Hiring and managing cleaners

South Central Wisconsin · Member since 2025 · 16 posts · 10 votes

Hi, I have been struggling with finding adequate cleaners. Right now I have one that is asking I send a spreadsheet of every cleaning task for the year but resend it every week. She refuses to use my hospitable app emails. I self manage this property and am adding another property this year. I also work a full-time job. Is this a reasonable request from a cleaning company? How do you operate cleaners while self managing?

0 Reply

130 views

Most Popular Reply

Kenneth GarrettPro Member

Investor · Florida Panhandle/Illinois · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes

8mo

@Ashley W.

Even with self managing you still have to manage your cleaners. There are many apps you can use, but I prefer the old school way. I send my cleaners an updated schedule as it changes. This is done through text messages. Its not an app, but its simple and never a hiccup on the schedule. They always show up. I operate and self-manage multiple STR's.

The second part is you need to check up on the quality of the work. If you live close enough check after its cleaned occasionally. If you can't do it or you live to far away or live out of state, you need have a manager or someone who can check. If the property is not cleaned properly, you don't want the guest to complain about cleanliness. Cleanliness is critical to good reviews and the guests perspective of your property.

Self managing still requires managing of your cleaners. It doesn't have to be you.

Sending the same spreadsheet to your cleaner every cleaning is ridiculous. Not every cleaner or for that matter owners are technically savvy with apps or other digital sources. Either change cleaners or find something that works. Sometimes we have to go through multiple cleaners to find the one that matches our expectations.

3 Reply

See this reply in the discussion

8 Replies

Jump to latestLatest

Sort by

Kenneth GarrettPro Member
Investor · Florida Panhandle/Illinois · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
8mo
@Ashley W.
Even with self managing you still have to manage your cleaners. There are many apps you can use, but I prefer the old school way. I send my cleaners an updated schedule as it changes. This is done through text messages. Its not an app, but its simple and never a hiccup on the schedule. They always show up. I operate and self-manage multiple STR's.
The second part is you need to check up on the quality of the work. If you live close enough check after its cleaned occasionally. If you can't do it or you live to far away or live out of state, you need have a manager or someone who can check. If the property is not cleaned properly, you don't want the guest to complain about cleanliness. Cleanliness is critical to good reviews and the guests perspective of your property.
Self managing still requires managing of your cleaners. It doesn't have to be you.
Sending the same spreadsheet to your cleaner every cleaning is ridiculous. Not every cleaner or for that matter owners are technically savvy with apps or other digital sources. Either change cleaners or find something that works. Sometimes we have to go through multiple cleaners to find the one that matches our expectations.
3 Reply
John UnderwoodPro Member
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
8mo
You need to give her your expectations once and she fillow them.
2 Reply
Janice Carter
Real Estate Broker · Atlanta · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 606 votes
8mo
Ashley, no, that is not a reasonable request. Requiring you to resend a detailed annual task spreadsheet every week while refusing to use your management or hospitality app creates unnecessary friction and defeats the purpose of systematizing operations, especially when you are self-managing and working full time.

In practice, most owners set clear, standardized cleaning checklists once, use an app or shared document for communication and expect cleaners to confirm completion, not require weekly manual resends. I would either reset expectations in writing or begin looking for a cleaner who can operate within your systems. As you scale, vendor cooperation and efficiency are non-negotiable.
1 Reply
Michael BaumPro Member
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
8mo
Hey @Ashley W., yeah I agree with everyone else. Seems strange unless that is the only way they can keep track of all the places they clean.
Then you have to be suspect of their ability to keep your place clean.
0 Reply
Garrett BrownPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2024 · 505 posts · 553 votes
8mo
Get them on to Turno. I have had alot of cleaners try to keep things "old school" but once they see how easy /helpful something like Turno is, they adapt. If they can't, find new cleaners that are on Turno already or go to Facebook groups. Unless this cleaner is just amazing at turnovers and very fairly priced, it sounds like they will be hard to scale with.
[email protected]
0 Reply
Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
8mo
You are the client, they need to fill your needs or you need to find someone else who can.
[email protected]813-563-0877
Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews
Website View Page
0 Reply
Andrew Street
Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 292 votes
8mo
That would be a no for me. Asking for weekly spreadsheets and refusing to use your system isn’t scalable, especially if you’re adding properties and working full time.

Most STR cleaners are fine with a shared calendar, automated notifications, and a standard checklist. If they can't work within that setup, it's usually a sign to find someone who's more STR-experienced.
0 Reply
Ashley W.Pro Member
OP
South Central Wisconsin · Member since 2025 · 16 posts · 10 votes
8mo
Thank you. I appreciate everyone’s responses. I needed the validation. She is higher priced but there are not a lot of options in the area. She has her own app and won’t use mine. She says she has 7 other STRs her team cleans but when she sends me examples of what they send it looks to like these places are run by property managers and they are not local. I’m contemplating going out on my own and building a team that is trained by me for STR specifically. The area could use it for sure. I liked Turno when I used it previously but had a bad cleaner before this one and am trying to recover. Again, thank you for your thoughts everyone.
0 Reply

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.