Cleaner mopping the floor of a bright, modern living room

November 3, 2026

Airbnb Cleaning Fee: How Much to Charge in 2026

How to set an Airbnb cleaning fee that covers your cost without hurting bookings, including the 15.5% fee math and the short-stay option.

Updated November 2026. Written by the STR Market team. Airbnb settings checked against its help center and host resources on November 3, 2026.

Your cleaning fee is a pricing decision, not just a cost recovery line. Set it too low and each turnover eats your profit. Set it too high and your total price looks expensive, especially on short stays, which can cost you the booking altogether.

Here is a straightforward way to set the number. If you want the market data on what cleaners charge, start with our guide to what Airbnb cleaning costs in 2026.

Quick answer: how much should you charge?

Start with what a turnover really costs you: cleaner, laundry and supplies.
Add Airbnb's cut. At a 15.5% host fee, divide your cost by 0.845 to fully recover it.
Sanity check against similar listings, on total price and not just the fee.
Consider a lower short-stay fee for 1 to 2 night bookings if your market has weekend demand.
Airbnb's advice is that the fee should pay for supplies or housekeeping, not act as a way to earn extra money.

Step 1: find your real cost per turnover

Add up everything each turnover costs:

Cleaner pay, including any travel or minimum charge
Laundry, in-house or outsourced
Consumables such as toilet paper, soap, coffee and trash bags
Linen and towel replacement, spread across turnovers

In our directory, published turnover prices mostly start at $75 to $180 for a studio or one bedroom, roughly $120 to $250 for two to three bedrooms, and about $170 to $540 for four or more. If you don't have a cleaner yet, you can browse cleaners by market in our services directory.

Step 2: add the Airbnb fee to your math

This is the step most guides miss. If you are on Airbnb's single host fee, the service fee is charged on your cleaning fee too. So charging exactly what your cleaner charges leaves you short.

Turnover cost	Fee to fully recover it at 15.5%	If you charge only your cost, you keep
$100	$118.34	$84.50
$150	$177.51	$126.75
$200	$236.69	$169.00
$300	$355.03	$253.50

You don't have to recover it all through the cleaning fee. You could also spread it over the nightly rate. See how the Airbnb host fee works before you decide.

Step 3: check how it looks per night

A cleaning fee is charged once per stay, so short stays feel it most. A $150 fee adds:

Length of stay	Cleaning fee per night
1 night	$150.00
2 nights	$75.00
3 nights	$50.00
5 nights	$30.00
7 nights	$21.43

Airbnb says its search ranking considers total price and listing quality compared with similar nearby listings. So look at what guests actually see for your common stay lengths, and compare those totals with your competitors for the same dates.

Step 4: choose a fee structure

Option	Works well when	Watch out for
Standard fee on all stays	Your stays are usually longer, or short stays are not your goal	Weekend trips may look expensive
Short-stay fee for 1 to 2 nights	You want to fill short gaps and weekends	You absorb part of the turnover cost
Lower fee, higher nightly rate	Longer stays are common and you want a simple total	Very short stays may not cover the turnover
No cleaning fee	New listings trying to earn their first reviews	You need to build the cost into your rate

Airbnb also notes that new hosts may want to wait to add a cleaning fee until they have several good reviews, and that guests who pay one may judge cleanliness more critically.

How to set it on Airbnb

Open your Calendar and choose the listing.
Go to Pricing, then Fees.
Select Cleaning fee, enter the amount and save.
To add a lower fee for 1 and 2 night stays, turn on the short-stay cleaning fee.

If you use a channel manager or property management software, it may control these fields, so make the change there. Keep the numbers in sync with any dynamic pricing tool you use too.

What the cleaning fee shouldn't cover

The fee is for expected housekeeping, not surprises. For guest-caused damage or unusual cleaning like smoke or pet accidents, use Airbnb's reimbursement process. We explain the rules in our guide to Airbnb security deposits and AirCover. Remember that cleaning fees aren't returned to guests once a trip is completed, and Airbnb says you need the guest's approval to add one to a confirmed reservation.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good cleaning fee for Airbnb?

The one that reflects your real turnover cost and keeps your total price competitive for your common stay length. There is no universal number, because home size and local rates vary widely.

Does Airbnb take a percentage of the cleaning fee?

Yes. Airbnb charges its service fee on your subtotal, including fees you charge, such as cleaning.

Can I charge a different cleaning fee for short stays?

Yes. Airbnb lets you set an optional lower cleaning fee for 1 and 2 night stays. The standard fee applies to longer stays.

Should I remove the cleaning fee altogether?

It can work if your stays are long enough for the rate to absorb the cost. Run the numbers on your typical stay before you remove it, and keep an eye on short stays that may lose money.