers can filter for properties highly rated for cleanliness or look at cleanliness ratings. That filter is a good reason to take the standard seriously even though Vrbo does not enforce one.

The Vrbo cleaning checklist

Use this as your base and adapt it to each home. For a longer version, see the Airbnb cleaning checklist; the tasks are the same.

Arrival walkthrough

1. Photograph each room before touching anything, to document condition after checkout.
2. Note damage, missing items or anything left behind.
3. Open windows if the home needs airing out.
4. Strip beds and start the first laundry load.

Kitchen

• Dishes washed, dried and put away; dishwasher emptied
• Counters, backsplash and cabinet fronts wiped
• Stovetop, oven door and knobs cleaned
• Microwave inside and out
• Fridge emptied of guest food, shelves wiped
• Coffee maker cleaned and emptied
• Sink scrubbed and drain cleared
• Trash and recycling emptied, bins wiped, new liners
• Restock: dish soap, sponge, coffee, paper towels

Bathrooms

• Toilet cleaned inside, outside and behind the base
• Shower and tub scrubbed, drain cleared of hair
• Glass and mirrors streak free
• Sink and counter cleaned and dried
• Floors vacuumed then mopped, including corners
• Fresh towels set out to your standard
• Restock: toilet paper, soap, shampoo, conditioner

Bedrooms

• Fresh linens, beds made to your reference photo
• Under beds checked and vacuumed
• Drawers and closets empty, hangers in place
• Nightstands dusted, lamps working
• Pillows and mattress protectors checked for stains

Living areas

• Sofa cushions lifted and vacuumed underneath
• Surfaces dusted, remotes wiped
• Floors vacuumed and mopped
• Furniture and decor reset to your staging photos

Outdoor areas and extras

• Patio swept, furniture wiped
• Grill cleaned
• Hot tub or pool checked per your routine
• Outdoor trash collected

Final checks

1. Thermostat set to your arrival setting.
2. Lights, locks and smart devices working.
3. Walk each room once more from the doorway, the way a guest would see it.
4. Take after photos from the same angles each time.

High touch surfaces worth disinfecting every stay

Vrbo's guidance mentions disinfecting high touch surfaces. At minimum, include:

• Door handles and locks
• Light switches
• Remote controls
• Faucet handles and toilet flush handles
• Fridge, microwave and oven handles
• Keypads and thermostats

Follow the product label for contact time, meaning how long the surface has to stay wet for the product to work. The Airbnb cleaning and sanitizing guide covers this in more detail.

Vrbo's cleaning tasks policy for guests

If you ask guests to do chores at checkout, check Vrbo's rules. Vrbo's help center has an article About the Cleaning Tasks Policy, which says there are restrictions for properties in California and links to the full California Cleaning Tasks Policy. As of October 2026, that policy says:

• Reasonable tasks are allowed, such as removing trash from inside the home, loading the dishwasher, stripping beds and removing personal items and food.
• General upkeep or maintenance tasks are not, such as mowing the lawn, deep cleaning major appliances, cleaning windows, shoveling the driveway or deep cleaning bathrooms.
• No financial penalties. Hosts cannot charge guests a penalty or file a damage protection claim for incomplete cleaning tasks.
• Disclose review consequences up front. If you plan to leave a negative review for incomplete tasks, that consequence has to be disclosed in the listing before the guest books.

Even outside California, keeping checkout tasks short and reasonable is good practice. My guide to checkout tasks you can ask guests to do goes further.

Reviews and timing

Vrbo's help article on submitting a property review says guests receive an email on checkout day with a link to review if they meet the review requirements, and that the review stays hidden until both the traveler and the partner have submitted reviews or until 14 days have passed. Your cleaner's work on the last turnover is what that email asks about, so a miss is hard to recover from after the guest has left.

Proving condition between stays

Before and after photos from the same angles, saved with a date, do two jobs. They show your cleaner and you what was missed before the next guest arrives, and they document condition if you need to file a claim. See how Vrbo damage claims work for hosts for the claims side.

This is the part Clyn is built for. Your cleaner takes photos in the Clyn app, blurry or dark shots get sent back for a retake, and the AI checks every photo against your property's standard. You get a pass or a fix list before check in, and the dated photos stay on record.

FAQ

Does Vrbo require hosts to follow a cleaning checklist?

Vrbo's help center describes its cleaning guidance as optional and says it does not verify adherence. Guests can still filter for properties highly rated for cleanliness, so a consistent checklist matters for bookings.

Can I charge a Vrbo guest for not doing checkout chores?

Under Vrbo's California Cleaning Tasks Policy, hosts cannot charge a financial penalty or file a damage protection claim for incomplete cleaning tasks. Check the current policy for your property's location before listing chores.

Is a Vrbo cleaning checklist different from an Airbnb one?

The cleaning tasks are the same. The differences are in each platform's policies on guest chores, reviews and claims, so check each platform's help center.

If you want every turnover checked before check in, you can try Clyn free on one property at clyn.com.