I was referring to the original poster saying theyâd mark sitters down in reviews. For me, if I saw a host review that way, great, immediately skip them. But yes, including their pettiness in their listing also would work. 
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Fair enough. I expect basic courtesy too - both as a HO and as a sitter.
This is unfair. The OP posted some thoughts about sitters and a number of responders have been very judgemental. Though it has not been my experience, I can imagine some sitters taking advantage of âfree" food and board.
@MeredithDoig Sure, some people do take advantage. Hypothetical examples could be eating half the pantry or helping themselves to expensive booze stocks without permission.
But I donât think that is what happened here? This sitter, in the eyes of the HO, overdid it on a particular condiment.
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I grew up in a shoeless house. My kid grew up in a shoeless house and she is 4 generations american on her fatherâs side. She has a shoeless house. It is just how you grew up.
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Itâs probably been covered by other sitters. To summarise:
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Expectations upfront in your ad and in the video call. Be specific.
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You are saving hundreds if not thousands of dollars depending on the length of your trip; what you describe wonât cover even 25% of the actual cost of commercial pet care.
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The more generous you are, the better quality sitters you will attract.
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It costs less than 50 dollars to supply cleaning supplies, condiments and basics like soaps and even shampoo (if you choose).
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Whatever they cannot see wonât be touched. Put it in a safe/locked room.
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Iâm in the USA⌠all homes have dryers. Kitchen basics are expected. The value of pet sitting is so high here that sitters just wonât sit for you if you arenât hospitable. Totally different cultural expectations which get lost in translation on this app.
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Thatâs fine but not everyone on here sits in the USA, itâs a global site. Switzerland & Germany have shared laundry facilities for an apartment block. SEA homes often use a local laundromat. There are tales of people sitting for hosts who put notes saying âdonât touchâ all over their condiments in homes in the UK & USA. In the UK a dryer is unusual, we use airers or outside lines, ditto here in TĂźrkiye. Microwaves are a super unhealthy way to cook but sitters from the USA seem miffed sometimes if homes donât have them. The point is that thereâs no one rule fits all & we donât all sit in the USA. #globalperspective
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Yes my point exactly with my final comment of âTotally different cultural expectations which get lost in translation on this app.â
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I donât think its just cultural expectations its also individual expectations. We have had both very generous and rather stingy hosts (& everything inbetween) in all countries weâve sat.
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I was not referring to generosity. I was referring to the expectation of a washer & dryer specifically. In the US that has nothing to do with generosity and everything to do with weather and locations. This country is massive. Often times there are no public laundromats and if there are the drive is crazy. And I agree⌠I too have experienced generous and stingy hosts.
OK- I think its only in the US that you can expect a dryer as standard. I grew up with one in the family home (in UK) but as an adult Iâve never owned one myself- never felt the need. In most countries l travel- all over Europe, Asia, India etc I usually find a washer but rarely a dryer.. They seem to be the exception not the rule.
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AgreedâŚ. but also the USA makes up around 60% of THS membership so thereâs that
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Well - if they want to housesit outside of the US they will have to get used to the fact the rest of the world does not rely exclusively on dryers!!
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This opinion to me is spot on! I hav3nt done a sit yet, but feel that this shouldnât be so hard. People can overthink things too much.
Quite honestly that sounds very petty to me. I have pet sit for the most amazing home owners who go above and beyond to form a connection with me. I have been asked back on almost each sit and have returned several times for certain sits. I canât imagine inviting someone into my home to care for a beloved pet, only to complain about mayo. We are also pet owners who appreciate the connection and care of pet sitters. Iâm wondering if this is perhaps not the right platform for you?
(Edited to meet the posting guidelines)
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Iâm a HO and I offer âguest slippersâ (new, and I tell sitters they can keep them or leave them and I will clean and donate to goodwill) and guest robes. I just figure many people (especially full time sitters) wonât pack those things and it can make a sit nicer, especially since our yard has a nice paved area which is great to hang out in in slippers 
I would just put you special stuff away and not worry too much about the rest. I make it clear that our alcohol is off limits (except the bottles we gift at the start of a sit), condiments/oil/salt, pepper herbs are all available for use and anything else they are free to use but consider replacing if they use a lot of it or the last of it.
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Agreed⌠however the platform is largely useless for international travel for USA residents. Yâall only pick people in the UK or Europe sooo.. South America it is for us! LOL
There are plenty of Americans on this site, sitting internationally, who would disagree with you! And, even if more challenging to get, youâll still find far more opportunities to sit in Europe (esp UK) than in South America- very few listings down there (on THS) However you could probably do back to back sits in your own country for the rest of your life! (And youâll be pretty much guaranteed a dryer at every sit!
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What makes you say this? I have met many US sitters as they are sitting around Europe
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