This pandemic has battered industries, but Airbnb is still surviving. With 7 million listings in over 220 countries, Airbnb has largely managed to weather the Covid-19 storm, even though its valuation dropped from a high of $31 billion to $18 billion. Despite this decline, Airbnb co-founder and chief executive Brian Chesky is confident about the company’s future, especially in light of home rentals outperforming hotels in 27 global markets. What’s more, Chesky is anticipating strong demand in the future, noting how people still want to travel even in these uncertain times.
And in case you’ve got a property you can rent out, you should definitely consider home renting given Chesky’s positive outlook. After all, turning your property into an Airbnb listing is still a great way to earn passive income, and will continue to be once travel restrictions are eased even more thanks to promising vaccines.
Fortunately, if you’re thinking of starting an Airbnb, you only really need to follow a few steps. The first is to create a business plan in which you set your goals, identify possible problems, build up your Airbnb’s profile, and check for tax breaks and local grants. You’ll then need to choose between registering your Airbnb as either a limited liability company or a sole proprietorship (the two business structures most common for Airbnbs). Next, you must itemize your business costs, come up with a name for your property, register it, and then furnish it.
You need to get creative in marketing your Airbnb too, so that it stands out. Then, the work doesn’t stop when you start accepting renters. Even as you do, you’ll have to make sure that your property is always spic and span and ready for its next guest. One thing, in particular, that you must do is keep your Airbnb pest-free, as the last thing you’d want is for your guests to see pests in a place they’ll call home for a day or more. Word will quickly get around when that happens, so make sure you follow the below tips to protect your Airbnb against pests.
Beat the bed bugs
A common pest are bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) — tiny, oval-shaped insects. A guide on bed bugs by MedicineNet notes that these can live anywhere in your property, but often nest in cracks in furniture and in the bed, specifically in the mattress or bed frame. Common signs of bed bug infestation include fecal stains or rust-colored dark spots and the presence of minute egg cases and shed skin called exuviae.
To prevent bed bugs from overrunning your Airbnb’s beds, protect each one with a mattress encasement cover so that bed bugs won’t be able to make their way in. Invest in a metal bed frame as well, as bed bugs are notorious for hiding inside the cracks and crevices of wooden bed frames. And, just to make sure, always be vigilant! Check for bed bugs in every nook and cranny of your property, and then spray pesticide everywhere whenever there are no bookings. Three of the best you can use are Ortho Home Defense Bed Bug Killer, Bedlam Plus, and Eco Defense Bed Bug Killer.
Provide luggage racks and dedicated cabinets
Your guests can unwittingly bring along bed bugs into your property, as these pesky pests can easily latch on easily to clothing, bags, and suitcases. This is why you must invest in luggage racks and cabinets, so that your guests can place their bags and suitcases there rather than on the bed or couch. In this way, you’ll be able contain better potential infestations by limiting the points of contact between the bed bugs and the bed or couch — areas where they thrive the most. It would help, too, if you gave your guests gentle reminders as to where they ought to be placing their luggage.
Beware the four-legged pest
Bed bugs aren’t the only pests you should watch out for. Mice can be as problematic, and there have been quite a few reports of Airbnb guests seeing these four-legged intruders.
To do so, you’ll need to first recognize mouse droppings, which, aside from being indicators of a mice problem, are also carriers of the Hantavirus and salmonella. Mouse droppings range from gray to blackish brown, are shaped like a grain of rice, and can be as small as 3/16 of an inch to 1/4 inch long. When you do find them, clean them up immediately following these steps:
• Wear gloves
• Spray the droppings with disinfectant
• Pick up the droppings
• Throw them in the garbage bin
• Clean and disinfect all areas where you found the droppings
After cleaning and disinfecting, get in touch with us for Pest Control Services. Doing so is your best bet to keep these pests away, and ensure mice-free stays for your guests!
Do a deep clean every checkout
One of the best antidotes to pests is cleanliness, so look to give your Airbnb a deep clean after every time a guest checks out. This will be plenty of work, but following The New York Times’ deep cleaning tips ought to help you out. Firstly, make sure you have your cleaning supplies — vacuum, mop, rags, multipurpose cleaners, and disinfectants — ready. Then, clean one area after another starting at the top, then working down towards high-touch surfaces, like doorknobs and switches, and pest hotspots, such as beds and wooden furniture. Given this amount of work, consider staggering your bookings such that you have at least a day or two between reservations. In this way, you’ll have adequate time for cleaning and pest control.
Synergy² specializes in difficult-to-manage pest infestations, including bed bug extermination. Feel free to read more about us and decide if Synergy² is the right company for you. We have over 270 Five-Star Google reviews for pest control service in the Jackson metro area (Jackson/Madison/Brandon/Ridgeland). Check out our newest location reviews for pest control service in Jackson, MS here at Synergy² Jackson Pest Control!