Airbnb Cleanliness Issues: What Reviews Really Reveal

A 4.8 cleanliness rating sounds great until you find hair in the sheets.

Airbnb's cleanliness scores are averages that hide important details. A listing can have 4.9 cleanliness with "just a bit of dust" reviews AND guests who found the bathroom disgusting. The average smooths over everything.

Here's how to actually understand cleanliness from reviews - and what different issues mean for your stay.

The Cleanliness Spectrum

Not all cleanliness complaints are equal. Here's how to categorize what you find in reviews:

Tier 1: Cosmetic Issues (Minor)

What guests mention:

• Dust on surfaces or ceiling fans
• Spots on mirrors or glass
• Minor streaks on floors
• Cluttered but clean spaces
• Outdoor areas need sweeping

What it means: The cleaner does a surface-level job. The space is sanitary but not spotless. Probably fine for most guests.

Red flag level: Low. Every space has dust sometimes.

Tier 2: Comfort Issues (Moderate)

What guests mention:

• Stains on furniture or carpets
• Musty or stale smell
• Linens that seem old but clean
• Bathroom grout discoloration
• Kitchen surfaces sticky or grimy

What it means: Cleaning is happening but deep cleaning isn't. These issues accumulate over time and suggest maintenance neglect.

Red flag level: Medium. Depends on your standards and length of stay.

Tier 3: Hygiene Issues (Serious)

What guests mention:

• Hair (human or pet) in beds, bathrooms, or on furniture
• Dirty sheets or towels
• Food residue in kitchen
• Bathroom not properly sanitized
• Trash from previous guests

What it means: Turnover cleaning is inadequate. The cleaner is rushing or cutting corners. You're encountering traces of the previous guest.

Red flag level: High. These suggest systemic problems.

Tier 4: Health Hazards (Dealbreaker)

What guests mention:

• Mold or mildew (visible growth, not just smell)
• Pests (roaches, mice, bedbugs, ants)
• Bodily fluid stains on mattresses
• Strong chemical smells masking problems
• Allergen issues (pet dander when listed as no pets)

What it means: The space has problems that cleaning alone can't fix. These are health risks.

Red flag level: Maximum. Don't book.

Decoding Review Language

Guests often soften their complaints. Here's what common phrases actually mean:

"Could have been cleaner" = It was noticeably dirty but not terrible

"A bit dusty" = Visible dust, possibly neglected corners

"Cleanliness was okay" = Below expectations but guest didn't want to complain

"We cleaned before using the kitchen" = Kitchen was too dirty to use as-is

"Bring your own sheets" = Bedding was unacceptable

"The bathroom needed attention" = Bathroom was dirty enough to mention

"Not the cleanest but fine for the price" = Dirty, but guest is rationalizing

"Some maintenance issues" = Could be cleanliness, could be disrepair, often both

"Would suggest a deeper clean" = Surface cleaning happening, but grime buildup

Pattern Recognition: What to Look For

One mention of anything is an incident. Multiple mentions are a pattern.

Check for Repeat Offenders

Search the reviews (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) for:

• "dust" / "dusty"
• "hair"
• "stain" / "stained"
• "smell" / "musty" / "odor"
• "dirty"
• "clean" (often appears in complaints even when rating is okay)
• "mold" / "mildew"
• "bug" / "ant" / "roach"

If the same issue appears across multiple reviews from different times, it's a pattern, not a one-time problem.

Check Timing

Recent complaints matter more than old ones. A listing that was dirty 2 years ago might have fixed the problem. But if the most recent reviews mention cleanliness issues, that's the current state.

Also look for:

• Seasonal patterns: Some listings get less thorough cleaning during busy seasons
• Cleaner changes: Sudden cleanliness complaints might indicate a new cleaning service
• Host response: Did complaints lead to improvements in later reviews?

Check the Outliers

A listing with fifty 5-star cleanliness reviews and two 3-star ones probably had two unlucky incidents. But read those 3-star reviews carefully - they might reveal issues the happy guests didn't notice or didn't mention.

The Cleaning Fee Reality Check

High cleaning fees don't guarantee clean spaces.

Some of the dirtiest listings charge the most for cleaning. The fee goes to the host, who may or may not use it for thorough cleaning.

$50 cleaning fee: Might be reasonable for a small space with actual professional cleaning $150+ cleaning fee: Should mean deep cleaning - but often doesn't $200+ cleaning fee: Often just revenue, not actual cleaning costs

If reviews mention cleanliness issues AND there's a high cleaning fee, that's a red flag. You're paying for cleaning you're not getting.

What Causes Chronic Cleanliness Issues

Understanding why a listing is dirty helps predict if it'll be dirty for you:

High Turnover

Listings that book every night don't get deep cleaned. The cleaner has hours between guests, not days. Corners get cut.

Signs: Back-to-back availability, same-day turnovers advertised

Remote Host

Hosts who don't visit their property don't see the problems. They rely on cleaners who may not report issues.

Signs: Host is in a different city, responses are generic, reviews mention "property manager" instead of host

Cheap Cleaning

Some hosts minimize cleaning costs. They use the cheapest cleaners, limit cleaning time, or do it themselves (poorly).

Signs: Low cleaning fee, reviews mentioning host does their own cleaning, inconsistent cleanliness between reviews

Property Neglect

Some spaces need more than cleaning - they need maintenance. Grout needs resealing, carpets need replacing, mattresses need updating. Cleaning can't fix neglect.

Signs: Reviews mention "worn" or "dated," maintenance issues alongside cleanliness, "fine for the price" comments

Questions to Ask the Host

Before booking a listing where cleanliness isn't clear:

"How long between guests do you typically have for cleaning?" Anything under 4 hours for a multi-bedroom space is a yellow flag.

"Do you use a professional cleaning service?" Professional services have reputations to protect. Host cleaning varies wildly.

"How often do you do deep cleans beyond the turnover cleaning?" If they don't understand the question, that's your answer.

"I'm particularly sensitive to [dust/pet dander/mold] - is that ever an issue?" Gives them a chance to disclose. Vague answers are concerning.

When to Risk It

Some listings with cleanliness mentions in reviews are still worth booking:

• One complaint among dozens of positive reviews - Probably a one-time issue
• Old complaints with recent praise - Problem was fixed
• Host responded and acknowledged - Shows they care
• Cosmetic issues only - Dust isn't dangerous
• Price is low enough that you'd forgive it - You get what you pay for

When to Walk Away

Don't book if reviews mention:

• Pests of any kind - These problems get worse, not better
• Mold - Health hazard that requires professional remediation
• Hair in beds - Indicates linens aren't being changed properly
• Multiple recent cleanliness complaints - Current problem, not historical
• Host dismisses concerns in responses - Won't improve

A Smarter Way to Evaluate

Reading through dozens of reviews looking for cleanliness patterns is tedious. And easy to miss things.

StayCheck does this analysis automatically - scanning reviews for cleanliness signals, identifying patterns across time, and surfacing the mentions that matter.

Because a 4.8 cleanliness score and a truly clean space aren't always the same thing.