Cleaning a Rental Car Between Trips: The Host's Checklist

A good turnover is the same job every time, done in the same order. Below is a checklist you can hand to a cleaner, then the Turo rules a turnover has to satisfy.

What should a Turo cleaning checklist include?

Cover the inside, the outside, the things every guest touches, and photos at the end. Do it in the same order every time, so nothing is skipped on a rushed day.

Inside

• Remove trash and anything left behind. Check under the seats and in the door pockets.
• Vacuum seats, carpets, floor mats and the trunk.
• Wipe the dash, console, cup holders and door panels.
• Clean the glass inside, mirrors included.
• Check for stains, sand, pet hair and smells.

Things every guest touches

• Keys or key card.
• Steering wheel, shifter and turn signal stalks.
• Door handles, inside and out, and the trunk latch.
• Screen, buttons and seat belt buckles.

Outside

• Wash, or take it through a car wash, unless it is still clean.
• Wipe the windows and mirrors.
• Look at the tires and the body for anything new.

Reset for the next guest

• Seats and mirrors back to a neutral position.
• Fuel or charge topped up to your usual level.
• Any Extra the next guest booked, such as a child seat, in the car.

Photos at the end

• The dashboard, showing the odometer and the fuel or charge level.
• Front seats, back seats, trunk and all four sides.
• Anything wrong: damage, a warning light, a smell, an item left behind.

Write down the odometer reading off that dashboard photo. A reading a person types from the dashboard is the mileage record to keep.

Does Turo have a cleaning standard for hosts?

Yes. Turo requires hosts to clean their cars before every trip (Turo, updated April 21, 2026).^[1] It also suggests cleaning keys, exterior door handles, trunk latches and the interior.^[1]

If a guest finds the car dirty at check-in, they can cancel. Turo processes it as a host cancellation, charges you a $50 fee and pays you nothing for the trip.^[1] If you cannot get a car clean in time, Turo suggests snoozing or unlisting it instead.^[1]

Can I charge a Turo guest a cleaning fee?

Only for a mess that goes past normal use, and only with photos.^[1] In the US it is $150 plus a 3% Turo admin fee, reported within 72 hours of the trip ending, and you keep all of it.^[1][2][7] Smoking is a separate $150, and a smell alone is not proof.^[3]

Which messes qualify, which do not, the photo windows, how to report one, and whether $150 covers a real cleanup: Turo cleaning fee.

What is Turo's pet policy for hosts?

Service and assistance animals may ride in any car on Turo. Pets ride only in cars marked "pet friendly", or with your permission in Turo messaging (Turo, updated April 28, 2026).^[5]

You can charge the cleaning violation fee when a guest:

• Brings a pet into a car that is not pet friendly, without approval.
• Returns the car with a significant amount of animal hair.^[5]

If a guest asks to bring a pet to a car that is not pet friendly, you can say yes or cancel without penalty.^[5]

If you allow pets, Turo lists a pet fee among the Extras you can offer (Turo, updated October 19, 2026).^[6] Budget for more vacuuming on those cars either way.

How do I keep a car from needing a deep clean?

A bad return costs more than the fee covers, and the car misses bookings while it is out. Prevention is cheaper:

• Keep a small kit in each car: wipes, trash bags and a lint roller.
• Mark only the cars you are willing to clean pet hair from as pet friendly.
• Take pre-trip photos before every trip, so a claim is possible when you need one.

How Taylor's Fleet Services handles this

Taylor's Fleet Services lets owners and co-hosts write a cleaning guide, with sections for supplies, parking, keys, what clean means, photos and what to report. Team members see it on their Jobs page, and cleaning emails link to it with no sign-in. A cleaning is recorded when you press Mark Cleaned, or when the team member replies done or presses Mark Done on their Jobs page. The photos they upload are kept in the app with the car. Each cleaning's cost counts against that car's profit.

Click around a live demo fleet with no sign-up: taylorsfleet.com/explore