Essential COVID-19 Disinfection Protocols for Short-Term Rentals

COVID-19 has fundamentally altered how we maintain and prepare rental properties. While a comprehensive disinfection guide exists, property owners and managers frequently ask for more granular cleaning procedures. Common questions include product selection, cloth rotation practices, and safe electronics disinfection methods.

This protocol draws directly from CDC guidelines and incorporates expert review from Durk Johnson of Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals.

What Products Should I Use?

Since Properly serves a global customer base, specific product recommendations vary by region and regulatory environment. However, clear guidelines exist.

EPA Effectiveness: The EPA maintains a list of disinfectants specifically effective against COVID-19. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control details ingredients that ensure coronavirus elimination.

Alcohol Solutions: Alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol are effective. Diluted bleach solutions work but risk household surface damage.

Disinfectant Wipes: Store with closed lids. Dried-out wipes lose efficacy entirely.

Watch Out For Deadly Combinations

Common household cleaners contain ammonia, acids, or bleach. Ammonia appears in urine, particularly relevant when cleaning after guests with infants or pets.

Critical Safety Warning: Mixing bleach and ammonia or bleach and acid creates a toxic gas that is very dangerous. Verify that bleach-containing products will not react dangerously with other cleaners in your inventory.

Know Your Dwell Times

Products exist as ready-to-use formulas, dilutables (like bleach), and wipes. Each requires careful label review regarding category, dilution instructions, and contact time.

Dwell/Contact Time: This indicates how long disinfectant must remain on surfaces to kill microorganisms. Never skip this step when disinfection is the goal. Never “top up” dilutables, as this renders them ineffective or inappropriately concentrated for certain surfaces.

Use the 8-Fold Method

Implement systematic cloth rotation to prevent cross-contamination.

The 8-fold method is folding a cloth in half, and then in half again. This creates eight usable surfaces that flip sequentially like pages. Continue until no clean surfaces remain, then switch to a fresh cloth.

The 8-fold cloth method for cleaning

Critical Cloth Changes: Use entirely fresh cloths for toilets, trash cans, and food preparation surfaces. Never reuse cloths across different rooms.

Check to See if Your Supplies Need an Update

Cleaning Cloths and Mop Heads: Select cotton or microfiber materials only. Microfiber requires separate laundering from other fabrics.

Color-Coding System: The International Sanitary Supply Association recommends four categories:

Red: High-risk areas (toilets, restroom floors)
Yellow: Low-risk areas (sinks, mirrors)
Blue: All-purpose surfaces (desks, side tables)
Green: Food preparation zones (kitchens, dining tables)

Add an additional color for high-touch vacation rental surfaces not fitting the above categories, such as light switches.

Temporary Solutions: Permanent markers or sewn-on labels work if colored cloths are not available. Alternatively, supply sufficient cloths for surface-specific rotation.

Triple Up Your Buckets

Durk Johnson recommends eliminating buckets entirely, as they create additional contamination surfaces. However, the three-bucket CDC system works if currently implemented:

Bucket 1: Detergent or cleaning solution
Bucket 2: Rinse water
Bucket 3: Disinfectant

Color-code buckets to prevent content confusion.

How to Clean Electronics and Touchpads

Disinfect electronics using disinfectant spray or alcohol-based disposable wipes. Never saturate or immerse devices in water.

Safe Application: Thoroughly wrung-out cloths with disinfecting solution will not damage electronics. For creviced devices like remotes, temperature controls, and keypads, use Q-tips soaked in disinfectant.