A Turnover Checklist for Short-Term Rentals

A turnover checklist for short-term rentals is a repeatable surface routine: what to wash, what to spray, what goes to the laundry, and how many 1-liter batches to make before you arrive. This page is for a host or housekeeper turning over a single unit. It is a cleaning and handling checklist for one unit.

The machine this site walks through is the Eco One, which makes a 1 L batch. HOCL LLC sells machines only; it does not sell bottled HOCl. If you do not yet have a making routine, use How to Make Hypochlorous Acid at Home.

Before you start

Pack or confirm, before you enter the unit:

• A tested 1 L HOCl batch, or the salt, 5% distilled vinegar, and water you need to make one on site (hardness under 80 ppm is the Eco One manual’s recommendation).
• 10–200 ppm chlorine paper and pH paper, if you will make a fresh liter at the property.
• A closed 8 oz PET spray bottle or two, and a clean cloth or mop head you can launder after the job.
• Your usual first-pass supplies: detergent, trash bags, vacuum, and a laundry bag.
• A printed or phone copy of this checklist, plus the property’s restock list (soap, paper, coffee, etc.).

Never mix HOCl solution with ammonia, bleach, strong acids or other cleaners; mixing with ammonia can release chloramine gas, and mixing with strong acids can release toxic chlorine gas. Add only the vinegar or additive your manual specifies, in the amount it specifies. If someone breathes in fumes or swallows solution, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (poisonhelp.hrsa.gov). If a previous cleaner used a different product, rinse that surface before HOCl goes on. Wear gloves when you are handling waste and dirty linens, and wash your hands with soap and water when you are done.

Linens go to the laundry

Sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers, towels, washcloths, and bath mats are laundry, not a chemistry job. Strip the beds and collect used towels into a bag as your first walk-through. Wash them in the usual way, on a cycle that matches the fabric care labels. Do not spray HOCl on a piled heap of linens as a stand-in for washing, and do not treat “sprayed and left on the bed” as a turnover of the bedding.

Remake the beds only with clean, dry linens. If a throw or a decorative pillow cannot be washed, follow the property’s own rule for replacement or spot-cleaning; this checklist does not invent a spray method for those items.

A walk-through order that keeps you from backtracking

Work from the door inward, or from the farthest bedroom out, but finish each room’s wash pass before you spray, and finish spraying before you restock.

1. Handles, switches and other hard surfaces guests use most. Light switches, door handles, railings, remotes, the thermostat, closet pulls, and the deadbolt. Wipe off fingerprints and dust, then wipe with HOCl. On switches, remotes and the thermostat, spray onto a cloth, not directly onto the electronics.

2. Bedrooms and living space. After the linens are off, dust and wipe nightstands, headboards, window latches, and the TV remote. Vacuum or sweep floors and under the bed. Then spray and wipe the cleared hard surfaces. Soft furniture: vacuum; do not soak upholstery with a bottle of HOCl as a substitute for a proper clean.

3. Bathrooms. Clear hair and residue from the sink, counter, shower, and the area around the toilet. Wash those surfaces with detergent and water first, rinse, then spray and wipe with HOCl. Do not mix HOCl with toilet-bowl products or scale removers. Replace used toiletries only after the surfaces are wiped.

4. Kitchen surfaces. Empty the trash, and wash or load used dishes. Wipe crumbs and spills from the counter, stovetop, table, refrigerator handle, and sink surround, then spray and wipe those cleared surfaces. This is not a food-prep or produce-wash guide. Check the fridge for leftover guest food, and wipe shelves once they are empty and washed.

5. Floors and exits. Sweep or vacuum first, then mop hard floors if that is part of your turnover. A 1 L batch disappears quickly if you mop a whole unit; plan a dedicated liter for floors when the unit is more than a studio. Wipe the entry handle on the way out.

6. Restock and final look. Soap, paper, trash bags, coffee, and whatever the listing promises. A turnover is not finished until the unit matches that list and the linens are back on clean, dry beds.

How many 1 L batches a one-unit turnover uses

The Eco One makes 1 L at a time; fill the 1.5 L pitcher only to the 1 L line. A standard cleaning liter is the 200 ppm recipe in the how-to: 2 g of food-grade, non-iodized kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of 5% distilled vinegar, the lid fitted, Setting 3 run twice (16 minutes), then a check of ppm and pH. The target pH is 5–6. How to read the papers is in HOCl PPM and pH Basics.

There is no single published number that fits every property. Use these as planning ranges, then adjust after a couple of turnovers:

• A compact studio or one-bedroom, spray bottles and cloths only, no mopping: one 1 L batch may be enough for handles and switches, the bathroom and kitchen surfaces; log what you use and adjust.
• The same unit plus a floor mop: plan a second liter so you are not mid-mop with an empty jug.
• A larger two-bedroom, or a unit where you also fill a 1.8 L handheld fogger tank (see below): plan two 1 L Eco One runs for the tank alone, plus another liter if you are also filling spray bottles and mopping.

An 8 oz spray bottle holds a little under 0.25 L, so one liter fills three bottles and still leaves some in the jug. Make and test the batches before you are on a tight changeover clock, and store any leftover in a closed, light-protected container as described in HOCl Storage and Shelf Life. Re-test a jug that has been sitting since the last weekend.

If you turn over several units in a day and 1 L runs cannot keep up, the Hypo 7.5 makes a 7.5 L (2-gallon) batch. When to step up in volume is on Choosing an HOCl Generator and compare. Machines and supplies for this use are on the store page.

If you use a handheld fogger

A handheld electrostatic cold fogging sprayer, when you use one, is an application tool: it distributes already-made, tested HOCl onto surfaces. It does not replace the wash pass, and it does not change the never-mix rule. Fill the tank only with solution you have already tested. Follow the unit’s own manual for charging, fill level, and how to hold the sprayer.

The tank on the unit sold with the Eco One holds 1.8 L, which is more than one Eco One liter, so plan two 1 L runs if you intend to fill it. A full tank is a volume, not a measure of results. This checklist does not give occupied-space advice, air claims, or a substitute for wiping the surfaces listed above. Spray only onto surfaces, never toward a person or a pet, and keep people and pets out of the room while you spray.

Testing, storage and a short close

Test every fresh batch before you pour it. Do not use or store a batch below pH 4; chlorine gas can be released. Store leftovers closed, protected from light, at room temperature or cooler, in HDPE, LDPE or PET, and re-test after storage.

A short close for each turnover:

1. Strip linens and start the laundry path.
2. Wash visible soil in each room.
3. Spray and wipe the cleared hard surfaces with tested HOCl.
4. Mop only after loose dirt is up, with a liter you have planned for floors.
5. Restock, remake beds with clean dry linens, and recap the bottles.

For the first liter, start with the Eco One and the how-to. Keep this checklist on the surfaces and the laundry bag.