The checklist and the PDF
The PDF is deliberately plain — print one per turnover, check it off, and keep the sign-off sheet with the home’s move-out and move-in records. It’s a general business checklist, provided as is.
Nightly vs mid-term turnovers
Most cleaning checklists are written for Airbnb: strip the beds, wipe the counters, restock the coffee. That’s the nightly reset. A midterm tenant — a travel nurse on a 13-week contract, an engineer on a project, a family between homes — cooks, works and does laundry there every day for months. The turnover after them is a different job:
| Topic | Nightly (short-term) | Monthly (mid-term) | Yearly (long-term) |
|---|---|---|---|
| How often | After every stay — often several a week | Every few months | Once a year or less |
| The job | A quick reset: beds, towels, bathrooms, surfaces | A deep clean, a condition check and a safety reset | A move-out clean, often with repairs and paint |
| Linens | Changed every stay | All washed, protectors too, mattresses checked | Usually the tenant’s own |
| Usually paid by | A cleaning fee on each booking | A cleaning fee with the move-in money, or as the lease says | The tenant, who returns it clean |
| The record | Photos when something’s damaged | Move-out photos against the move-in record | Move-in and move-out inspection forms |
The quick reset between nightly guests, for homes that take both:
- Strip and remake the beds; fresh towels
- Wipe the kitchen, empty the dishwasher and the trash
- Clean the bathrooms
- Vacuum and mop
- Restock the basics and reset the house guide
The turnover, room by room
Before you clean: the move-out walk-through
Do this first, while the home still looks the way the tenant left it.
- Walk every room with the move-in inventory, and count linens, kitchen items, keys and remotes against it
- Photograph each room before cleaning, from the same angles as the move-in photos
- Note damage separately from dirt — damage goes to repairs, dirt goes to the clean
- Check drawers, closets, the fridge and under the beds for anything left behind
- Strip every bed and start the laundry
Kitchen
After months of everyday cooking, the kitchen is the deep clean.
- Empty the fridge and freezer; wash the shelves, drawers and door seals
- Clean inside the oven and microwave, the stovetop and the range-hood filter
- Clean the dishwasher filter and run it empty
- Descale the coffee maker and kettle; empty the toaster crumb tray
- Wipe inside every cabinet and drawer; run all dishes, pots and utensils through a wash
- Counters, backsplash, sink, faucet and disposal
- Wash the trash and recycling bins and put in new liners
Bathrooms (each)
- Toilet inside, outside, behind and at the base
- Shower and tub: descale the glass and fixtures, scrub the grout, clear the drain
- Sink, mirror, counter and the inside of the vanity
- Exhaust fan cover dusted
- Replace the shower curtain liner if it’s stained
- Floors, including behind the door and around the toilet
Bedrooms (each)
- Wash every sheet, pillowcase, duvet cover, mattress protector and pillow protector
- Check the mattress, seams and headboard for stains and signs of bed bugs
- Vacuum under the bed and behind the nightstands
- Empty and wipe the dresser drawers and closet; count the hangers
- Make the beds with clean linens, and put the spare set away
Living areas and workspace
- Vacuum the sofa and chairs, under the cushions too; spot-clean any stains
- Wipe the desk, desk chair, lamps and power strips
- Wipe the remotes, switches and door handles
- Sign out of every streaming account on the TV
- Dust the blinds and curtains
Whole home, top to bottom
- Dust ceiling fans, vents and light fixtures first, then work down
- Baseboards, doors, door frames and switch plates
- Spot-clean marks on the walls
- Inside the windows, the sills and the tracks
- Move the furniture you can and vacuum behind and under it
- Vacuum every floor, then mop the hard floors last
Laundry, filters and appliances
- Clean the washer’s door seal and run a cleaning cycle
- Empty the dryer lint filter and check the vent for lint build-up
- Replace the HVAC filter if it’s due
- Replace the fridge water filter if it’s due
Reset for the next tenant
- Test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, and note the date
- Set a new door code, and count the keys, fobs, remotes and parking passes
- Check the Wi-Fi works and the network name and password in the home are current
- Restock the starter supplies: toilet paper, soap, dish soap, detergent, trash bags, paper towels
- Replace burnt-out bulbs and dead batteries in the remotes
- Set the thermostat, close the blinds, and leave the house guide out
Finish: the record
- Photograph every room after the clean — the start of the next move-in record
- Send anything broken or worn to maintenance before the next move-in
- Note the date, who cleaned and anything restocked or replaced
- Lock up and confirm the home is ready
Missing something at the walk-through? The furniture, linens and kitchen items to count are in the free furnishing and move-in checklist, which has the move-in inventory this walk-through compares against.
