ORIGINAL DATA REPORT · HELLAMAID
A professional Airbnb turnover clean costs hosts $273 to $393 before tax for a 1- to 3-bedroom unit, based on Hellamaid’s 2026 booking rates. That’s your cost, not your Airbnb cleaning fee: most hosts pass only part of it to guests and recover the rest in the nightly rate.
Most advice on setting an Airbnb cleaning fee comes from hosting software companies and forum threads, and it rarely includes what a cleaning company actually charges. We clean short-term rentals across Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, so this guide starts with our real Airbnb turnover prices and works backwards to the fee you should set.
Key takeaways
- Your cleaning cost isn’t your cleaning fee. Charging guests the full $273+ makes short stays look expensive, so most hosts pass on only part of it.
- A 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom turnover clean costs the host $273 before tax in our lowest-priced areas, or $283 in Toronto, Ottawa and our Alberta and BC areas.
- Each extra bedroom adds $20 and each extra full bathroom adds $30. Laundry is a separate $29.
- Airbnb’s service fee is calculated on your cleaning fee too, so a high Airbnb cleaning fee costs you twice: in platform fees and in a higher total price for guests.
- Most hosts do best with a split approach: a moderate cleaning fee plus a nightly rate that recovers the rest.
What is an Airbnb cleaning fee?
An Airbnb cleaning fee is a one-time charge a host adds to each booking to cover cleaning the unit between guests. It’s charged once per stay, whatever the number of nights, and shows up in the guest’s total price before they book. Airbnb explains how it works in its Help Centre article on cleaning fees. The fee is optional, and you decide the amount.
What a turnover clean costs: the number behind your Airbnb cleaning fee
A turnover clean is our standard clean (kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms and living areas) plus the Airbnb Listing add-on (+$95). The add-on covers the dishes, the fridge, changing sheets and making beds, tidying living spaces and restocking bathroom supplies. Here’s what that comes to by unit size:
| Unit | Lowest-priced areas | Toronto, Ottawa, AB and BC | Toronto, with 13% HST |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bed, 1 bath, under 1,000 sq ft | $273 | $283 | $319.79 |
| 2 bed, 1 bath, under 1,000 sq ft | $293 | $303 | $342.39 |
| 2 bed, 2 bath, under 1,000 sq ft | $323 | $333 | $376.29 |
| 3 bed, 2 bath, 1,500 to 1,999 sq ft | $383 | $393 | $444.09 |
Turnover cost by unit size, Toronto (before tax)
Lowest-priced areas include Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton, London and Niagara. The higher column applies in Toronto (including Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan), Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Ottawa, and all our Alberta and BC areas, including Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Larger units add a size fee from 1,000 sq ft. You’ll see your exact price on the booking form before you book.
What changes the cost of a turnover
- Laundry. Sheets are changed and beds made as part of the Airbnb add-on. Starting a load of laundry is +$29.
- Deep clean. Every few months, or after a messy stay, the Deep Clean package (+$99) adds baseboards, cabinet exteriors, and window and door frames. See how much deep cleaning costs in Canada.
- Oven and cabinets. Inside the oven (+$29) and inside cabinets (+$39) are separate add-ons.
- Pets. Pet-friendly listings add $29 for the extra hair and dander.
- Condition. A unit left in rough shape takes longer. Our guide to how long it takes to clean a dirty house explains why.
How Airbnb’s service fee affects your cleaning fee
Airbnb charges its service fee on the booking subtotal, and that subtotal includes your cleaning fee. Depending on your listing, the fee is either split between you and the guest or charged to you alone. Airbnb’s service fees page explains which structure applies. Either way, every dollar you add to your Airbnb cleaning fee raises the platform fee on the booking, too. That’s one more reason not to pad it.
How to set your Airbnb cleaning fee
There are three common approaches. The right one depends on your typical length of stay.
Full pass-through
Your Airbnb cleaning fee equals your full turnover cost.
Simple and fully covered. But a $300+ fee on a 1-night stay can double the guest’s total, and short-stay bookings drop.
Split: fee plus nightly rate
Charge part of the cost as a fee and recover the rest per night.
Keeps your total price competitive while covering the turnover. This works for most hosts.
No cleaning fee
Build the whole cost into the nightly rate.
Works when most stays are a week or longer. On short stays, you lose money on every turnover.
Worked example: setting an Airbnb cleaning fee with the split approach
Take a 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom condo in Toronto where the average stay is 3 nights. The turnover costs $342.39 with HST. If you set a $150 cleaning fee, the remaining $192.39 is covered by adding $64.13 to each of the 3 nights. On a 5-night stay, the same $64.13 recovers $320.65, so longer stays bring in a margin above the cleaning cost. Set your fee using your real average stay, which you can find in your Airbnb performance stats.
