3 Ways to Cut Down on Vacation Rental Cleaning Costs

When it comes to running a vacation rental, one of the biggest expense categories is “cleaning costs.”

“My revenue is decent, but cleaning fees eat into it so much that nothing is left as profit…”

“Paying several thousand yen—or even over 10,000 yen—every time a guest checks out really adds up…”

Many owners share this exact concern. But cleaning fees aren’t just a cost—they’re also a critical investment in ensuring guest satisfaction (and good reviews). Cutting quality carelessly leads directly to negative reviews, which then drags down revenue—defeating the entire purpose.

Let’s get straight to the point of this article.

Reducing cleaning costs isn’t about “lowering quality”—it’s about “changing the system.” By rethinking your operational style and contract structures, you can optimize costs while maintaining the same level of quality.

In this article, we’ll walk you through three concrete, practical methods to cut cleaning costs—strategies that will reliably boost your vacation rental’s profit margin.

Start by Understanding the “Going Rate” for Cleaning

Before tackling cost reduction, first check whether what you’re currently paying is reasonable. Here are typical market rates when hiring a standard cleaning service provider (linen costs included):

• Studio/1K (20–25㎡): ¥4,000–¥6,000
• 1LDK/2DK (30–40㎡): ¥6,000–¥8,000
• 2LDK/3LDK (50㎡+): ¥8,000–¥12,000

If you’re paying significantly more than these figures, simply revising your contract could lower your costs. Now let’s dive into the three specific methods.

Method 1: Contract Directly with an “Individual Partner” Instead of a Cleaning Company

This is the most dramatic way to cut costs.

How It Works and the Benefits

Instead of going through a cleaning agency, you contract directly with local homemakers or freelance cleaning staff.

Cleaning agencies typically charge the cleaner’s fee plus their own management fee and margin on top. By contracting directly, you can eliminate this middleman markup (roughly 20%–40%), which means owners pay less while cleaning staff earn more—a true win-win.

Practical Tips

• Recruitment methods: Use crowdsourcing platforms (Jimoty, Lancers, Kurashi no Market, etc.) or local community boards.
• Quality control: Owners will need to create detailed manuals and enforce photo-report rules after each cleaning to maintain quality standards themselves.
• Backup plans: To prepare for sudden illness or absences, it’s wise to have contracts with multiple partners or keep a backup agency on hand for emergencies.

Method 2: Stop Outsourcing Your Linen Supply (Laundry)

A surprisingly large chunk of cleaning costs comes from “linen fees”—the cost of laundering sheets and towels.

How It Works and the Benefits

Normally, cleaning companies collect used linens and either send them to a specialized linen supplier or wash them at a coin laundry. These transport and washing fees get tacked onto your cleaning bill.

By switching to a flow where a washer-dryer is installed on-site and laundry is washed and dried right there during the cleaning window, you can bring linen-related external costs down to nearly zero.

Practical Tips

• Essential equipment: Installing a powerful front-load washer-dryer combo, or a gas dryer like “Kantaro-kun,” is essential. Air-drying or weak dryers won’t finish drying within the cleaning window, which can cause musty odors.
• Linen inventory: Even with on-site washing, it’s important to keep a backup set of linens (around 3 sets’ worth) on-site in case something doesn’t dry in time or is too heavily soiled.
• Negotiating with cleaning staff: Since running the washing machine on-site adds a step to the workflow, you’ll need to build a manual that accounts for this extra time.

Method 3: Reduce Cleaning Workload with “Guest-Participation” Rules

While you shouldn’t burden guests excessively, asking for a bit of simple cooperation can shorten your cleaning staff’s work time—and give you leverage in cost negotiations.

How It Works and the Benefits

As part of your check-out rules, ask guests to complete a few simple actions, such as:

• Sorting trash and moving it to the designated area
• Washing any dishes they used
• Returning furniture and remote controls to their original positions

This frees your cleaning staff from spending time sorting trash or washing dishes, shortening overall cleaning time. Shorter work time makes it easier to negotiate a lower per-cleaning rate.

Practical Tips

• How to communicate it: Frame it politely as “a small request for your cooperation” in your house rules or in-room signage.
• Incentives: Offering a perk—like “bundle up your trash and get a discount coupon for your next stay”—can also be very effective.

Conclusion: Cutting Costs Is the Fastest Route to Higher Profit Margins

Boosting vacation rental revenue isn’t easy, since it’s influenced by market conditions and competitors. However, reducing expenses like cleaning costs is something owners can achieve reliably—and with immediate impact—through their own efforts.

Try incorporating the three methods introduced here in a way that fits your own operating style, and build a lean, efficient business. If you redirect the money you save toward upgraded amenities or better facilities, it can further boost guest satisfaction too.

Let Our Professionals Help You Build That System

“Finding and training individual partners sounds like a lot of work…”

“I’m worried I won’t be able to properly set up an on-site laundry operation.”

“I want to lower cleaning costs, but I absolutely don’t want to sacrifice quality.”

If you have concerns like these, please feel free to reach out to us.

We at Stay Buddy Inc. are a team of vacation rental management professionals with deep knowledge of the Osaka market.

We’re not just another management agency.

• We leverage our proprietary cleaning network to offer cleaning services at fair prices with minimal middleman markup.
• Through efficient linen management and optimized cleaning manuals, we thoroughly eliminate unnecessary costs.
• We propose a customized operating plan tailored to you, achieving both cost reduction and quality maintenance.

As your partner in maximizing profits.

Feel free to start with a free assessment of whether your current cleaning costs are reasonable—reach out to us anytime.