There’s a long thread where sitters noted amenities they wished every sit had. As HO I’ve read the whole thing and it was enlightening! I thought it would be like infra-red sauna or home theater but IMO it’s just practical things every home should already have accessible to people staying in and taking care of their home
The thread seemed to be mostly sitters talking to sitters (mostly about coffee LOL) so I thought I’d start a new thread with details I gleaned. It would be great to see sitters and HO’s both contributing to this convo. Feel free to add or comment! I think if we can keep it simple it will be easier for homeowners to see where they can make little tweaks for happier sitters.
Here’s a list of repeated requests I noted:
Luggage rack
Functional Mop and Broom
Decent Cookware, at least one small and one large pan
First Aid Kit
Bedside Lamp
Power outlet or power strip near bed
Coffee Pot or Press
Kettle, electric or stovetop
Cheese Grater, Tin Opener, Bottle Opener, Sharp Knife
Yayyyyy @Shafofo love this list. We ALWAYS had each and every one of these for our sitters. Makes me feel good knowing what I thought was important actually was!
In addition to a power outlet near the bed, it’s a nice bonus when some of the common charging cables are provided (Lightning, Micro USB, and USB-C). I bring cables for my devices, but often need to unplug them to bring into different rooms of the house, or take on the go. Having extra cables to minimize unplugging is always appreciated!
I agree, though sometimes it’s just down to making things easy to find vs keeping them where we normally do. My last sitter couldn’t find our cheese grater and I wish they’d just poked around more or texted me. I use it daily but keep it in a weird, convenient-to-me spot!
I know what you mean! I love your way of describing it – “a weird, convenient-to-me spot”. I have lots of those, and that’s why I love to do an in person handover, as I try to remember to show the sitter those weird places. I also tell my sitters that if they take something out and can’t remember where it goes back, just leave it out and I’ll return it to it’s weird spot when I return. I’d rather do that than not be able to find it in my “convenient-to-me” spot. I call those items “orphans” and tell my sitters not to worry about any orphans left out when they leave the sit.
Yes! I always ask/send a text if I’ve looked in all the “obvious” places but can’t find something that most people have. It funny that sometimes the response is “hmmm, maybe? I think I used to have that…not sure if I do still!”
I also hope that by mentioning it to the HO maybe they will find it/get one for the next sitters.
As HO I’m happy to say that we can put a check next to 99% of the items listed in the different posts. I would add to those the user manuals to the major and minor appliances which we always leave in the office. As two people working from home we also leave two computer monitors (nice addition to a laptop to work) and a printer. We also have four huge bookshelves full of books although 75% are in French (our first language). And the bonus is a fully automatic coffee machine for espressos, cappuccinos, etc with enough coffee beans for the duration of the sit. We want our sitters to be happy because happy sitters happy cat.
Plastic washing up bowl (for those of us who are sitting alone and have never used a dishwasher)
CLEAR and UNAMBIGUOUS instructions on how to turn on the TV ! Hide the 5 remote controls and leave me only one which turns on everything. Delete your family’s individual names from the SKY programme.
Just be sure to tell the sitters @Pawtastic, otherwise they’ll keep looking! I have no scruples putting something in a bin (especially a greenie bin) without a bag, but I need to know that the HO is okay with that. I love detail about waste disposal and recycling. So many owners don’t go into detail, and to me, that’s a very important aspect of life…
Deffo user manuals for appliances ! On a recent sit I somehow “locked” the hob on the second day, after managing to use it perfectly well on the first. Fortunately, the HO eventually picked up my message and managed to talk me through how to unlock it. Dinner was rather late that evening.
On sits overseas in Europe, I’ve had to google washing machine, dryer, and even oven (think they call them cookers) on google or preferably you tube once I find the make and model number. In Amsterdam, I was never able to figure out the oven and many Europeans I find do not have microwaves so I ended up eating out often and having cold leftovers, but it was a wonderful trip otherwise.
There are a multitude of things that a lot of people seems to consider ‘normal’ but there are many of them that I do not have, or want to have.
I have done my best to mention the ‘lack’ of the most commonly sought after items in my listing for example, I do not have a washing machine, dryer, microwave or TV. I do not use bleach, air fresheners, or paper towels (what we call kitchen roll) and I wouldn’t want anyone bringing them into my home. I saw someone mention tissues, the only time I buy tissues is if I have a heavy cold and want something more delicate than toilet roll.
As with any sit, giving as much info as possible gives potential sitters the opportunity to apply or move on.
As a sitter, if there is anything that I particularly need I often ask, for example, I usually ask if there are hot water bottles so I don’t need to bring my own.
@JackieX I never thought about scales, I must remember to set them out for my next sitter, they are currently in my shed because I use them for weighing parcels (I sell stuff on eBay).
I would add to those the user manuals to the major and minor appliances which we always leave in the office.