Airbnb Announces New Mandatory Cleaning Protocol

By November 20th, 2020, hosts will need to "commit" to Airbnb's new required 5-step enhanced cleaning protocol. Hosts who do not commit may have their listings suspended or be removed from the platform. This is not optional. Beginning October 12th, hosts will be prompted to attest through their dashboard.

Why is Airbnb doing this?

According to the Airbnb website:

As the pandemic continues, it’s important that we all do our part to help curb the spread of COVID-19. We know it can be difficult to adopt a new cleaning routine, so we’ve put together a comprehensive cleaning handbook that includes expert-backed guidance, safety tips, and checklists.

How will this stop hosts from just attesting to the protocol without following it?

Our review system offers additional checks and balances—if a host isn’t following the requirements guests can bring it up in their reviews of the space.

What happens if a guest reports a host?

We believe that most issues can be resolved with extra host education and support. However, hosts who repeatedly or severely violate cleaning standards may be subject to warnings, suspensions, and in some cases, removal from the Airbnb platform. 

Why are all hosts now required to follow this five-step enhanced cleaning process?

As the pandemic continues, it’s important that we all do our part to help curb the spread of COVID-19. We know it can be difficult to adopt a new cleaning routine, so we’ve put together a comprehensive cleaning handbook that includes expert-backed guidance, safety tips, and checklists.

Here are a few of the requirements:

• Wash all dishes and laundry at the highest heat setting possible
• Wash or disinfect your hands, and wear a mask and gloves while cleaning
• Wipe down hard surfaces with soap and water
• Spray high-touch surfaces in each room with an approved disinfectant spray
• Don’t re-enter a room once it’s been sanitized

Hosts renting out private rooms will need to follow additional guidelines such as:

• Make sure that your home can accommodate socially distanced occupancy of all common areas. For example, if your shared living room only has room for three people who are 6 feet (2 meters) apart, you would cap your total guest count at two so that you and/or your guests could be in the space at the same time.
• Hosts should also wear a mask in common areas at all times

Read the complete 5-step enhanced cleaning process on Airbnb's website.