Vacation rental appliance instructions should help a guest make coffee, cool the room, or start a wash without searching for the model number. Write a short guide for the exact equipment in your property, with photos of the controls guests will touch.
A manufacturer manual belongs in your reference folder. Your guest guide needs the everyday steps, the one confusing detail, and a clear route to help. Airbnb also recommends giving guests a house manual with device instructions in its property preparation guidance.
Start with the appliances guests actually use
Walk through the property as someone arriving for the first time. Which controls are unfamiliar? Which labels have worn off? Which appliances have more than one remote? Start with those, rather than documenting every object in the house.
- Heating and air conditioning: how to turn them on and select the normal operating mode.
- Television: which remote powers the screen and how to open guest-accessible services.
- Coffee machine: compatible supplies, water location, and normal brewing steps.
- Washer: detergent location and the ordinary wash program you have tested.
- Dishwasher: detergent type, loading notes, and how to start the cycle.
- Hot water: any operating information guests need, verified against your equipment's instructions.
Use this appliance-instructions template
[Appliance name]
You will find it [location]. Supplies are [location].
- [First action, using the label on the actual control.]
- [Next action.]
- [Start the appliance and describe its normal response.]
Good to know: [One property-specific detail.]
When finished: [Normal shutdown or cleanup.]
If it does not work: [A simple, safe check from the manufacturer's guidance.] If that does not help, contact [host].
For example, a coffee-machine note might explain where the compatible capsules are stored and which cup size you have tested. Do not copy generic steps from another model. Instructions for a different machine can be more frustrating than no instructions at all.
Photograph the control, then name it
Take a close-up in good light, with the appliance switched off if that makes the labels easier to see. Make the photographed control match your wording. If the button says “Start/Pause,” use that name rather than “the big button.”
One clear photo beside three steps is often enough. Avoid a collage where guests must guess which panel applies to their machine. Include the same photo in the welcome book and, if needed, a small card near the appliance.
Explain the quirk without normalising a fault
“The remote is in the right-hand drawer” is useful. “The heater sometimes smells burnt; just ignore it” is not. If equipment behaves abnormally, arrange maintenance and update the listing if an advertised amenity is unavailable. Guest instructions should describe equipment that works.
Keep troubleshooting modest. Do not ask guests to open appliance panels, alter wiring, bypass safety features, or attempt repairs. Use manufacturer-approved operating steps for the installed model. Make the host contact easy to find when the issue goes beyond normal use.
Test your guide during a turnover
Ask someone unfamiliar with the equipment to follow the instructions while you watch. If they ask which remote, drawer, or setting you mean, revise the guide. Add appliance checks to your host checklist, and replace the relevant page whenever equipment changes.
Should every appliance have its own page?
No. Group simple instructions on a “How the home works” page. Give a device its own section only when the steps or photos need the space. Put frequently used equipment first and keep model numbers and full manuals in a separate reference section.
Reference: Airbnb's guidance on preparing your space.
Make your home's quirks easy to understand. The Check-in Guide brings your appliance notes, essentials, and arrival details into a guest-ready welcome book.