Upholstery Care For Your Short-term Rental
The short-term industry is booming. Property owners are increasingly signing up to platforms like AirBnB and hosting local and international tourists looking for affordable accommodation. The mantra for these services is generally “a home away from home”, so you want to ensure that your guests feel as comfortable as possible. Maintaining a clean space is part and parcel of this, and the furniture shouldn’t be left behind.
Value Of Routine Sofa Cleaning For Your Vacation Home
Furniture that has been neglected is an instant turn-off. Stains on the cushions, odours coming from the upholstery, to dirt spots that the guests are afraid will get transferred onto their clothes – this sets the stage for an unsatisfactory client experience. It’s also not about rushing through the process with some laundry detergent and a scrubbing brush. In fact, a rushed clean-up job will be easily noticeable. Having a sofa cleaning company on speed dial will enable you to have the furnishings taken care of in between the check-ins. Here, it is recommended that you hire the services of a company that also uses drying systems as part of its operations, to ensure that the bulk of the moisture that winds up in the upholstery is removed and the sofa dries quickly, before the next guest checks in – all while delivering the desired quality of results.
Get rid of allergens
These wind up in the upholstery from different sources. Dirt getting tracked into the house on guests’ shoes, the dust and perfumes on the clothing and bags, pet dander for those vacation rentals that allow cats and dogs into the premises, pollen and spores that are blown to the rooms through the open windows and doors – these add to the allergen concentration in the space, which is a risk.
Remove signs of previous guests
Guests checking into your vacation rental want a unique experience. They don’t want to sleep in a bed that has lingering smells from the previous visitor who had checked in. From cigarette smoke that has been absorbed by the upholstery, body odour on the furniture and mattresses, pets’ smells from those families that had checked in with cats or dogs – these need to be got rid of. The very nature of the carpeting and upholstery results in them absorbing odours from their environment. An in-depth sofa cleaning that flushes out the gunk that’s the source of the smells, and includes odour neutralising processes, will ensure that the premises is ready for the new guests who are to arrive.
Boost your ratings
Clients looking for short-term rentals heavily rely on the reviews left by previous guests. The review section of your listing can make or break your vacation rental business. You want glowing, positive reviews, not complaints from guests about them finding the place in a sorry state. Ensuring that the place remains in a clean state will keep those 5-star ratings coming in, and bolster your venture.
Skip the rush of busy seasons
You want your property ready for the popular holiday seasons, not to have the upholstery caked in grime and stains. It can also be frustrating when you look into cleaning companies that will be having tight schedules due to the increased requests for the services. Having the sofas routinely cleaned will ensure that the sets in your vacation rental remain in top shape through the year, keeping your guests happy. If you do find yourself looking for the service amid the rush of the busy season, going for the established
companies that have large and well-resourced cleaning teams will enable you to get your needs catered to.
Get The Pros To Work On your Uphosltery
You want quality work, since this is your business on the line. A team that you can rely on to meet its timelines, and whose work yields the expected results. It can be frustrating when you’ve booked a cleaning session, and on the day of the task they fail to show up, and calls to them go unanswered. You also don’t want to be in a situation where your furniture gets destroyed because of the wrong sofa cleaning products and system being used. As such, particular care needs to be taken when hiring a company for the task. Here are aspects that you should consider:
Track record – Going over their reviews and testimonials, what do other clients have to say about their quality of services? You’re already familiar with the impact of reviews, especially as it a critical aspect of the short-term rental business. In the same way clients go through the review sections of your property listing, go over the comments that are on the social sites and business directly listings for the sofa cleaning company that you’re looking to hire. A majority of positive reviews is a sign that the company actually delivers on its mandate. For the negative reviews that have been posted, has the company made an attempt to resolve the issue? This would actually be a show of how much they prioritise customers satisfaction, going back to address complaints and having the client update their feedback.
Licensing and insurance – It’s imperative that you deal with a licenced business, not a fly-by-night whose owners cannot even be traced. The insurance coverage comes in because there is always a risk of damage. After all, accidents are by definition unplanned events. While the sofa cleaning company hired should take active steps and put in place safety measures to prevent accidents from happening the first place, having an insurance coverage ensures that you will be protected in case of any incident.
Given that running a short-term rental requires the cleaning to be carried out on a frequent basis, and on a flexible timeline, have a discussion with the firm that you intended to hire, especially with regards to their availability. Also look into the sofa cleaning methods that they intended to use, and the drying times involved.
