Open the Checkout chore checker →
Stick to light tasks: gather used towels, throw trash away, turn things off, lock up, and return keys. Small asks for your home, like covering the grill, are fine. Airbnb says guests expect a checkout "without any cleaning tasks," and your cleaning fee is meant to cover standard cleaning such as laundry and vacuuming.
What Airbnb offers as checkout tasks
Airbnb's Resource Center article "A clear and simple checkout" says you add checkout instructions to your Arrival guide in the Listing editor. You can pick from these common tasks:
- Gather used towels
- Throw trash away
- Turn things off
- Lock up
- Return keys
You can add details to each one, like trash in one bin and recycling in another. You can also add requests that are specific to your home, such as covering the grill after use.
Guests can see your checkout instructions and house rules before they book.
What the cleaning fee covers
Airbnb's ground rules for guests say:
- Guests should not leave the place needing excessive or deep cleaning, such as moldy dishes, soiled carpets, or pet stains.
- "Cleaning fees set by hosts are only meant to cover the cost of standard cleaning between reservations (laundry, vacuuming, etc.)."
- "Hosts may not charge guest fees for failing to perform specific cleaning or checkout tasks." Hosts can still rate and review guests on cleanliness.
- Guests should put trash in the designated bins and finish checkout, including returning keys, by checkout time.
Airbnb's ground rules for hosts add that hosts should clean between every stay: do laundry, take out trash, vacuum or sweep, and wipe down surfaces.
What happens with long lists
Airbnb sends guests a checkout reminder the day before checkout at 5:00 PM local time, if they have the app with notifications on. After the stay, guests can rate your communication and pick "excessive checkout tasks" as feedback. Airbnb says "listings with repeated low ratings from unreasonable tasks may be removed from Airbnb."
Keep, soften, or cut
Airbnb does not publish a list of banned chores. The calls below are our reading of the pages above.
- Keep: the five common tasks, plus small home-specific asks.
- Soften: light asks that are fine if optional, such as starting a full dishwasher.
- Cut: anything that is standard cleaning, such as stripping beds, laundry, vacuuming, sweeping, or mopping.
Worked example
Here is a checkout list we ran through our chore checker:
- Strip the beds and put sheets in the washer
- Run the dishwasher
- Gather used towels in the tub
- Turn off the AC
- Lock the door and return the key
- Sweep the floors
Result: score 52 out of 100, verdict "trim needed."
- Cut "Strip the beds and put sheets in the washer." Laundry is standard cleaning.
- Cut "Sweep the floors." Vacuuming and sweeping are standard cleaning.
- Soften "Run the dishwasher" to "If the dishwasher is full, feel free to start it on your way out."
- Keep towels, turning off the AC, and locking up with key return.
- Add the missing trash task: "Throw trash in the bins."
Trimmed list:
- Gather used towels in the tub
- Throw trash in the bins
- Turn off the AC
- Lock the door and return the key
- If the dishwasher is full, feel free to start it on your way out
Guest note:
"Checkout is easy: gather used towels, put trash in the bins, turn things off, lock up, and return the keys. Your cleaning fee covers the rest, so no cleaning is needed. Thanks for staying with us!"
Paste your own list into the checkout chore checker. It uses simple keyword rules, so read each result before you change your listing.
Steps
- Open the Listing editor and find checkout instructions in your Arrival guide.
- Start from Airbnb's five common tasks.
- Add details only where they help, like which bin is for recycling.
- Remove anything that is standard cleaning.
- Rewrite borderline asks as optional.
- Add one line saying the cleaning fee covers the rest.
- Tell your cleaner what changed, so turnover time covers the tasks guests no longer do.
Sources
- Airbnb Resource Center: A clear and simple checkout
- Airbnb Help: Ground rules for guests (article 2894)
- Airbnb Help: Ground rules for home hosts (article 2895)
Last checked Oct 17, 2026. This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Check your own platform terms and dashboard.