Home Swap Cleaning: Who Does What Before and After?

A good starting arrangement is for each person to prepare their own home before the swap, keep the home they're staying in clean during their visit, and tidy up before leaving. The exact departure tasks, laundry arrangements, and any professional cleaning should be agreed together before confirming the swap.

That's how we do it too. Kat and I clean our own house before anyone arrives and ask guests to leave it as they found it. We don't hire a cleaner. It's worked well for us on every swap so far.

In this article we go through the practical tips: how to get your home ready, what to do during the stay, what to agree before you leave, sheets and towels, and whether a cleaner makes sense. We'll share how we handle it ourselves, where to save the plan on Swaphouse so you can both see it, and what to do if the cleaning falls short.

Before the swap: prepare a home you'd enjoy arriving in

As the host, aim to give your guests a comfortable, clean place to settle into. Picture their arrival after a long journey: they'll want to put down their bags, use the bathroom, and climb into a freshly made bed.

We like doing this ourselves. We don't do a professional deep clean; we just make sure everything is organized and properly clean, including dusting surfaces, vacuuming floors, and cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms. We go room by room, put things back where they belong, and try to leave the kind of home we'd want to walk into after a long trip.

A useful preparation checklist is:

• Clean the bathroom, including the toilet, sink, and shower.
• Wipe kitchen surfaces and leave the sink and dishes clean.
• Vacuum or sweep floors, and mop where needed.
• Make the beds with fresh sheets and provide clean towels.
• Empty bins and remove food that will spoil while you're away.
• Clear some space for your guests' clothes, toiletries, and groceries.
• Wipe the desk and leave room to work if you're sharing a workspace.

Focus on the spaces your guests will actually use. A bookshelf full of novels or a cupboard of family board games can stay exactly where it is. We also pack a lot of our own stuff, or put it away, so guests aren't shifting our piles around to unpack. If you're stuck on that part, we wrote about what to do with personal belongings during a home swap.

Leave basic cleaning supplies somewhere easy to find, too. A quick note explaining where you keep the vacuum, bin bags, and suitable surface cleaners saves your guests from opening every cupboard in the house.

During the swap: take care of everyday cleaning

While you're staying in someone else's home, build small cleaning tasks into your daily routine. Wash up after cooking, wipe spills promptly, take out the rubbish, and keep the bathroom comfortable to use.

For a longer swap, discuss what happens beyond those everyday tasks. If you're staying for several weeks, you'll need a plan for fresh bedding, towels, and regular cleaning. Ask where spare linen is kept and how to use the washing machine.

If the host has a regular cleaner, check whether those visits will continue. Agree on the schedule, access arrangements, and who will pay before anyone arrives. That's especially helpful if you'll be working from the home and need to plan around calls.

Agree upfront on how to leave the home

"Please leave the house clean" sounds clear until one person means washing the dishes and another means washing every towel and remaking all the beds.

On our swaps we usually just say: leave the house as you found it. In practice that means looking after the place while you're there, then doing the dishes, wiping the kitchen, taking the rubbish out, and cleaning up any mess before you go. It's worked for us every time, which still surprises me a little. More than once we came back and thought... did anyone even stay here?

That's been our experience, but expectations can differ, so we always discuss them upfront. "Clean" is a fuzzy word. Turn the general request into a short, practical checklist. We recommend discussing these departure tasks:

• Wash the dishes and leave the kitchen surfaces clean.
• Remove your food, unless the host has agreed you can leave something.
• Take out rubbish and recycling according to the local instructions.
• Wipe the bathroom sink and leave the toilet and shower clean.
• Vacuum or sweep up crumbs, dirt, and any pet hair.
• Put furniture and household items back where they belong.
• Handle used sheets and towels as agreed.

Keep the list manageable for departure day. If your guest needs to leave at 6 a.m., finishing several loads of laundry may be unrealistic. Agree on an alternative while you're planning the swap. We recommend covering this on the video call, before you confirm.

Do you need to wash sheets and towels?

Make this a separate conversation. Linen is easy to overlook, and laundry can take longer than expected.

You could agree that guests leave used bedding in a laundry basket, wash and dry it before departure, or put on a spare set while the host handles the used linen later. If a cleaner will take care of it, confirm that laundry is included.

Be specific about towels as well. Ask guests to hang any damp towels on the rail to dry, especially if you won't return immediately, and avoid asking them to start a wash they won't have time to finish.

A simple instruction such as "Please leave the sheets on the bed, put used towels in the laundry basket, and hang any damp towels on the rail to dry" removes a lot of guesswork.

Can you arrange a professional cleaner?

Yes. It may be useful when departure times are tight, the home is large, or you'd both prefer help with the final clean. Doing it ourselves is just our preference.

Before agreeing, work out:

• Who will book the cleaner and arrange access.
• When the cleaning will happen.
• What the service includes.
• Who pays, and the agreed amount.
• Which tasks guests should still complete before leaving.

Swaphouse is free to use, with no required membership or booking fees. Any cleaning service you agree to pay for is a separate expense to discuss together. See our frequently asked questions for more about how Swaphouse works.

Bring up cleaning costs before confirming the swap so both people can decide whether the arrangement suits them.

Write it down in the swap details

Once the swap is confirmed, you can add your cleaning preferences directly on Swaphouse, in the swap details. They're saved there, so you and the other swappers can both see what each of you asked for. Nothing gets buried in a chat you'd have to search through later.

Open the swap with View details, go to Your details, and expand House rules. Under Cleaning expectations you can choose from:

• Leave the house as you found it
• Professional cleaning will be arranged
• Deep clean required before departure
• Basic tidying is sufficient
• Cleaning fee will be charged
• Other (specify below)

You can use the text box underneath to add the practical details. The dropdown on its own doesn't tell anyone where the laundry basket is, or whether sheets can stay on the bed.

We might write:

Change it to whatever you actually agreed, then click Save & close. The other swappers fill in the same section for their home.

Treat it as a record of the conversation you've already had. If you think of a new requirement later, discuss it with the other swappers and agree on the change before updating the details. There's a fuller walkthrough in our guide to planning and confirming a home swap on Swaphouse.

A message you can use before your swap

You don't need a long set of house rules to get this right. A friendly message can cover the essentials:

That last question matters. Each home may need something slightly different, and both people should have a chance to explain their preferences.

What if the cleaning falls short?

If you arrive and something clearly hasn't been cleaned, contact the other swappers promptly. Describe the specific issue and, if useful, share a photo privately. Ask what happened and discuss a practical solution.

If you're considering a paid cleaner and expect the other person to contribute, agree on that before booking.

The same approach helps if you return home disappointed. Refer to what you agreed and explain which tasks were missed. "The kitchen bin wasn't emptied and the dishes were left dirty" gives you something concrete to resolve.

After your swap, we really encourage you to share an honest review, whether your experience was positive or disappointing. If someone took wonderful care of your home, let them and other members know. If the cleaning fell short of what you agreed, it's fair to mention that too, including how the other swappers responded and whether the issue was resolved. Keep it respectful, factual, and specific. Honest reviews help everyone on Swaphouse make informed decisions and give thoughtful guests the recognition they deserve.

Make cleaning part of the conversation

Cleaning is easier to manage when it's discussed alongside keys, arrival times, and what you'd do if plans change. A few clear expectations let both people plan their departure and enjoy their stay without wondering what's required.

Coming home to a house that still feels looked after has been one of the nicest parts of swapping for us. When you're planning your next Swaphouse exchange, take a moment to agree on the basics. Fresh sheets on arrival and a thoughtful clean before leaving go a long way toward making each other feel welcome.