AirBnB Supplies and Cleaning Checklist

When I was starting out with Airbnb, I searched high and low for some blog posts on what I would need to furnish our apartment in order to make our place appealing to the out of town guest. Spoiler alert: I didn’t find much. It does seem that there are a lot of people out there who are passionate about running their Airbnb, but not too many people who are spending the time detailing what it takes to get started, what it takes to clean it, and what it takes to maintain it.

So this post is for all those people searching for how in the world to get started and how in the world to maintain it!

I’m not a decor expert– in fact, we have hardly any decor up in our Airbnb. Instead, we opted for some paint that makes a statement but still looks subtle. Even though the furniture is mismatched, we worked to tie it all together and give it more of an eclectic and homey look.

We have also decided to not go with anything scented in our Airbnb. Some people (me included) have a sensitivity to scent and so it just makes sense to leave well enough alone. As a welcome, we have a basket with water and granola bars. I have considered baking something tasty for each guest, but the logistics of that are just not possible in my current season, and we stick with SIMPLE.

Here are the things that we had to purchase for the initial startup of the Airbnb:

carpet for living room, carpet for bedroom
rugs for the door, the shoe area, the kitchen area and the bathroom
couch
armchair
coffee table
TV stand
TV
clock
dry erase board for check in information
lamps for living area
stove
fridge
cups, glasses, plates, bowls, silverware, pots and pans, hot pads
microwave
hot water heater
coffee maker
dish basket drainer
dishoap
washclosh/sponge and hand towel
large trash can
curtains for all windows
trash bags
basic cleaning supplies- Clorox wipes, Ajax, sponge, gloves for cleaning
Bathroom stand for towels and supplies
Toilet brush/cleaner
hooks to hang towels
trash can for bathroom
hair dryer
Towels (we bought a set of 12 and always have 3+ in the bathroom for guests)
Handtowels
Washclothes
Small bottles of shampoo, conditioner and bars of soap
Toilet Paper
bed frame (queen)
bed mattress (queen)
bedding – three sets of sheets (we opted to NOT do white and do a dark pattern instead)
pillows- four for the queen sized bed + 2 extra
duvet/blanket/quilt- 2-3 of these because somebody’s gonna spill something (100% guaranteed).
bedside table
lamp
alarm clock
power cord extender for phone chargers (or something similar that makes it super easy to charge a phone next to the bed)
trash can for each bedroom
iron and ironing board
hangers in the closet
space heater
box fan
sound machine
extra blankets/throws

All total, these supplies came out to around $1000. We already had some of the furniture, but had to purchase the bed and mattress and the TV. It’s amazing how little supplies like spatulas and hot pads and lamps can really add up! However, it was well worth the startup cost and we had recouped that within two months of opening.

Once the apartment is all set up and the guests start to arrive, I had to buckle down and create a very thorough cleaning routine. Every time I clean the basement apartment, I chuckle at myself that the Airbnb is SO CLEAN and yet it’s been awhile since I have done the same chores upstairs in our actual house. Lol. This is the cleaning routine that I follow every time I clean the basement. I have found that cleaning in this order also makes me efficient and not miss anything.