Airbnb turnover cleaning is one of the fastest-growing niches for independent cleaners and small cleaning companies in the US — and one of the most commonly underpriced. Hosts often compare your quote to what they pay for a monthly deep clean of their own home, which isn't a fair comparison. A turnover isn't a standard clean. It's a timed, checklist-driven job with laundry, restocking, and staging built in, usually done under pressure between an 11am checkout and a 3pm check-in.
This guide covers how to price turnovers specifically. For the fundamentals of hourly vs. flat pricing across all residential cleaning, see our main guide: How much to charge for house cleaning (hourly vs flat).
Why Airbnb turnovers need their own pricing model
A turnover clean includes tasks a regular house cleaning doesn't:
- Stripping and remaking beds with fresh linens
- Doing laundry on-site or hauling it off-site and back
- Restocking toiletries, coffee, paper towels, trash bags
- Checking for damage or missing items and reporting to the host
- Staging: folding towels, arranging pillows, resetting the welcome book
- Working around a fixed same-day window, sometimes back-to-back turns
Because of this, most experienced cleaners price turnovers as a flat fee per turn, not hourly. Hourly billing punishes you for working fast (which hosts want) and creates disputes when a guest leaves a messier-than-usual unit.
Flat per-turn pricing: what's typical in the US
Rates vary heavily by market (San Francisco and Miami are not Tulsa), unit size, and how much laundry is involved. As a general benchmark:
| Unit size | Typical flat rate (US) | Typical flat rate (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1BR | $60–$100 | £45–£75 |
| 2BR / 1-2BA | $90–$140 | £65–£100 |
| 3BR / 2BA | $130–$190 | £95–£140 |
| 4BR+ or full house | $180–$280+ | £130–£200+ |
These figures assume linens and towels are washed on-site or via a laundry service already accounted for separately. If you're doing the laundry yourself as part of the visit, price on the higher end of the range or add a laundry line item.
Building your flat rate from real costs
Don't guess — build the number. A simple formula:
- Labor: estimated cleaning time × your hourly labor cost (including payroll tax if you have employees)
- Supplies: per-visit cost of restocked items (coffee pods, toiletries, trash bags) — often $5–$15 per turn
- Laundry: either your time washing/drying on-site, or the cost of a linen rental/laundry service
- Travel: gas and time between properties, especially for back-to-back same-day turns
- Margin: 20–35% on top to cover no-shows, damaged inventory, and business overhead
Add these up and round to a clean number hosts can budget around. Hosts managing multiple units on platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, or Booking.com will ask for your rate card upfront — have one ready rather than quoting job-by-job.
Common add-ons and how to price them
| Add-on | Typical extra charge |
|---|---|
| Same-day rush turn (under 3-hour window) | +$15–$30 |
| Linen/towel laundering on-site | +$10–$25 per load |
| Restocking supplies beyond basics | +$5–$15 |
| Deep clean / post long-stay (7+ nights) | +30–50% of base rate |
| Inspection-only visit (no full clean) | $20–$35 flat |
| Damage or excessive mess reported | Billed hourly on top, with photo evidence |
Always document condition with photos before and after. Turnover disputes almost always come down to "the cleaner said it was fine" vs. "the guest said it wasn't" — timestamped photos settle it in seconds.
Per-turn vs. monthly retainer: which to offer hosts
Hosts with multiple properties or high occupancy often prefer a monthly retainer instead of per-turn invoicing, because it's easier to budget and reduces admin on both sides.
- Per-turn billing works well for low-volume hosts (under 10 turns/month) or seasonal properties.
- Monthly retainer (e.g., a flat $600–$1,200/month covering a set number of turns) suits hosts with 4+ units or year-round bookings, and gives you predictable cash flow.
Whichever model you use, calendar sync matters more here than in regular residential cleaning — you're reacting to guest checkout times that change weekly, not a fixed weekly appointment.
Business setup notes for turnover cleaners
Most Airbnb turnover work is B2B — you're billing a host or a property management company, not a homeowner. A few things to have in order:
- An EIN and a simple invoice template if you're operating as an LLC or sole proprietor
- Sales tax registration if your state taxes cleaning services (this varies by state — check with your state's department of revenue)
- A written scope-of-work per property, since "clean" means different things across units with different amenities and inventory
- Clear cancellation/no-show terms — same-day guest changes and cancellations are common and should be priced into your policy
Putting it together: a sample quote
A 2BR/2BA Airbnb, mid-size city, standard same-day turn, laundry done on-site, basic restocking:
- Base labor + travel: $75
- Supplies restock: $10
- On-site laundry: $15
- Total flat rate: $100 per turn
Add $20 if the host needs a guaranteed sub-3-hour turnaround, and $15 more if there's been a long-term guest stay requiring a deeper reset.
Managing multiple hosts without losing track
Once you're cleaning for three or more Airbnb hosts, spreadsheets and text threads stop working — checkout times shift, hosts need same-day confirmation, and invoicing per-turn manually eats hours every week. CleanWhale handles online booking, scheduling around guest checkout times, automated invoicing, and reminders so nothing falls through the cracks. See plans and pricing or check the full feature list to see if it fits how you run turnovers.