09/21/2026
Hi, I'm Heather, an Airbnb host myself and this is my VERY quick checkout routine when I'm leaving
one of our Airbnbs.
I checked out of our Carolina Beach Airbnb at 5am this morning, so I did a quick run-through before hitting the road:
Check everywhere - including under the beds because my
kids LOVE throwing toys under there
Start the dishwasher + clean out the fridge. This is probably
the #1 thing I recommend doing before you leave. A full dishwasher cycle takes forever, and we have guests checking in this afternoon. My cleaner will put everything away, but having her hand wash a whole dishwasher's worth of dishes is a huge time suck.
Strip the beds. Our cleaner asks us to do this, but some cleaners prefer that guests don't. It's hard enough finding a good cleaner, so I basically do whatever mine asks o It also
takes two seconds AND helps me find things we've left behind.
Today I found one of my kid's stuffies AND I can check the mattress toppers for stains.
Start a load of towels. I provide plenty of detergent, and starting a load takes literally two seconds. Since it's my house, do way more laundry myself - but I would never expect a guest to do all of this.
Check the bathrooms + take out the trash. It also helps me
mentally check that room off my list.
Check closets, nightstands + under the beds. I am FAMOUS
for leaving phone chargers and computer cords behind.
One last check outside for bathing suits, things I left out to
dry and approximately 47 kids' toys.
And that's it! I'm not doing a deep clean at 5am... just making sure I didn't leave anything behind and that I'm leaving the house in a good spot for my cleaner and the next guests.
AirbnbHosting
