Short answer: On desktop, go to Calendar → your listing → Pricing → Fees → Cleaning fee, enter an amount and save. Airbnb lets you set a standard cleaning fee and, if you want, a lower fee for 1- and 2-night stays (Airbnb Help, article 58). Base the number on what a turnover actually costs you, not on what nearby listings charge. And from Nov 20, 2026, Airbnb’s new house-rules policy limits the checkout chores you can ask of guests, so the fee needs to cover the full clean (Airbnb Resource Center, Oct 20, 2026).
At a glance
- Time: about 5 minutes to change the setting; longer to work out your number (worksheet below)
- Cost: $0. It’s a built-in setting
- Where the setting is: Calendar → listing → Pricing → Fees → Cleaning fee (Airbnb Help article 58, checked Oct 22, 2026)
- Get help if: the fee isn’t showing on a reservation, contact Airbnb support
On this page
- Where do you set the cleaning fee on Airbnb?
- How much should your Airbnb cleaning fee be?
- Should you set a lower cleaning fee for short stays?
- What changes on Nov 20, 2026?
- Does Airbnb take a service fee on the cleaning fee?
- How do you add a cleaning fee to a booking that’s already confirmed?
- Frequently asked questions
- How we put this guide together
- Sources
If a guest books one night and the cleaning fee is almost as much as the nightly rate, you’ll probably hear about it. Or you’ll just stop getting one-night bookings. Getting your Airbnb cleaning fee right is mostly simple math, plus one setting most hosts don’t know about.
This guide covers where the setting is, how to work out your number, the short-stay fee, what changes on Nov 20, 2026, and how to add a fee to a booking that’s already confirmed.
Where do you set the cleaning fee on Airbnb?
You set it in the listing’s pricing settings. On desktop, per Airbnb’s help page:
- Click Calendar and select the listing.
- Click Pricing, then Fees.
- Click Cleaning fee and add or edit the amount.
- Click Save.
The cleaning fee is a flat fee per booking. It doesn’t change with the number of nights or guests (Airbnb Help, article 2385). Guests see it separately in the price breakdown, unless you’ve turned on the option to show the total price.
How much should your Airbnb cleaning fee be?
Start with what one turnover actually costs you, then decide how much of that you want to show as a fee rather than building it into the nightly price.
Try this first: add up your real per-turnover costs.
| Cost line | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|
| Cleaner’s rate per turnover | Your cleaner’s quote or invoice |
| Laundry (if separate) | Laundry service invoice, or your own time and supplies |
| Consumables (soap, paper goods, trash bags) | Your receipts ÷ number of turnovers |
| Restocking or inspection time | Your own estimate |
| = Cost per turnover |
Example only (hypothetical numbers): if a cleaner charges $80, laundry is $20 and supplies average $10, a turnover costs $110. You could set a $110 fee, or a lower fee (say $80) and add the difference to your nightly rate.
Here’s the catch: a fee that’s high compared with the nightly rate makes short stays look expensive. Airbnb’s help page describes the cleaning fee as playing “a key role in an effective pricing strategy” (Airbnb Help, article 58), so it isn’t just a way to get your costs back.
Airbnb’s Resource Center adds three points worth knowing (Airbnb Resource Center, Mar 31, 2026):
- Airbnb’s search ranking prioritises total price (and listing quality) compared with similar listings nearby, and the cleaning fee is part of that total.
- Airbnb says guests hold listings with a cleaning fee to a higher cleanliness standard when they review.
- If you’re new, Airbnb suggests you consider waiting to add a cleaning fee until you have a few good reviews.
What about “average” cleaning fees? We haven’t found a reliable, current, public average for cleaning fees, and they vary a lot by city and home size. Use your own costs. Comparing with similar listings near you is a useful sanity check, but it’s not a formula.
Should you set a lower cleaning fee for short stays?
Usually yes, if you get or want 1-2 night bookings. Airbnb lets you set a short-stay cleaning fee for 1- and 2-night stays alongside your standard cleaning fee for longer stays. You can opt in and out whenever you like (Airbnb Help, article 58).
| Your situation | What to consider | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mostly 3+ night stays and you’re happy | Standard fee only | Short stays are rare, so there’s nothing to fix |
| You have gaps of 1-2 nights you can’t fill | Add a lower short-stay fee | Lowers the total price on exactly the bookings that look most expensive |
| Your turnover costs are the same no matter the length of stay | Keep the short-stay fee modest, or raise the 1-2 night nightly rate a little | The cost doesn’t shrink just because the stay did |
Which fee applies is decided at booking, based on the length of stay. If a reservation is later changed (for example from 3 nights to 2), Airbnb says the host should check that the right cleaning fee applies to the final terms (Airbnb Help, article 58).
What changes on Nov 20, 2026?
Airbnb announced a new house-rules policy on Oct 20, 2026 that takes effect Nov 20, 2026. It limits which checkout tasks you can ask guests to do (Airbnb Resource Center):
- Dishes: you can ask guests to put used dishes in the sink, not to wash and put them away.
