7 Cleaning Tips From Professional Hotel Cleaners

By Elizabeth Michael

September 20, 2025

Maintaining a tidy home helps lower the risk of germs and allergens while keeping clutter at bay. Coming home to a fresh, clean space may also benefit your mental health by reducing stress and anxiety. However, sometimes, no matter how dedicated you are to scouring every nook and cranny of your home, it can be difficult to reach that "hotel clean" status.

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From using microfiber cloths to tackling dirt from top to bottom, here are some expert cleaning tips from professional hotel cleaners.

No Matter How Much You Clean Your Home, Why Doesn’t It Have That Luxe, Hotel-Clean Feel?

While you may be an excellent house cleaner, ensuring every inch of your space is as clean as a 5-star hotel can be challenging. One of the main reasons certain hotels appear spotless at all times is that there's always someone cleaning. Whether it's housekeeping staff changing the bedding or maintenance workers emptying trash and tidying up the grounds, hotels often employ multiple staff members to keep everything fresh and clean.

Hotel cleaning crews tend to use professional-grade cleaning products and heavy-duty equipment that may be more effective than household cleaning solutions and standard vacuums. It's also important to remember that pristine, clutter-free hotel rooms are what guests pay for. If you compare your lived-in home to a spotless hotel room, there may be some noticeable differences no matter how clean you keep it.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many hotels expanded their cleaning standards to ensure proper sanitization. While specific practices can vary between establishments, some hotel protocols include more frequent wiping-down of touchable surfaces, such as doorknobs, elevator buttons and fitness equipment, and using hospital-grade disinfectants. Some hotels may also use specialized equipment with UV light to sanitize rooms and surfaces.

How to Clean Your Home Like a Professional Hotel Room Cleaner

There are many steps you can take to elevate your living space to hotel-level cleanliness. To help you get started, here are some tips from the experts:

Sanitize Regularly Touched Surfaces

While it's common practice to sanitize the kitchen counter and stovetop, it's also important to clean frequently touched surfaces that are often overlooked. Take extra time to wipe down and sanitize items such as your TV remote controls, light switches and doorknobs.

Clean From Top to Bottom

When you start cleaning from the top, you don't have to worry about dust and debris falling onto already-cleaned surfaces. Start by dusting high edges, shelves and windowsills. Move down each surface slowly, making sure to clean or dust every visible area.

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Open Windows and Set up Diffusers to Refresh Your Space

When weather permits, it's a good idea to keep your windows open as you clean. This can help let in fresh circulating air while allowing stale odors and stagnant air to escape. You can also freshen up your space with essential oil diffusers in hotel-inspired scents such as lavender, white tea, sandalwood or jasmine. Commonly used in high-end hotels, these oils emit clean, subtle aromas when used in a diffuser.

Use Microfiber Cloths

For a streak-free shine on countertops, coffee tables and other hard surfaces, use microfiber cloths to clean instead of paper towels. Microfiber cloths work well to lift dust and other light debris from surfaces without scratching or leaving dusty streaks behind. Best of all, microfiber cloths are generally machine-washable to allow for multiple uses.

Dust Baseboards and Doorframes

Baseboards and door frames are prime spots for dust to collect, as they're often overlooked on cleaning day. Regular dusting can help prevent heavy buildup and keep these areas looking good as new. When dusting a door frame, start at the top of the frame and move downward.

Consider Purchasing a Steam Cleaner

The pros also recommend investing in a steam cleaner to achieve a "hotel-like" clean in your home. In addition to effectively cleaning carpets, steam cleaners work well to sanitize bathrooms and upholstered furniture. You can also use your trusty steam cleaner to eliminate dirt and grime buildup in tight corners and hard-to-reach spaces.

Use Lint Rollers

Did you know lint rollers can do more than just remove fuzz from your clothing? These handy tools work great for removing hair and dust from furnishings, countertops and more. Plus, they're cost-effective and easy to store.

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