Mine was only saved by rather expensive professional cleaning. We bought it 2nd hand and had decided that if my do-it-yourself cleaning didn’t work then we’d call in the experts. My husband got quite obsessed at the time with Youtube videos showing professional carpet cleaners at work… The before and after effect was compelling!
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@Tuppence I had a professional carpet cleaner come in to do it and it came up not too badly but he did say it wouldn’t last and sure enough, within a few months it was showing up black in areas.
I had someone else in this year (the original guy was no where to be found). This time it was a waste if money, the blackness is still there. But the worst area is a hallway and I managed to find the perfect runner to put over it.
My bedroom is a bit of a disaster but I’ll live with it.
The oven in our house took me weeks to fathom out once we’d moved in. There was manuals for everything else, but not the oven. Also the symbols didn’t match the supposed generic ones. After scouring the internet, I could only find instructions in Spanish, then had to use google translate.
I’ll definitely leave written instructions for any future sitters, to save the hours of searching. Also suggest people download google translate 
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My partner takes her dishwasher to all the sit we go on…ME.
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It’s so interesting that you mentioned a home theater. Recently we did a local house sit for two reasons. A huge home on 11 acres with an incredible view of the Olympic Mountains and they had an amazing eight seat home theater with an incredible sound system. Not something that I generally look for in a sit, but considering it’s local and it has the view we can’t wait to return!
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@ShirlW
Don’t worry at all! None of that is necessary.
Just post accurate photos of your home, and you’ll find the right sitters.
You could even mention that you have “a quite basic home.”
Some people (like me) love a “basic” home!
All I need is a bed, a comfy place to sit, good internet, and most importantly, animals and the instructions for their care!
(I will admit that I’ve found a guest room luggage rack handy as a sitter, but “handy” is very different from “needed.”)
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i recently sat a place with no hairdryer and as it’s winter couldn’t wash my hair all sit as the house was so cold. i’m travelling interstate and have to pay for my luggage and per weight. i learnt from that and now ask but while the last sit i found a hairdryer, they left me nowhere but the floor to put my case, no cupboard or drawer space to put anything away, and i had to hunt for towels even. i felt like an after thought as they raced out the house. i am trying to teach myself now over the last five months to travel as light as possible as i’m the one lumping it from sit to sit on public transport, and i often find myself having to buy toilet tissue, kitchen roll etc as there’s not enough left.
i have to be honest after 5 months back to back, i’m looking forward to going home and talking to people. i didn’t realise this involved ppl who basically don’t want you leaving their pets barely at all. still i see ads wanting ppl who work from home or seniors like myself who they apparently presume, have no life!
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A piece of wide scotch/packing tape wrapped around your palm works wonders!
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We have a welcome pack, inside is instructions for everything that comes with instructions. Very handy for HO’s as well as sitters 
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@bubble I feel your pain for your comment about ‘after-thought’. Luckily 99% of our housesits are fantastic, but it only takes that one bad sit to show you the other side of the coin. To avoid going off topic, I just wanted to let you know that we also felt very much like an after-thought once and the feeling is depressing. Hopefully it goes better and better from here. Teach home owners how to respect you, as Pawtastic said - definitely before the sit starts.
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Oh, I didn’t know that! Thank you for the tip @Pawtastic . Do you need to wet the glove, or even a dry one will do the job?
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A nomad for 4.5 years, I’ve learned to live minimally, modestly, and resourcefully. I even travel with my own kettle. I’ve had sits where I had to move the cat litter out of the tub to take shower and buy my own pillow but would not want to take on such sits again. Many owners are generous and provide more than I expect but had several sits where there are no space to hang or store clothes. Judging by some owners’ responses, I know TH provides a guideline but as they are suggestions, sometimes I have to buy my own essentials like salt & pepper which is silly for sits less than a week. I asked one owner once if it was OK for me to use basic cooking seasonings and oil and she seemed reluctant so I decided to not bother asking again. Some owners act like they are doing a favor or treat you as an employee, but most are friendly and share their home as they would with their friends and family.
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Surely everyone has most of these items, or am I being naive?
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Hi, the most important thing for us is space, space to put our clothes away, space in the fridge for when we buy food, half a drawer in the freezer, and a shelf in a kitchen cupboard for dry goods. Everything else we can work around.
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We’ve had two sits where we were given a bedroom with a mattress on the floor. So no common sense isn’t always there?
To be fair we were very new to THS when the mattress on the floor sits happened. Without many reviews we had to take what we were offered.
Over the last 6 years of sitting we have learnt a lot. And of course technology has moved on a lot since then.
We have definitely had many more excellent sits than ones we wouldn’t want to do again.
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At last some common sense.
My mouth is getting wider and wider with astonishment at some of these things on sitters lists.
I’m sure each country has an equivalent of a “dollar store” where temporary fixes can be bought very cheaply. Maybe it’s not up to the sitters usual “standards” but it will do. 6 hangers usually cost a pound. Tin foil, about the same.
I carry essentials with me - collapsible kettle, knife sharpener, my brand of tea and coffee. And if I’m travelling with hand only luggage I know it will be easy to get shower gel, shampoo, conditioner anywhere in the world. Everyone uses it.
I think it’s about time we get real on this site. This is a mutual exchange not a free holiday in a five star Airbnb.
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Oh Pawtastic, common sense is no longer in vogue. It’s so much easier to blame everyone else for your lack of common sense.
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Still need a kettle (hot water) to make coffee if there is no machine.
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Admin Notice:
We have decided to temporarily close this thread as it is moving away from the original topic and purpose.
Thank you .
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