If you manage an Airbnb or short-term let in Edinburgh, cleaning is your single biggest recurring operational cost — and the one that has the most direct impact on your reviews. Getting the pricing wrong (too cheap and you get bad quality; too expensive and it eats your margins) can make or break your hosting business.
The short answer: £65–£195 per turnover clean, depending on property size. Here's the full breakdown so you know exactly what to budget in 2026.
Airbnb cleaning prices in Edinburgh by property size
Turnover cleaning in Edinburgh is almost always priced per-clean (not per hour), based on the size of your property. Here's what you should expect to pay for a professional turnover clean in 2026:
| Property size | Our price | Edinburgh average |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bed flat | £65 | £59–£85 |
| 2-bed flat | £85 | £77–£111 |
| 3-bed flat | £110 | £99–£143 |
| 4-bed flat | £140 | £126–£182 |
| 2-bed house | £95 | £86–£124 |
| 3-bed house | £125 | £113–£163 |
| 4-bed house | £160 | £144–£208 |
| 5-bed house | £195 | £176–£254 |
These prices cover a standard turnover clean — everything needed to get your property guest-ready between bookings. That typically includes full kitchen and bathroom cleaning, bed-making with fresh linens, hoovering and mopping all floors, dusting surfaces, emptying bins, and a final walkthrough.
What affects the price?
Several factors can push the price up or down:
- Property size — the biggest factor. A 1-bed flat takes 60–90 minutes. A 4-bed house takes 3+ hours.
- Condition on checkout — if guests have left the property in poor condition, it takes longer. Most cleaners price for 'standard' condition.
- Linens and laundry — if the cleaner provides fresh linens or does your laundry, expect to add £12–18 per clean.
- Restocking — replenishing toiletries, coffee, tea, and welcome packs typically costs £8–10 per clean.
- Frequency — cleaning companies often offer volume discounts. If you have 10+ turnovers per month, you could save 10–20% per clean.
- Festival season — August is Edinburgh's busiest month. Some cleaners charge a premium (typically 15–25% above standard rates) during the Fringe. At Edinburgh Cleaning Co, our prices stay consistent year-round.
- Same-day or emergency cleans — need a clean with less than 24 hours notice? Expect to pay 20–50% more.
How Edinburgh compares to other UK cities
Edinburgh sits in the mid-to-upper range for UK Airbnb cleaning costs. For context:
| City | 1-bed turnover | 2-bed turnover |
|---|---|---|
| London | £70–£100 | £95–£140 |
| Edinburgh | £55–£80 | £75–£110 |
| Manchester | £50–£75 | £70–£100 |
| Glasgow | £45–£65 | £60–£85 |
| Bristol | £50–£70 | £65–£95 |
Edinburgh's higher costs reflect its premium nightly rates (ADRs of £100–£180 for 1–2 bed flats) and the operational challenges of cleaning in tenement buildings — many without lifts, with tight stairwells and period features that take longer to clean than modern apartments.
Optional add-ons and what they cost
Most professional cleaning services offer add-ons that hosts can select per clean:
| Add-on | What it includes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Linen change | Fresh hotel-quality linens supplied and beds made | +£18 |
| Laundry service | Wash, dry and fold your linens — returned same day | +£15 |
| Restocking | Toiletries, coffee, tea and essentials replenished | +£10 |
| Scottish Welcome Pack | Curated seasonal welcome offering — local Scottish treats, exclusive discounts to Edinburgh's best bars & restaurants | +£15 |
| Inside oven | Full interior oven deep clean and degrease | +£18 |
| Inside fridge | Full interior fridge clean and sanitise | +£12 |
Volume discounts: how to pay less per clean
If you have regular turnovers, most cleaning companies — including ours — offer volume discounts. The more cleans per month, the lower your per-clean rate:
| Monthly cleans | Discount | 2-bed price after discount |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 cleans | 5% off | £80.75 |
| 5–9 cleans | 10% off | £76.50 |
| 10–19 cleans | 15% off | £72.25 |
| 20+ cleans | 20% off | £68.00 |
For a host with a 2-bed flat doing 10 turnovers a month, that's the difference between £850/month (standard) and £722.50/month (15% off) — saving over £127 every month, or £1,530 per year.
Hourly vs per-clean pricing: which is better?
Some cleaners charge by the hour (typically £15–22/hr in Edinburgh), while others charge per-clean. For Airbnb turnovers, per-clean pricing is almost always better for hosts:
- You know the exact cost upfront — no surprises
- The cleaner is incentivised to work efficiently, not slowly
- You can budget accurately across your portfolio
- No awkward conversations about how long something 'should' take
The exception: regular domestic cleaning (weekly or fortnightly) is typically priced hourly because the scope varies week to week. For turnovers, per-clean is the industry standard.
What's included in a standard turnover clean?
A professional turnover clean should cover everything needed to make your property guest-ready. Here's what's included as standard with Edinburgh Cleaning Co:
- Kitchen — all surfaces wiped, hob cleaned, sink scrubbed, appliance exteriors wiped, bins emptied and relined, dishwasher emptied or run
- Bathrooms — toilet cleaned inside and out, sink and taps descaled, shower/bath scrubbed, mirror polished, floor mopped, fresh towels set out
- Bedrooms — beds stripped and remade with fresh linens, surfaces dusted, wardrobe checked and tidied, under-bed checked
- Living areas — surfaces dusted, cushions straightened, remote controls wiped, floors hoovered and mopped
- Hallway and entrance — floor cleaned, door handles wiped, welcome mat straightened
- Final walkthrough — windows checked for marks, lights checked, thermostat set, overall appearance verified
How to keep your Airbnb cleaning costs down
- Commit to volume — even 5 cleans per month gets you 10% off. If you manage multiple properties, bundle them with one provider.
- Book ahead for August — Festival pricing is real. Lock in your cleaner and your rate before July.
- Provide clear guest rules — a checklist asking guests to strip beds and take out bins reduces cleaning time and can lower your rate.
- Stay with one provider — switching cleaners means re-training. A cleaner who knows your property is faster, which means lower costs over time.
- Ask about calendar sync — if your cleaner can auto-schedule from your Airbnb calendar, you save your own time on coordination — which is its own cost.
The bottom line
Airbnb turnover cleaning in Edinburgh costs £65–£195 per clean in 2026, depending on property size. Add £12–18 for linens, £8–10 for restocking. Volume discounts of 5–20% are available if you commit to regular cleans.
The most important thing isn't finding the cheapest cleaner — it's finding a reliable one. A missed turnover or a bad clean costs you far more in lost reviews than the difference between a £60 and £85 clean.