The Sunshine Coast Airbnb market in May 2026 is solidly into the autumn pattern — shorter-than-summer stays, a higher proportion of working travellers and families with school-age children on long-weekend trips, and a guest base that has become more particular about cleaning standards than they were five years ago. The turnover between guests has to be tighter than ever. Here is the checklist we run when we do turnovers across Maroochydore, Mooloolaba, Buderim, and Coolum Beach properties.

Pre-turnover prep.

Confirm the checkout time and the next check-in. The realistic turnover window on a busy weekend is usually four hours from the previous guest leaving to the next guest arriving. The schedule needs to be cleared end-to-end. The guest who arrives to a property that is still being cleaned is a guest who leaves a four-star review at best.

Walk in with the right kit. Vacuum, microfibre cloths, the kitchen and bathroom cleaning kit, fresh linen for the bed and bathroom sets, fresh kitchen towels, the welcome consumables (coffee pods, tea, sugar, soap, dishwashing tablets), and the inspection checklist. The team that runs turnover well does not run back to the car halfway through.

The whole-property walk-through first.

Walk every room before any cleaning starts. The walk-through is to find the things that need attention beyond the standard clean — spills, breakages, missing items, anything left behind. Take photos of anything significant. This is the moment to communicate with the host if there is a problem, not after the property has been cleaned.

Check the linens. Stripping the bed and stripping the bathroom comes first. Get the laundry on or get the previous linens bagged for the laundry service. The linen turnaround is usually the longest single line in the turnover schedule. Get it moving before anything else.

Kitchen.

Start with the dishwasher and the sink. The dishwasher needs to be empty and clean before the next guest. Run a quick cycle if necessary. Wipe the inside of the dishwasher and the door seals.

Wipe every surface — bench tops, splashbacks, cabinet fronts, the fridge handle, the oven handle, the microwave handle. Pay attention to the things hands touch.

Check the fridge. Empty any guest-leftover food unless the host’s policy is to keep specific items. Wipe the shelves. Defrost ice from any drinks-fridge if needed.

Check the small appliances. Coffee machine, kettle, toaster. Clean and ready for the next guest. The drip tray on the coffee machine and the crumb tray on the toaster are the two most-forgotten items in turnover cleaning.

Restock the kitchen consumables. The dishwashing tablets, the coffee pods, the tea bags, the sugar, the salt and pepper, the cooking oil if the host provides it. The empty pantry is a complaint waiting to happen.

Bathroom.

Toilet first. Bowl, seat, base, the floor around the toilet. Use the dedicated toilet cloth, not the general bathroom cloth.

Shower. The screen, the floor, the tap fittings, the shower head. The mould check on the silicone and grout. In Sunshine Coast humidity, the mould forms faster than guests realise. The bathroom that smells fresh is a bathroom that has been cleaned thoroughly, not a bathroom that has been sprayed with deodoriser.

Basin and mirror. The toothpaste splatter on the mirror is the most-noticed thing the guest sees when they walk in. The mirror has to be streak-free.

Restock the bathroom consumables. Soap, shampoo and conditioner, hand towels, bath towels, toilet paper. Tissues if the host provides them.

Bedrooms.

Make the bed properly. The hospital corners and tight tucks are the difference between a five-star property and a four-star property. The bed that looks like it was made by someone who cares is the bed that gets photographed and put in the review.

Vacuum the carpets and under the bed. The hair from previous guests is the most commonly missed item. Move the bedside tables and vacuum under them.

Wipe the bedside tables, the lamps, the light switches, the door handles. Hands touch these surfaces and they show fingerprints.

Check the wardrobes. Empty any items left by guests. Restock hangers if any have been removed.

Living areas.

Vacuum the couches, including under the cushions. The couch is the most common place to find lost items — phone chargers, kids’ toys, hair ties, coins. Find them and return them via the host’s lost-and-found process.

Wipe the coffee table, the side tables, the TV cabinet. Clean the TV screen and the remote control. The remote control is the most-touched object in the house and the least-often cleaned.

Open windows. The Sunshine Coast salt air gets into properties and the cross-ventilation between guests refreshes the interior smell more effectively than any spray.

Outdoor and balcony.

Sweep the balcony or deck. The salt and the leaf litter accumulates faster on the Coast than guests realise. The balcony that the guest steps onto first is the first impression after the front door.

Check the outdoor furniture. Wipe down the table and chairs. The bird droppings and the salt residue on the outdoor furniture is the most overlooked item in coastal Airbnb turnover.

Restock the pool towels if the property has a pool. Check the pool itself if the property has a small pool that the host maintains.

Final walk-through.

Walk the property end-to-end one more time. Check that every room has been done. Check that the cleaning kit and any rubbish has been removed. Check that the welcome items are positioned where the host wants them.

Take the final photos. The clean-condition photos protect against guest claims that the property was already dirty when they arrived. The photos go to the host’s records.

Lock up properly. Confirm the lockbox or smart-lock is set correctly for the next guest’s arrival.

A note on rates and timing. The realistic Airbnb turnover cleaning fee on a Sunshine Coast property in May 2026 is meaningfully above what it was in 2022. The labour cost increases have continued through 2024 and into 2026. The hosts who have updated their cleaning fee in line with the cost increases are still finding the turnover well-priced for what the work involves. The hosts who are still charging 2022 rates are usually finding the cleaning quality slipping because the cleaner cannot make the economics work at the older rate.

The Sunshine Coast Airbnb market is busy enough that turnover quality is the differentiator between properties that hold five-star ratings and properties that drift down to four. The checklist above is the foundation. The team that runs it consistently is the team that retains the host relationship.