March 8, 2026 by justin davis
If you live in or around Oxford, Mississippi, you already know what happens when football season rolls around. The Grove fills up. Traffic backs up on University Avenue. Hotels sell out months in advance. And if you have a home anywhere near campus, you are sitting on one of the most valuable short-term rental opportunities in the South.
Ole Miss plays seven home games during a typical season, and each one of those weekends brings thousands of visitors who need a place to stay. Airbnb and VRBO listings in the Oxford area routinely command premium nightly rates during game weekends, and hosts who keep their homes in top condition are the ones who earn repeat bookings and five-star reviews.
But here is the thing that separates the hosts who do really well from the ones who struggle: preparation. A clean, well-organized home does not happen by accident, especially when you are turning it over between guests every few days. This guide walks you through exactly how to get your home ready before the first kickoff and how to keep it that way all season long.
Why Football Season is One of the Best Times to Rent Your Home
The demand for short-term rentals around college football games is unlike almost anything else in the vacation rental world. Fans plan these trips months ahead, they travel in groups, and they are willing to pay well above average rates for a comfortable place close to the action. For homeowners in Oxford, that translates directly into real income.
The challenge is that guests arriving for a big game have high expectations. They are not looking for a budget motel experience. They want clean sheets, a functioning kitchen, hot water, and a space that feels welcoming. If your home delivers that, you will get glowing reviews. If it falls short, you will hear about it in your ratings.
That pressure is actually a good thing for motivated hosts, because it creates a clear standard to aim for. Meet that standard consistently, and football season becomes one of the most profitable stretches of the entire year.
Start With a Pre-Season Deep Clean
Before the first guests ever walk through your door, your home needs a thorough deep clean from top to bottom. This is not the same as a quick tidy-up before company comes over. A proper deep clean addresses the areas that tend to get ignored during regular upkeep, and it sets a baseline that makes every future turnover faster and easier.
In the kitchen, that means cleaning inside the oven, wiping down cabinet fronts, pulling the refrigerator out to clean behind it, and descaling the coffee maker. In the bathrooms, it means scrubbing grout, cleaning behind the toilet, and making sure every fixture is free of soap scum and hard water stains. Throughout the rest of the house, it means cleaning baseboards, wiping ceiling fan blades, washing windows, and vacuuming under furniture.
The reasoning here is simple. It is much easier to maintain a clean home than it is to rescue a neglected one. If you start the season with everything spotless, your between-guest turnovers will take less time and your guests will have a better experience from day one.
At Simply Clean, we recommend booking a professional deep clean before your first game weekend of the season. Our team handles all the areas that are easy to overlook, so you can start the season with confidence.
Room by Room Prep Checklist
Once the deep clean is done, you need to set up each room so it is functional, comfortable, and ready for guests who may have just driven several hours to get there. Here is what to focus on in each area of the home.
Living Room
Declutter the space and remove personal valuables before any guests arrive. Clean the upholstery and fluff the throw pillows. Make sure all remote controls are accounted for and that your streaming services are accessible and easy to use. Football fans are going to want to watch games, and a confusing entertainment setup is one of the most common complaints in Airbnb reviews.
If you want to add a nice touch, consider some Ole Miss themed decor. It does not have to be over the top. A few throw pillows in red and blue, a framed schedule, or a simple centerpiece goes a long way in making guests feel like you put thought into their experience.
Kitchen
Clear the countertops so guests have working space. Stock the kitchen with the basics: a functioning coffee maker, dish soap, a sponge, paper towels, trash bags, aluminum foil, and plastic wrap. If there are cabinets or appliances you do not want guests using, label them clearly.
Guests who rent a home for a football weekend often plan to cook at least one meal there, so the kitchen gets used more than you might expect. Make sure the microwave and oven are clean inside, and double-check that the stovetop burners are free of grease buildup.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms are where guests form their strongest impressions about how clean a home really is. Fresh towels folded neatly, spotless mirrors, clean fixtures, and a scrubbed toilet are non-negotiable. If you want to go the extra mile, put out a few travel-size toiletries like shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
One thing hosts consistently underestimate is how much toilet paper a group of guests goes through over a weekend. Stock more than you think you will need. Running out is a very avoidable problem that guests will absolutely mention in their review.
Bedrooms
Put on fresh, clean linens before every stay and invest in mattress protectors if you have not already. They are inexpensive, they make post-stay cleanup easier, and they protect your mattresses from the inevitable wear that comes with frequent guests.
Clear out some closet space or at least provide a few open hangers for a weekend stay. Blackout curtains are also worth considering, since game days often run late into the evening and guests may want to sleep in the next morning.
Outdoor Spaces and Entry Areas
The outside of your home is the first thing guests see, and it sets the tone for the whole experience. Sweep the porch, clean any outdoor furniture, and make sure the entry area is well-lit for guests who may be arriving late after the game. If you have a driveway or patio, consider a power wash before the season starts.
