Airbnb Check-Out Instructions That Get Guests to Actually Tidy Up

Every host has felt the departure-day tension. You want the place left decent so your cleaner isn't overwhelmed and the next guest arrives to a spotless home. The guest wants to grab their bags and make their flight. Ask for too much and you look demanding (and risk a lower review). Ask for nothing and you're stripping beds you shouldn't have to.

The sweet spot is a short, clearly worded set of check-out instructions that tells guests exactly what to do, keeps it light, and, crucially, is easy for them to find at the right moment. Get the wording right and most guests are genuinely happy to help. Get it wrong (or hide it in a booking email from three weeks ago) and you get stripped beds, running taps, and a door left unlocked.

Below are ready-to-use check-out templates in three formats (a departure message, a printed card, and a guidebook page) plus the small wording choices that make guests want to tidy up instead of feeling nagged.

In this article, we'll cover: 

• What to include in your check-out instructions (and what to leave out)
• How to word check-out instructions so guests don't feel nagged
• 3 Airbnb check-out instruction templates
• Where to put check-out instructions so guests actually see them
• Frequently asked questions

What to include in your check-out instructions (and what to leave out)

The number one mistake hosts make is asking guests to do the cleaner's job. Guests are not your cleaning crew, and a list of fifteen chores reads as exactly that. Keep your asks to things that genuinely help the turnover, protect the property, or can't wait for the cleaner.

Do ask for the essentials:

• Confirm the check-out time. State it plainly so there's no ambiguity.
• Gather used towels. "Please pile used towels in the bathroom" is easy and saves your cleaner a hunt.
• Kitchen basics. Load and start the dishwasher, or leave dishes rinsed in the sink. Bin any food that'll spoil.
• Trash. Where to put it, especially if bins live outside or collection is a specific day.
• Windows, doors, and lights. Close and lock windows, turn off lights and A/C, so the place is secure and not burning energy until the cleaner arrives.
• Keys / how to leave. Where keys go, or a note that the smart lock will handle itself.
• Lock up and confirm. How to secure the door, and a friendly "let me know when you're out."

Don't ask guests to:

• Strip and remake beds (many hosts skip this entirely, since cleaners change all linens anyway).
• Vacuum, mop, or deep clean.
• Take out recycling to a complicated multi-bin system with detailed sorting.
• Do anything that takes more than a few minutes total.

A tidy rule of thumb: if the whole list takes a guest more than five minutes, trim it.

How to word check-out instructions so guests don't feel nagged

The content of your instructions matters less than the tone. Same asks, different framing, completely different guest reaction.

Lead with thanks, not commands. Open by thanking them for staying before you ask for anything. Gratitude first makes the requests feel like a small favor between people, not a chore list from a landlord.

Explain the "why" lightly. "To help our cleaner get the place ready for the next guests" turns an order into a reasonable, relatable ask. People help more readily when they understand the reason.

Keep it short and skimmable. A few bullet points beat a paragraph. Guests are packing; they'll skim, so make it skimmable.

Stay warm to the end. Close with a genuine sign-off: safe travels, come back soon, it was a pleasure. The last impression you leave shapes the review they write.

Never guilt or threaten. "Failure to comply will result in charges" sours the whole stay and often the review with it. Save enforcement language for your rental agreement; keep the check-out note kind.

3 Airbnb check-out instruction templates

Here are three formats. Many hosts use all three at once, with the same content mirrored across a message, a card, and a guidebook page, so guests can't miss it.

Template 1: The departure message (send the night before)

Schedule this through Airbnb or your messaging tool for the evening before check-out.

Hi [Guest Name], hope you've had a wonderful stay! 🌿

Just a friendly heads-up that check-out is at [time] tomorrow. When you're ready to head off, it would be a huge help if you could:

• Pile any used towels in the bathroom
• Pop dishes in the dishwasher and start it (or leave them rinsed in the sink)
• Bin any perishable food and drop the trash in [bin location]
• Close the windows, switch off the lights and A/C
• Leave the keys [location] and pull the door firmly shut behind you

That's it. No need to strip beds or clean, our team handles the rest. Just shoot me a quick message when you're out so I know you're on your way.

Safe travels, and thank you so much for staying with us! [Your Name]

Template 2: The printed check-out card (leave it on the counter)

Print this, keep it short, and stand it on the kitchen counter or fridge.

Heading off? Thanks for staying! 💛

A few quick things before you go (check-out is [time]):

☐ Used towels in the bathroom ☐ Dishwasher loaded & running ☐ Trash in [location] ☐ Windows closed, lights & A/C off ☐ Keys [location], door pulled shut

No need to strip beds or clean, we've got the rest. It was a pleasure having you. Come back soon! [Your Name]

Template 3: The guidebook check-out page

This is the version that lives in your digital guidebook, where guests can pull it up on their phone at the exact moment they're leaving.

Check-Out: Everything You Need to Know

Check-out time: [time]. Need a later departure? Message us and we'll do our best.

Before you go, a few quick favors:

• Towels: Leave used towels in a pile in the bathroom.
• Kitchen: Load and start the dishwasher, or leave dishes rinsed. Bin any food that'll spoil.
• Trash: Bagged trash goes in [bin location]. [Collection day note if relevant.]
• Secure the place: Close and lock all windows, switch off lights, fans, and A/C.
• Leaving: [Keys go in the lockbox / the smart lock locks automatically]. Pull the door firmly shut.

Please don't worry about stripping beds, vacuuming, or deep cleaning. Our team takes care of all of that.

One last thing: drop us a message when you're out so we know you're on your way, and travel safely. It's been a joy hosting you, and we'd love to welcome you back. ⭐

Enjoyed your stay? A five-star review means the world to a small hosting operation. Thank you!

Where to put check-out instructions so guests actually see them

You can write the friendliest, clearest check-out note in the world, and it does nothing if the guest never finds it. This is where most check-out plans quietly fail: the instructions were sent once, in a booking email or a message thread from before the trip, and by departure morning they're buried under a dozen other notifications.

Departure morning is a rushed, distracted moment. The guest is packing, checking their flight, herding kids or coffee. They are not scrolling back three weeks to find your check-out list. If the instructions aren't in front of them right then, they'll guess, and guessing is how you end up with stripped beds, an unlocked door, or the A/C blasting into an empty house.

That's why the guest-facing best practice is to put your check-out instructions where guests already are: on their phone, in a place they've been opening all week. A digital guidebook does this. The check-out page sits alongside the WiFi, the house manual, and your local recommendations. The same guidebook the guest used to find the coffee machine on day one is the one they open to check out on the last day. It's one tap, always current, and impossible to lose in an inbox.

The living-document part matters here too. Change your check-out time for a same-day turnover, add a new bin day, adjust the smart-lock instructions, and you update the guidebook once and every guest sees the new version. No re-sending, no printed card contradicting your latest message, no "but the email said 11 a.m." Your check-out instructions stop being a one-time send and become a page guests can rely on the moment they need it.

Touch Stay lets you build that digital guidebook, with your check-out page living right next to your welcome letter, house manual, and local guide. Setting up your whole guest flow? Start from our complete Airbnb guidebook and Airbnb welcome book guides, and if you want the legal side buttoned up too, our rental agreement template covers house rules and damage terms.

Tired of check-out instructions getting lost in the app? Start a free Touch Stay trial and give guests a check-out page they can open in one tap.

Frequently asked questions