How to manage laundry with 100% Airbnb occupancy

You have 3, 5 or 10 Airbnb apartments and high season is in full swing. Daily check-outs and check-ins - and piles of bedding that must be clean and ready by 14:00. This is a problem that cannot be solved by adding a washing machine.

The maths that convinces you

Imagine a week with 5 apartments at 100% occupancy and an average stay of 3 nights. That means approximately 8-10 turnover days per week. Each apartment requires:

• 2 bedding sets (for 2 beds): ~45 minutes washing + 30 minutes drying + 20 minutes folding
• 4-6 towels: additional 40 minutes of washing/drying
• Kitchen towels and mats: 15 minutes extra

Result: 2.5 hours per apartment for each turnover. For one week for 5 apartments with 8 turnovers this equals 20 hours of actual washing - assuming you have somewhere to wash and the machines are available exactly when you need them.

When is self-laundry still acceptable and when does it stop working?

Self-service laundry is available as long as:

• You have 1-2 apartments with an average occupancy of up to 70 %.
• Check-ins are scheduled throughout the week (not all on Friday/Saturday).
• Do you have a spare set of bed linen for each apartment (at least 2 sets per room)?
• We do not work on anything else at the same time.

Your own laundry will no longer suffice once:

• You have 3+ apartments - domestic washing machine capacity is insufficient, leading to compromises on cleanliness or speed.
• Weekend turnovers - On Friday afternoon you have 3 simultaneous departures and 3 arrivals. Without external laundry this is physically impossible.
• Do you hire a cleaning company? - The cleaner waits for clean laundry. Every hour of waiting means you pay for inactivity.
• You are travelling or unwell - your business must not depend on your physical presence.

How laundry outsourcing works in practice

Professional laundry service for Airbnb hosts operates differently from a standard laundrette. Key differences:

Cost versus savings

Honest estimate for 5 apartments in Prague, average occupancy 80%, average stay 3 nights:

* The calculation assumes 18 hours/month of actual laundry time for a self-managed solution for 5 flats, valuing your time at 300 Kč/h.

Checklist for transitioning to outsourced laundry services

Before contacting the laundry service, please prepare:

• Draw up a laundry inventory - how many sets of bed linen, towels and kitchen accessories each apartment requires.
• Mark your laundry - Coloured labels or monograms prevent mixing laundry from different flats.
• Arrange access - A PIN for the locker, an entry code or a key handed to the cleaning company is sufficient.
• Plan your backup stock - at least 2 sets of bed linen per room = you always have clean laundry, even if delivery is delayed.
• Integrate with calendar - synchronise turnover dates with the laundry service for automated collection scheduling.