- Laundry: you can ask them to gather used towels, not to strip beds or start laundry.
- Trash: you can ask them to sort trash and recycling into indoor bins, not to take garbage off-site.
Separately, Airbnb’s fees page already says hosts shouldn’t charge fees or penalties for guests not doing specific cleaning or checkout tasks (Airbnb Help, article 2385).
What that means for your number: if your cleaner currently relies on guests stripping beds or running the dishwasher, ask them to re-quote for the full job, then update your fee before Nov 20.
Does Airbnb take a service fee on the cleaning fee?
It depends on your fee structure, and Airbnb is moving every home host to one structure.
- Split fee (being phased out): the host fee (usually 3%) is calculated on the nightly price plus any fees you charge, which includes the cleaning fee (Airbnb Help, article 1857).
- Single fee: most hosts pay 15.5%, and the whole fee comes out of the host’s payout. Airbnb says the single fee is mandatory for most hosts, including those who use property management software, and you can’t switch back (Airbnb Help, article 1857).
Airbnb’s page doesn’t spell out whether the single fee is worked out on the cleaning fee as well as the nightly price. To see how it applies to you, check the full price breakdown in your payout report. Airbnb’s fees page says one is included (article 2385).
How do you add a cleaning fee to a booking that’s already confirmed?
You can’t just edit it in. You send the guest a trip change request with the new total, and the guest has to accept it (Airbnb Help, article 1511):
- Click Today, then find the reservation (under Upcoming if it hasn’t started).
- Click the reservation, then Manage reservation → Change reservation.
- Change the price, click Save, review, and click Send request.
Send a short, friendly message explaining why the price is changing. Airbnb suggests doing this too.
Template. Edit to match your listing.
Hi [first name], quick note before your stay: I’ve updated my cleaning setup and sent a change request that adds a [amount] cleaning fee. You’re welcome to decline it. Your booking stays as it is either way. Thanks, and looking forward to hosting you.
(We wrote this template; it isn’t from a real host. Whether to offer “decline and keep your booking” is your call. It’s there because the guest has to accept the change anyway.)
Mistakes to avoid
- Forgetting the cleaning fee in a special offer. Airbnb says it isn’t added automatically to special offers (article 58).
- Charging guests for not doing chores. Airbnb’s fees page says hosts shouldn’t (article 2385).
- Keeping a chore-heavy checkout list after Nov 20, 2026. Requests that don’t follow the new policy get flagged in the Listing editor, and guests may see an alert on your listing (Resource Center, Oct 20, 2026).
- Copying a neighbour’s fee. Their cleaner, size and laundry setup aren’t yours. Start from your own cost.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Airbnb cleaning fee refundable?
Airbnb says cleaning fees aren’t returned to guests once a trip is completed (article 58). For cancellations, Airbnb’s guest help page says (article 2812):
- Cancelled during the free cancellation period: the guest gets the full cleaning fee back.
- Cancelled after it: the cleaning fee counts as part of the nightly price, so any refund follows your cancellation policy.
- Booked before April 21, 2025: the cleaning fee is refunded in full if the guest cancels before check-in.
Can I charge a different cleaning fee for 1-night stays?
Yes. Use the short-stay cleaning fee, which applies to 1- and 2-night stays (article 58).
Does Airbnb cover cleaning after a messy guest?
For unexpected cleaning costs such as smoke odours, Airbnb points to AirCover’s damage protection (article 58). Your cleaning fee is meant for normal turnovers.
Can I add a pet fee as well?
Yes. Airbnb offers a pet fee alongside the cleaning fee. Service animals always stay free (article 2385).
How we put this guide together
This guide is built on the Airbnb Help Center and Resource Center pages listed below, checked on Oct 22, 2026. We don’t host, manage properties, or work for Airbnb. There are no affiliate links on this page. AI tools helped research and draft it. Each fact was checked against the company’s own page, listed below with the date we checked it. When we re-check the facts, we update the date at the top.
Sources
- Airbnb Help Center, “Cleaning fees”, https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/58, checked 2026-10-22
- Airbnb Help Center, additional fees, https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2385, checked 2026-10-22
- Airbnb Help Center, adding a cleaning fee to a confirmed reservation, https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1511, checked 2026-10-22
- Airbnb Help Center, service fees, https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1857, checked 2026-10-22
- Airbnb Help Center, cleaning fees and cancellations (guest page), https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2812, checked 2026-10-22
- Airbnb Resource Center, “Everything you need to know about cleaning fees” (Mar 31, 2026), https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/everything-you-need-to-know-about-cleaning-fees-470, checked 2026-10-22
- Airbnb Resource Center, “Important changes to house rules” (Oct 20, 2026), https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/important-changes-to-house-rules-21, checked 2026-10-22
General information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Platform rules and prices change. Check the linked pages before acting.
