Make your holiday cottage gleam and put the shine into reviews

In an increasingly competitive market, where first impressions really do count, the importance of having a sparkling clean holiday cottage is crucial. Not only will it impact on the enjoyment of your guest’s holiday, but cleanliness is one of the most frequently commented upon issues in holiday house reviews. If your house lacks that sparkling clean glow and instead feels tired and a little bit grubby in those hard to reach corners, you are likely to face poor reviews and will ultimately lose bookings.

However, whether you live on site and do your own cleaning, or live further away and employ a housekeeper, there is rarely enough time during changeovers to get into all the nooks and crannies needed to keep your holiday let spotlessly clean. We live 160 miles from our holiday cottages and employ a fantastic housekeeper to manage the turnarounds. But regardless of how good your cleaner is, or how hard you scrub and polish if you do the cleaning yourself, regular back to back bookings leave little time for all important ‘deep’ cleaning.

Therefore, once a month we try to stay at our cottage ourselves. It is only when you live like a guest that you notice the tiny little grubby areas starting to build up. Just as you’ve finished your days scrubbing and relax back in the bath, you spot the marks on the underside of the shower soap dish, or the wine glasses tucked away at the back of the cupboard that have become dull over time.

When we leave, our housekeeper comments that the cottage ‘gleams’ and I am convinced that the monthly ‘deep’ cleaning, combined with a regular high standard of cleaning during turnarounds, contributes to both overall guest satisfaction and also the longevity of the furnishings and fittings within the cottage.

Here are a few little extra things you can do to make your holiday house shine out above the rest.

Kitchen

Whilst the weekly changeover clean will ensure your kitchen is ready for the next set of guests, there are a few additional tasks that will need doing regularly to keep your kitchen looking as good as new.

• Polish all chrome including taps, kettles and toasters. If it’s shiny, make it sparkle. An e-cloth is fabulous for this.
• Remove grubby finger and grease marks from stainless steel on ovens, extractor fans and appliances. We have found that baby oil works wonders.
• Deep clean ovens and defrost fridges and freezers. You may find lining the trays and racks with kitchen foil keeps the oven cleaner for longer. If you do this make sure the foil is replaced regularly to ensure it is free from marks and crumbs.
• Clean inside kitchen cupboards. Remove everything so you can give them a good wipe out and don’t miss the crumbs in the cutlery tray!
• Make sure pans are free from grease and grime and replace when tired and scratched.
• Wash any hanging utensils, especially those around the hob that get splattered with cooking fat.
• Refill the dishwasher with salt and rinse aid. Guests rarely do this and your glasses will soon get ruined with water marks if you don’t! It is also a good idea to clean your dishwasher by running it on empty with a dishwasher cleaner (apparently half a cup of vinegar and baking soda also does the trick).
• Descale the kettle. Pop the shower head in the water afterwards to descale that as well.
• Check all glassware and make sure it is super clean. No one likes taking a wine glass out of the cupboard and seeing lip stick marks the previous guest has left!
• If crockery is cracked or chipped, bin it and replace.
• Clean the front grills of extractor fans in both the kitchen and bathroom as they gather dust between the slots.
• Disinfect and wipe out the bins both inside and outside the property.

Bath and shower rooms

There are plenty of opportunities to really make a bathroom shine. Whilst it is important that the bathroom is given a thorough clean on each changeover there are a few extra things that should be done as part of a deep clean to help keep it sparkling.

• Polish all the chrome including toilet roll holders, taps and towel rails.
• Wash shower curtains and remove limescale and stains. If you can’t get the stains out, replace them.
• Scrub the grout. A toothbrush and baking soda is great for this.
• Descale the shower head.
• Replace silicone and mastic if it is marked with black mould.
• Clean the toothbrush holder and soap dish (make sure this is done on every turnaround!).

Bedrooms

It’s also important not to cut corners when it comes to ensuring your guests have a good nights sleep.

• Wash pillow and mattress protectors to keep them fresh and stain free.
• Hoover mattresses and high up areas such as the top of wardrobes and lamp shades, along with the lower level dust traps like under beds and dressing tables.
• Wash duvets and pillows and replace them when they have lost their bounce or become marked.
• Wash blankets, bedsheets, throws and cushions.
• Check your bedding and towels and get rid of anything that it looking tired or worn. The importance of fresh and crisp linen cannot be overstated!

General cleaning

And don’t forget all those other little jobs that you rarely have time for on a busy changeover.

• Clean all light bulbs to remove dust and dulling and hoover lamp shades. Also double check all the bulbs are working and restock your supply of spare ones.
• Make sure the windows sparkle inside and out. Sunny days will really show up the marks. Also clean all other glass such as picture frames, tea lights, the log burner door and mirrors with a window cleaner.
• Give all the upholstery a good hoover to remove dust and crumbs. Also wash removable covers periodically or seek the assistance of professional cleaners if your upholstery is not machine washable.
• Move furniture and hoover underneath. This is particularly important for larger items that do not get moved during regular cleans.
• Wash nets, bed drapes, cloths and doilies to keep them crisp and white.
• If you take pets, you may want to spray the house with a flea and mite spray.
• Keep an eye on carpets and curtains and have them cleaned before they start to look grubby.
• Remove any mould marks around windows and touch up the paint if necessary. This will also help prevent the curtains getting stained as mould is hard to shift!
• You may also need to touch up paint on walk way areas that get knocked by cases such as stairways and halls.
• Wash skirting boards, door frames and architraves.
• Wash floor and door mats. Turtle Mats are fantastic. They may cost a little more but they wash and tumble dry, time and time again.
• Empty the filters on tumble dryers. They are now the second most common cause of house fires.
• Remove spiders and flies out of cracks and crevices. Also go behind radiators with a radiator brush.

Don’t forget the exterior

Whilst it is important to thoroughly clean the inside of your holiday let don’t forget about the exterior too! The outside of your property is the first thing that guests are going see and it is important to set a good impression before guests even step inside. Wipe down the front door, ensure any paintwork isn’t flaky and make sure the driveway and garden path are free from weeds.

Whilst this list might seem endless, regular and thorough deep cleaning is essential. It is also worth remembering it isn’t just a spring-time activity. It is important you deep clean your holiday house before it starts to look a bit worse for wear and the more often you do it the easier it will be! Small details and first impressions matter, so make sure your holiday cottage shines from the moment your guests arrive. Your hard work is likely to be appreciated by happy guests and reflected in good reviews and repeat bookings.