Airbnb cleaning fees for short stays
A full cleaning fee hits one- and two-night bookings hardest, because it’s spread over so few nights. Airbnb’s cleaning fee settings let you charge a lower fee for short stays, so those bookings don’t look expensive next to listings that don’t charge one. Airbnb’s guide to adding cleaning fees to your listing shows where to set it.
Tax and local rules to check
Your cleaning bill includes sales tax: 13% HST in Ontario, and GST, or GST plus PST, in Alberta and BC. Whether you charge tax on your own bookings depends on your registration status and province. The Canada Revenue Agency explains which GST/HST rate applies, and an accountant can confirm your situation.
Cities also set their own short-term rental rules. In Toronto, hosts must register their unit with the city. See the City of Toronto’s guidance for short-term rental operators and its Good Operator Guide, which covers keeping units clean and well maintained.
Your Airbnb turnover cleaning checklist
Whether you clean yourself or book a cleaner, a guest-ready turnover covers the same ground:
| Area | What to do |
|---|---|
| Bedrooms | Change sheets and make beds, dust surfaces, vacuum and mop, empty bins, check under beds for left items |
| Kitchen | Do the dishes, clean out the fridge, wipe counters and appliances, clean the stovetop and microwave, empty bins |
| Bathrooms | Clean and sanitize the toilet, scrub the tub or shower, clean the sink and mirror, restock toilet paper, soap and toiletries. Glass doors spot fast: see removing hard water stains |
| Living areas | Tidy and reset furniture, dust, vacuum and mop, wipe glass on patio and entry doors |
| Host prep | Leave a clean set of sheets for each bed, store spare supplies on site, keep the lockbox or door code current, and note anything unusual in your booking |
For the full room-by-room task list, see our cleaning checklist. If you’re converting a unit to a long-term rental or handing it back, a move-out clean goes further than a turnover.
When outsourcing your turnovers pays for itself
Cleaning your own unit saves the fee, but it ties you to every checkout. Outsourcing usually makes sense when you have turnovers several times a week, when you live far from the unit, or when you manage more than one listing. Our comparison of DIY vs professional cleaning walks through the trade-off.
If you do hire, compare a cleaning company vs an independent cleaner and check our list of what to look for in a cleaning service. For condo listings, our Toronto condo cleaning guide covers concierge entry and building rules. For hourly rates, see what house cleaners charge per hour in Ontario, and for prices across the country, the Canada House Cleaning Cost Index.
Methodology
Prices are Hellamaid’s online booking rates as of October 2026: a standard clean priced by bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage, plus the $95 Airbnb Listing add-on. “Lowest-priced areas” use our lowest base rate. The second column adds $10 for Toronto (including Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan), Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Ottawa and all Alberta and BC service areas. Totals with tax use Ontario’s 13% HST. Alberta and BC tax differs. Prices exclude optional add-ons. Airbnb fee mechanics are summarized from the Airbnb Help Centre. How Hellamaid works.
Citation: Hellamaid, “Airbnb Cleaning Fee: What to Charge, With Real Turnover Costs,” October 2026, hellamaid.ca.
Airbnb cleaning fee FAQ
What is a typical Airbnb cleaning fee in Canada?
A typical Airbnb cleaning fee is set below what the host pays for the turnover. At Hellamaid’s 2026 rates, a professional turnover clean costs the host $273 to $283 before tax for a 1-bedroom unit and $383 to $393 for a 3-bedroom home. Most hosts charge guests only part of that as the cleaning fee and recover the rest in the nightly rate.
Does Airbnb take a cut of the cleaning fee?
Airbnb calculates its service fee on the booking subtotal, which includes the cleaning fee. Which fee structure applies depends on your listing, so check Airbnb’s service fee page and your hosting settings.
Should I charge an Airbnb cleaning fee for one-night stays?
A full Airbnb cleaning fee hits short stays hardest because it is spread over fewer nights. Airbnb’s cleaning fee settings let hosts charge a lower fee for short stays, which keeps one- and two-night bookings competitive.
Is it better to include cleaning in the nightly rate?
Folding cleaning into the nightly rate makes a listing look cheaper on longer stays but undercharges short stays. A split approach works for most hosts: a moderate Airbnb cleaning fee plus a nightly rate that covers the rest of the turnover cost.
Is laundry included in an Airbnb turnover clean?
With Hellamaid’s Airbnb Listing add-on, sheets are changed and beds are made, but loading laundry is a separate $29 add-on. Leave a clean set of sheets at the unit for each bed.
Hand off your turnovers
Background-checked cleaners, lockbox and door-code entry, and an invoice after every clean. Read what hosts say in our reviews.
See Airbnb cleaning prices