Put an outdoor trash can and recycling bin in a visible, accessible spot. Football weekends tend to generate more waste than usual, and guests appreciate knowing where to take it.
How to Handle the Turnover Clean Between Guests
With Ole Miss home games spaced out across the fall, you may have multiple bookings in a row with very little time in between. A turnover clean is not a deep clean, but it has to be done thoroughly and quickly. Every guest deserves to walk into a home that feels fresh, even if the previous group just checked out that morning.
A solid turnover checklist looks like this: strip and replace all linens, sanitize the bathrooms top to bottom, wipe down all kitchen surfaces and appliances, vacuum and mop all floors, take out all trash, and restock any supplies that are running low. Walk through every room before you consider it done. Check under furniture, behind the toilet, and inside the microwave.
The reality is that doing all of this yourself, especially if you are juggling multiple game weekends, is exhausting. Hiring a professional cleaning service for your turnovers removes the stress and guarantees consistency. You are not going to have the energy to deep-scrub a bathroom at 9am after a group checks out, especially when new guests arrive at 3pm. A professional team handles it efficiently and makes sure nothing gets missed.
Tips for Earning Five Star Reviews
Cleanliness is the foundation, but the hosts who consistently earn five-star reviews do a few extra things that make guests feel taken care of. Start with a clear, well-written welcome guide that covers parking instructions, the Wi-Fi password, trash day information, and any house rules guests need to know. Make it easy to find, either printed and left on the kitchen counter or sent digitally before arrival.
A local guide is another simple touch that guests genuinely appreciate. Include your favorite restaurants near campus, where to get coffee before the game, parking tips, and anything else that would help a first-time visitor to Oxford have a better experience. It shows that you put thought into the stay beyond just handing over the keys.
Small welcome gestures also go a long way. A few bottles of water in the fridge, a bag of locally made snacks, or a handwritten note welcoming guests to the home costs very little but creates a memorable first impression. Guests notice these details and they mention them in reviews.
Finally, make sure guests know how to reach you if something comes up during their stay. Having a reliable point of contact builds trust and allows you to resolve minor issues before they turn into negative reviews.
Common Mistakes Home Hosts Make and How to Avoid Them
Even experienced hosts make mistakes, especially when they are managing multiple bookings in a short period of time. Here are a few of the most common ones to watch out for.
Underestimating kitchen use is one of the biggest. Football weekend guests often arrive Friday evening, stay through Sunday, and cook at least one or two meals at the house. If the kitchen is not fully stocked and clean, it becomes a friction point throughout the stay.
Forgetting outdoor spaces and entryways is another common oversight. Hosts spend a lot of time on the interior and then leave the front porch dirty or the driveway cluttered. The outdoor areas matter just as much as what is inside.
Not having enough linens and towels is a supply issue that is easy to fix in advance but annoying to deal with mid-season. Keep at least two full sets of linens for each bed so you can always have a fresh set ready without waiting on laundry to finish.
And finally, trying to handle all the cleaning yourself through an entire seven-game season is a recipe for burnout. By the third or fourth game weekend, the fatigue starts to show in the quality of the turnovers. That is the point where reviews start to slip.
Why Professional Cleaning Makes a Real Difference for Hosts
There is a reason that the most successful short-term rental hosts in high-demand markets use professional cleaning services. It is not just about saving time, though that is a significant benefit. It is about consistency. A professional cleaning team brings the same level of thoroughness to the fifth turnover of the season that they bring to the first one.
That consistency is what keeps your ratings high. Guests who book a home for a big game weekend expect a certain standard, and when you meet it every single time, you build a reputation that leads to repeat bookings and strong word of mouth. Higher ratings also allow you to charge more per night, which means the cost of professional cleaning often pays for itself in improved pricing.
At Simply Clean, we specialize in short-term rental turnovers and understand the unique demands of football season hosting. Our team works efficiently within your booking windows so your home is always ready on time. We handle the deep cleans at the start of the season and the turnovers in between, so you can focus on managing your bookings, interacting with guests, and actually enjoying game day.
Your Home Is Ready. Now Go Enjoy the Season.
Ole Miss football season is one of the most exciting times of year in Oxford, and if you have a home to rent, it is also one of the best financial opportunities you will have all year. The guests are already coming. The question is whether your home is ready to deliver the experience they are paying for.
A clean, well-prepped home is not just about aesthetics. It is about trust. When guests walk in and see that everything is spotless, stocked, and thoughtfully set up, they relax. They feel confident in their choice to book your home over a hotel. And when they leave, they write the kind of review that fills your calendar for next season.
Ready to get your home game-day ready? Contact Simply Clean today to book a pre-season deep clean or set up recurring turnover cleaning for the entire football schedule. We will handle the dirty work so you can enjoy the season.