Unless your holiday let is in the mountains, you’ll be coming to the end of the high season pretty soon. After welcoming guests into your holiday rental week in, week out for several months, your property could be looking a little tired. So take this quieter period as the ideal time to do something about it.
Start indoors
Focus on the structure of the property first. Do you need to repaint anything? You don’t have to repaint right through, only the areas that need it. If it looks okay, schedule a deep clean throughout each room, paying particular attention to the kitchen and bathroom(s). Clean the floors thoroughly. If you have tiles throughout, invest in a good quality liquid cleaner. If you have carpets and rugs to contend with, then buy or rent a powerful deep cleaning vacuum – this is particularly important if you allow pets in your accommodation.
Next, move on to look at the furniture. Has anything been damaged that needs replacing? Solid wood items can be retouched and wobbly chairs can often be tightened up – just be sure everything is still safe to use. Wash sofa and chair covers if possible, otherwise vacuum and clean them. You can always invest in brand new covers to revitalise an old design.
In the kitchen, check all the appliances, crockery and cutlery and make a note of anything that is broken, chipped or missing so you can replace it.
In the bathroom, deep clean everything and watch out for mould. If mould cleaner isn’t doing the trick, replace the grout – it makes a world of difference. If have a bath with shower attachment, does it have a shower curtain? If so, it might be a good idea to replace it with a new one, or even better invest in a glass partition to make the bathroom look a little more modern. And finally, check the condition of the towels and bath mats and replace where needed.
Now on to the bedrooms – check the bed linen and get rid of anything that is old and tired, replacing them with brand new items. You may want to wash the curtains here and peraps throughout the property if you have them; alternatively make sure the blinds are cleaned and functioning well.
Finally, clean the windows on the inside, check all plugs, light bulbs and other equipment and replace anything that’s not working.
Move outdoors
Moving outside take a look at the roof, shutters, fences and gates where applicable. If necessary (and particularly if required from a safety perspective) get anything that needs fixing, fixed.
Then look at the general cleanliness. Give your driveway a good clean, after all this is the first impression your guests will get when they arrive. You could look to buy, rent or borrow a pressure washer to make life easier! Clean the windows on the outside and then get to work gardening or sprucing up the terrace area. You’d be surprised how much fresher it will look after an afternoon’s hard work.
Wooden garden furniture can be stripped back and re-stained if needed to protect it. Or, a great tip at the end of the summer season, is to head over to the local garden centre to invest in some new furniture that will be significantly reduced for clearance. But either way, try to ensure it is stored somewhere away from the elements over the Winter period, so it looks good as new come Spring.
Remember the advantages of doing this
There are several of them, not least the fact you’ll be able to welcome all future guests to a bright, tidy and sparkling property. You may be lucky enough to get some guests returning year after year, and they will appreciate the work you put in to ensure your holiday let always looks its very best. Taking good care of your holiday let also means you have the opportunity to raise your rates, owing to the tip top condition it is kept in.
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