How to Turn Over an Airbnb Kitchen Fast

That Cleaning Girl · Airbnb & Rental Turnovers

The kitchen is the second room every guest inspects, right after the bathroom. Even guests who plan to eat out every meal will open the fridge and the microwave. A good kitchen turnover is fast, focused and consistent. Since bathrooms come right before the kitchen in our order, start with How to Clean an Airbnb Bathroom Between Guests if you have not already.

Here is how we turn over rental kitchens around Waxahachie, Red Oak and across south DFW.

Start the dishes first

Dishes take the most waiting time, so they go first:

• Unload the dishwasher if guests ran it, and put everything away
• Gather dishes from every room, including the patio and bedrooms
• Load the dishwasher and run it right away
• Hand wash anything that does not go in the dishwasher, like knives, wooden boards and cast iron

By the time the rest of the kitchen is done, the dishwasher is nearly finished. Put clean dishes away before you leave, and check the cabinets for anything stacked wet or put back dirty.

Clear out the fridge and freezer

Guests leave food behind constantly. Throw out leftovers, opened containers and anything perishable unless your host has a different rule. Then wipe the shelves and door bins that were used. Sticky rings from condiment bottles and spilled drinks are the usual problems.

Check the freezer too. Ice trays should be refilled, and forgotten frozen pizzas should go. A quick sniff test at the end catches any lingering smell. A box of baking soda in the back of the fridge helps between guests.

The microwave and small appliances

Clean the inside of the microwave every turnover. Splatters bake on if they are left. A bowl of water with a slice of lemon, heated for a couple of minutes, loosens most messes so they wipe right off.

Then work through the small appliances guests use:

• Coffee maker: empty the grounds, rinse the carafe and the basket, wipe the outside
• Toaster: shake out the crumbs and wipe the outside
• Kettle: empty it and wipe it down
• Blender or other gadgets: check they are clean and all the pieces are there

Counters, stovetop and appliance fronts

Clear the counters completely, then wipe them from back to front, pushing crumbs into your hand or a cloth. Do not forget the backsplash, which gets splatters from cooking. Clean the stovetop, including under any removable grates or burner covers. Wipe the fronts of the fridge, dishwasher, oven and microwave, especially around the handles where fingerprints show up.

Stainless steel shows streaks easily. Wipe with the grain and finish with a dry cloth.

The sink and the drain

The sink is often the dirtiest spot in a rental kitchen. Scrub the basin, the faucet and around the edges where grime collects. Clear food from the drain and run the disposal with a little water if you have one. Rinse and dry the faucet so hard water spots do not show. Put out a new sponge, or a clean dish brush, for the next guest.

Check the cabinets and drawers

You do not need to empty every cabinet on a turnover, but do a quick check. Make sure plates, glasses and mugs are back in their places, the utensil drawer is tidy and nothing sticky has spilled in the pantry. Count the items that tend to go missing, like wine openers and sharp knives. If something is gone or broken, note it for the host. Chipped plates and cracked glasses should come out of rotation too. A guest who cuts a lip on a chipped mug will remember it, and replacing a few pieces is easy. Keep a couple of spare mugs and glasses in the owner’s closet so the count always matches the number of guests the listing sleeps.

Restock and reset

Finish by setting the kitchen up for the next guest:

• Dish soap, dishwasher pods and a new sponge
• Paper towels on the holder and a spare
• Coffee, filters, sugar and creamer
• Salt, pepper and cooking oil
• A clean dish towel folded over the oven handle
• A trash bag in the can and a spare at the bottom

Then sweep and mop the floor, getting in front of the stove and the sink where spills land.

Save the deeper jobs for later

Inside the oven, inside every cabinet and behind the fridge do not need to happen every turnover. Book those as an add-on or a deep clean between seasons so turnovers stay quick. Here in North Texas, a kitchen that gets a full deep clean a few times a year stays guest-ready far more easily. For how kitchen cleaning fits into a full turnover, see our Airbnb cleaning service page.