The safety reset
A turnover is the one time the home is empty, so it’s when the safety checks happen. What the government guidance behind them says:
| Topic | What the guidance says |
|---|---|
| Smoke alarms | Test them every month; replace them 10 years from the manufacture date (U.S. Fire Administration) |
| Carbon monoxide alarms | Test them monthly, replace the batteries yearly, and have one on each level and outside the sleeping areas (CPSC) |
| Dryer | Clean the lint filter, and check that the vent behind the dryer isn’t damaged, crushed or restricted (U.S. Fire Administration) |
| Bed bugs | Check the piping, seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and cracks in the bed frame and headboard (EPA) |
| HVAC filter | Check it once a month (ENERGY STAR) |
Note the date of each check on the sign-off sheet — when a question comes up later, the record is there.
Cleaning vs disinfecting
The CDC puts it simply: cleaning — soap, water and scrubbing — removes most germs, dirt and impurities, and disinfecting kills most germs; it suggests disinfecting when someone has been sick. If you disinfect, read the label: the EPA’s guidance is to leave the surface wet for the product’s full contact time, or it may not work.
Who pays for the clean
Decide it before the lease is signed, and write it down. Two common ways: a cleaning fee collected with the move-in money, or a home returned clean with deductions from the deposit when it isn’t. Tyler Sorenson, Nexxus’s founder, collects a cleaning fee of about $300 with the deposit, within 24 hours of the lease being signed. Deposit deductions are limited by state law — California, for example, allows deductions only for the cleaning “necessary to return the unit to the same level of cleanliness it was in at the inception of the tenancy.” Deposit limits and deadlines are in security deposit; this is general information, not legal advice.
Cleaning during a long stay
A three-month stay doesn’t need weekly housekeeping, but some operators include or sell a mid-stay clean — a good moment to change the HVAC filter and test the alarms too. Put it in the lease, and schedule it: many state laws require notice before you enter. Arizona, for example, requires at least two days’ notice except in an emergency.
Turnovers in Nexxus
Turnover cleaning runs through Nexxus Cleaning: cleanings scheduled from every booking and move-out, with checklists and before-and-after photos, and the cost on the owner statement. Nexxus Cleaning also runs on its own as a cleaning-scheduling app.
Around it, the rest of the turnover sits in one place. Nexxus sends a heads-up 60, 30 and 7 days before a lease ends, so the clean is planned before the move-out date. Repairs the walk-through finds become work orders with a vendor, a scheduled date and the cost, emailed to the vendor from Nexxus. The cleaning fee shows on the home’s listing on your booking site, and the move-out photos go on the tenant’s documents, next to the signed lease. Mid-term, nightly or medium-term — it’s the same calendar.
See mid-term rental software, or open the live demo set up for mid-term — no sign-up.
Cleaning checklist FAQ
What should a turnover clean include for a mid-term rental?
Everything a nightly turnover does, plus what months of everyday living leave behind: inside the fridge, oven, microwave and dishwasher, every cabinet and drawer, upholstery and mattresses, filters and the dryer vent — then a reset for the next tenant: alarms tested, a new door code, keys counted and the starter supplies restocked. Walk the home against the move-in inventory before you clean, and photograph it after.
How is a mid-term turnover different from an Airbnb turnover?
A nightly turnover is a quick reset between guests who stayed a few nights. A mid-term turnover comes after someone has lived in the home for months, so it’s a deep clean, a check of the home’s condition against the move-in record and a safety reset — fewer of them, but each one is bigger.
Who pays for cleaning when a mid-term tenant moves out?
Whoever the lease says. Many furnished rentals charge a cleaning fee with the move-in money; others expect the home back clean and deduct from the deposit when it isn’t. Deposit deductions for cleaning are limited by state law — California, for example, allows only what’s needed to return the home to the cleanliness it had when the tenancy began. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do you clean during a monthly rental?
Only if the lease says so. Some operators include or sell a mid-stay clean, which is also a good time to change the HVAC filter and test the alarms. Many state laws require notice before a landlord enters a tenant’s home — Arizona, for example, requires at least two days’ notice except in an emergency — so schedule it with the tenant.
How much time should I leave between mid-term tenants?
Enough for the deep clean and anything the walk-through finds. Block at least a day between a move-out and the next move-in, and more when repairs or replacements come up — and keep that buffer on the same calendar as every booking, so a nightly stay can’t slip into it.
Should I disinfect or just clean between tenants?
Clean everything; disinfect where it matters. The CDC says cleaning with soap, water and scrubbing removes most germs, and suggests disinfecting when someone has been sick. When you do disinfect, follow the product label — including how long the surface has to stay wet.
Sources
Read on the agencies’ and legislatures’ own sites on October 6, 2026. Guidance and laws change — check the current versions.
- U.S. Fire Administration: smoke alarms and clothes dryer fire safety
- Consumer Product Safety Commission: carbon monoxide alarms
- EPA: how to find bed bugs and six steps for safe and effective disinfectant use
- CDC: when and how to clean and disinfect your home
- ENERGY STAR: keeping your HVAC system working efficiently
- Arizona Revised Statutes 33-1343 (access; two days’ notice) and California Civil Code 1950.5 (security; cleaning deductions)