How long do you typically spend preparing your home for Home Exchange? If you use a cleaning service before guests arrive, please include this as well.
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I have a room by room check list (5 bedrooms) we are just 2 people so most of the house is unused and ready to go. On the check list are sheets, dust, towels, closet space etc – all the things I don’t want to forget. I am an excellent cleaner and like things squeaky clean but about 35 exchanges in I decided to just get a cleaner which made me appreciate exchanging more. I would spend too long preparing before and cleaning after and it often made me resent it-- but now I just work the cost of the cleaner into the travel budget and am so happy that its perfect for my guests with no sweat from me. It still takes time to put a few things away and change sheets etc. I exchange 12-24 times per year.
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Lots of time! But that’s also because I grap this opportunity to make our home spotless. 
It depends on how much I’ve kept up with the daily work, but there are many things that I don’t always have in order but that I do before ling exchanges (not always for weekends swaps): tidy the garden, clean windows everywhere (even upstairs, I borrow a ladder for it), clean and tidy up every room. But I’ve got older children and they help me now. And I just love it when we return home, I always think: What a lovely home we have! It’s so nice and spaceous and tidy and clean!
This time, I have two back to back swaps with multiple visitors (3 and 4) and I am washing all my bed linen, so they will be able to change theirs if they want to. Of course, I normally wash my bed linen, but for our own beds, I often just use the same sheets etc. So all the other bed linen, (I have more than we need, especially for HE) just eats dust in the cupboard. Hence, I am freshening it all up.
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We usually take a morning or afternoon to get the house ready for guests, cleaning and tidying everything, and doing those things we don’t do weekly (like refilling the liquid hand soap or washing windows).
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What I like about Homeexchange is that it makes us progress. With each exchange, I learn something to make our guests’ stay more comfortable. I really enjoy discovering new things that I can reapply at home. Here’s my checklist for preparing our apartment before each trip.
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I spend far too much time cleaning and preparing before an exchange. I’m amazed that anyone can do it in a few hours but our house is old and not as easy as a modern home. I wish I could find a cleaner to come in and take some of the strain but in my experience, it’s hard to find someone thorough and reliable. The last time we had someone clean after we’d got home from a 11 hour flight, my husband went and cleaned the bathroom immediately as the cleaner had made such a poor job of it.
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I spend several hours preparing before an exchange. I keep my house clean and tidy in general so the time I spend on the cleaning is focussed on things I don’t do on a weekly basis. Things like cleaning the insides of drawers and cabinets, wiping down baseboards & washing windows, etc… We also make sure the yard is tidy and if we are exchanging vehicles, we clean the car (which can be a bit of a chore!!). Some of my prep time is also about updating information for my guests and gathering maps, brochures, books, etc. that they might find useful. And, I spend just a bit of time putting together a little welcome package.
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Thank you all for your replies. They are very helpful. Even though we do keep our home neat and tidy on a daily basis, I also spend days ahead preparing for a homeexchange. I clean and tidy drawers, cupboard, fridge, and thoroughly clean the oven and stove, make extra cupboard and closet space, plus all the regular housecleaning tasks. Although this takes a while, the good news is that it feels great when I am done – a little bit of Spring Cleaning before each exchange! 
We never charge a housecleaning fee but do ask our guests to leave the home as clean as they can which all guests have respected.
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I spend a lot of time preparing for the HE. I’m a bit compulsive but I also want to make a very good impression and like many have said I feel like I am an Ambassador so I leave the main home which is a Yacht and my condo in better condition than I usually enjoy. Go figure. It can take me several part days as I wind down to the date of departure. Much saner to get a cleaning person and arrange for reciprocity. Too stressful to get ready to travel and get your house in order. On the flip side I no longer want to spend my last day cleaning the other person’s home -BUT I ALWAYS do anyway. We’re getting a great deal so why not spring for the cleaning person TWICE ( once as you depart and again as your guest leaves.
We start months in advance, ensuring all those things that you may only do every so often are up to date. This would be things like a deep clean of the grout in tile floors, cleaning exterior windows, moving the fridge and stove and cleaning under them. We deal with any little repairs that are on our list. We take the opportunity to clean and organize cupboards, throw out unwanted items, empty the fridge and do a thorough clean and toss anything close to expiration, and tidy the garage. We spent more hours than I can count, but it means we enjoy the benefits of that work ourselves too.
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