A set of professional cleaning person cleaning kitchen symbolizing thorough and organized vacation rental turnover service.
By Destin Housekeeping Services, LLC

STR Cleaners: The Backbone of Every Rental


Undervalued STR Cleaners: In the vacation rental world, one thing is constant: the guest expects perfection. Fresh linens. Spotless bathrooms. A perfectly staged home. And when something goes wrong? The cleaner is the first to get the blame — and often the last to get the credit.

All eyes turn to the STR undervalued cleaners.

But here’s the truth few talk about: professional cleaners are the backbone of a 5-star STR, and yet they’ve become the most undervalued, underpaid, and overworked role in the entire industry.

So how did we get here?

A set of professional short-term rental cleaning supplies on a countertop, representing the often-undervalued work STR cleaners do to keep vacation rentals guest-ready.

Why STR Cleaners Are the Most Undervalued Role in Rentals

1. STRs Grew Fast. Standards Did Not.

Airbnb and Vrbo turned everyday homeowners into hosts. But they didn’t teach those hosts how to manage operations, onboard properly, or maintain consistency.

So most winged it. And cleaners? They became the only ones walking into the chaos — expected to fix everything with a mop and a prayer.

2. “Cleaning” Became a Line Item, Not a Profession

Instead of treating turnovers like a specialized service, cleaning became a checkbox:

  • Keep it under $150
  • Toss in the towels for free
  • Restock the soap, maybe

Professionalism disappeared. So did boundaries. And cleaners — real professionals with systems and training — got lumped in with “just anyone who cleans.”

3. Gig Platforms Devalued the Craft

Apps like Turno made things worse. Cleaners began bidding against each other in a race to the bottom. Hosts started thinking of cleaners as gig workers — interchangeable, underpaid, and disposable.

The result?

  • No consistency
  • No loyalty
  • No structure

Just chaos covered with bleach.

4. No One Advocated for the Cleaner

There’s no hotline for STR cleaners. No HR department. No clear line between “employee” and “contractor.”

So hosts started pushing the boundaries:

  • Can you do laundry for free?
  • Can you reschedule your weekend?
  • Can you drive back out to fix something you didn’t break?

You can’t call Airbnb and demand they do more. You can’t underpay the tax collector. But cleaners? They’re the only ones who answer the phone.

But Now, That Changes.

At Destin Housekeeping Services, we don’t clean like a gig. We clean like a licensed professional. We follow a proven system — the Vacation Rental Support™ method — that keeps your property guest-ready, review-ready, and protected from turnover burnout.

We don’t hustle. We don’t cut corners. We don’t work for free.

We operate by structure. We clean by standard. We protect the setup that protects your income.

If you’re ready to stop blaming cleaners for chaos — and start supporting the system that prevents it — welcome to the next level of STR cleaning.

– Destin Housekeeping Services, LLC Licensed VRS Cleaning Partner