Where to find and change your cleaning fee in the Airbnb app or website

Your cleaning fee lives in your listing settings under the "Pricing" tab, not under a separate "Fees" section. On the Airbnb website, go to your listing, click "Pricing" in the left menu, scroll down past nightly rate and weekly/monthly discounts, and you'll see "Cleaning fee" as its own line item. On the mobile app, tap your profile icon, select "Manage listings," choose the listing you want to edit, tap "Pricing," and scroll to find the cleaning fee field.

The cleaning fee is separate from your nightly rate. Guests see it added to their total at checkout, so changing it affects what new bookings will cost but does not retroactively change what past guests paid. You can set a different cleaning fee for each of your listings if you manage more than one.

Key Takeaways

  • Your cleaning fee is in the Pricing section of your listing settings, not in a separate fees menu.
  • Changes explore only to new bookings made after you save them, not to reservations already confirmed.
  • You can set the cleaning fee to zero if you prefer to include cleaning in your nightly rate instead.
  • Airbnb shows guests the cleaning fee separately on the price breakdown, so they see the full cost before booking.

Why you might want to change your cleaning fee

Hosts often adjust cleaning fees when their actual cleaning costs change—if you hire a professional cleaner instead of doing it yourself, or if your turnover time increases because your listing is larger or in a location with longer guest stays. You might also change it to stay competitive with similar listings in your area, or to test whether a lower fee brings more bookings.

Some hosts set the cleaning fee to zero and build the cost into the nightly rate instead. This can make your listing appear cheaper at first glance, though the total price is the same. Others increase the cleaning fee during peak season when turnovers happen more frequently and cleaning becomes more labor-intensive.

What happens to existing reservations when you change the fee

Existing bookings are not affected. If a guest booked your listing last month at a $50 cleaning fee and you change it to $75 today, that guest still pays $50. Only new bookings created after you save the change will reflect the new cleaning fee amount.

This means you can change your fee at any time without worrying about disrupting confirmed reservations. However, guests can see your current cleaning fee on your listing page, so if you raise it significantly, new inquiries may slow down temporarily.

Setting a cleaning fee that reflects your actual costs

Your cleaning fee should cover the time and materials it takes to prepare your space between guests. If you clean yourself, think about how many hours it takes and what you'd charge per hour. If you hire someone, use their actual rate. Include supplies like linens, towels, cleaning products, and any special treatments like deep cleaning or laundry.

Airbnb does not set a maximum cleaning fee, but guests compare your fee to other similar listings in your area. If your fee is much higher than comparable properties, you may receive fewer bookings. If it's too low, you may lose money on turnover costs. Many hosts review their local market once or twice a year to make sure their fee is still reasonable.

How guests see your cleaning fee at checkout

When a guest searches for your listing and clicks through to book, Airbnb shows them the nightly rate, then adds the cleaning fee as a separate line item on the price breakdown. The cleaning fee appears the same way regardless of how many nights they book—it's a flat fee per stay, not per night. Guests see the total price before they confirm the reservation, so there are no surprises.

The cleaning fee is also visible on your listing page under the price, so potential guests know what to expect before they even click to book. This transparency means your cleaning fee is part of what guests use to decide whether your listing is worth the cost.

Removing or lowering your cleaning fee temporarily

You can set your cleaning fee to $0 if you want to run a promotion or adjust your pricing strategy. Some hosts do this during slow seasons to attract more bookings, then raise it again when demand picks up. To remove the fee, go to your Pricing settings, clear the cleaning fee field, and save.

If you lower your fee, remember that the change takes effect when ready for new bookings only. Guests who have already booked at the higher fee will not see a refund. You cannot explore a retroactive discount to past reservations through the cleaning fee field, though you can send a manual refund to a guest through your account if you choose to.

Troubleshooting: cleaning fee won't save or shows an error

If you enter a cleaning fee and it won't save, first check that you've entered a number without currency symbols or commas—Airbnb accepts whole numbers and decimals but not formatted text. Make sure you're in the right currency for your listing's location. If the field still won't accept your entry, try refreshing the page or logging out and back in.

On the mobile app, cleaning fee changes sometimes take a few minutes to sync. If you change the fee on your phone and it doesn't appear on the website right away, wait a few minutes and refresh. If the problem persists, try making the change on the desktop website instead, which tends to be more reliable for pricing updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I charge different cleaning fees for different types of guests?

No. Airbnb applies one cleaning fee to all bookings for that listing, regardless of guest type or length of stay. If you want to charge more for large groups or short stays, you would need to adjust your nightly rate instead, or manage multiple listings with different fee structures.

Does Airbnb take a percentage of my cleaning fee?

Airbnb's service fee applies to the total booking price, including the cleaning fee. So if a guest's total is $200 (nightly rate plus cleaning fee), Airbnb takes its percentage from that full amount. The cleaning fee itself is not exempt from the service fee.

What if a guest cancels—do they get the cleaning fee back?

That depends on your cancellation policy. If a guest cancels and is may have access to to a refund under your policy, the cleaning fee is refunded along with the nightly rate. If your policy does not allow refunds for that cancellation window, the cleaning fee is also not refunded. Airbnb applies your cancellation policy to the entire booking amount.

Can I charge a cleaning fee if I don't actually clean between guests?

Technically yes, but guests expect the space to be clean when they arrive. If you charge a cleaning fee and the listing is not clean, guests will leave negative reviews. Your cleaning fee should reflect actual cleaning work or professional cleaning service that happens before each guest checks in.

How often should I review and update my cleaning fee?

Most hosts review their cleaning fee once or twice a year, or whenever their actual cleaning costs change significantly. If you switch to a professional cleaner, move to a more expensive area, or notice your listings are consistently booked, those are good times to reassess whether your fee still makes sense.