We always keep it clean because we live there in that time. We don’t let it get dirty and clean up after the sit. The HO can come home any time. We wouldn’t have anything to hide.
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@Kootenaigirl yes that’s quite possible although after sending a message and following it up with a phone call I thought I had made it clear. I’ll definitely reinforce it for my next sitter.
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Maybe a thread should be started about what the pet owners expect/want when it comes to cleaning before we leave.
See if they are as demanding as sitters on the reciprocal thread.
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It’s always good to hear from HOs, of course. I guess ultimately there are some hard and fast rules for sits (take out the garbage, leave the home at least as you found it, etc) but as we know, there are exceptions to some rules.
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Of course. I have nothing to hide either. I was merely asking as to what other sitters do to make sure I was on the right track .
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Just leaving it exactly how you found it - making sure all the pet areas are clean - emptying rubbish - washing all bed linen and towels and just making sure any areas you have used are the way you would want them to be found 
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Yes! I do appreciate what Jilly said, though, about special instructions, etc. We chatted with the HO of the sit we are at and they are fine with us stripping the bed only. Some HOs may not want you to wash the bedding. I think clarifying is best, and if course, if they particularly mention something such as washing linens.
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I tend to shut doors on rooms I don’t use (children’s bedrooms, 2nd bathroom etc) and always do a good clean of rooms I do use. What I don’t do is tidy up. I’ve been to a few houses where the place is cluttered and untidy which I think is unfair on the sitter. I leave a place as clean or cleaner than I find it but don’t move their personal belongings to do so.
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I think possibly they want the washer and dryer free when they arrive home?
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I agree. I don’t like to move someone’s things or fiddle with glassware, etc. I would be too afraid to break something! I clean where I have been. Bathroom, bedroom, kitchen. I like about keeping the laundry clear as well. And someone else mentioned cleaning around the pet areas: dishes, litter box. But yes. If it is untidy and not too clean when I arrive I will clean it a bit better. But also I won’t deep clean. That is up to the HO.
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@Wildcolonialgirl that has always been my assumption, they have enough to do when they get home without having to deal with wet washing or ironing. All my sits are in Europe and dryers are not so common, laundry gets hung outside to dry.
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I prefer line dried laundry. Outside, of course. Not possible where we live for about half the year though.
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@Rosalie which means the laundry has to be hung on a clothes airer if there is no dryer and even worse to come home to when you have a suitcase full of clothes to get washed and dried.
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Hi all, I’m new to this platform and I have had 2 sits so far. My question is, how much do you clean when you leave a house sit? My husband and I own several Airbnb and stay in them often. We are use to wiping things down, getting the wash started with used sheets and towels, taking out the trash, doing the dishes, cleaning out the fridge of personals… but should we be doing more?
Do we need to clean the kitchen? Clean the bathroom we used? I had some feedback from a host and she mentioned there were crumbs on the kitchen floor. We used her roomba but I guess it didn’t clean it all. I just want to learn from my mistakes. Thanks in advance.
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Well, we always sweep the floor and clean the toilet at least every two months even if it doesn’t need it!!!
Now, to be serious, and I hope you laughed!!! We always make an effort to leave the house cleaner than usual, dusting perhaps in places that don’t get dusted every day., Oven, fridge cleaned and spotless. Windows cleaned, Fresh linen the whole works. A lot of work in fact above and beyond the norm! It is simply a question of personal pride; I doubt anyone wants to be thought off as ‘dirty’! As for returning: We don’t expect anyone to do any serious cleaning or laundry. If the house is tidy that’s good enough. Our view is that people are here to look after our cats and enjoy themselves, not simply move from one lot of household chores to another one!!
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@meerohlf It sounds like you already do all the main things. We always aim to leave the home as, or better than, we found it. Basics are cleaning bathroom & kitchen, stripping beds and washing/drying bedding- if time allows, vacuuming everywhere, emptying bins etc Often we find things not as clean as we would like so we often clean/sterilise toilets, shower floor & kitchen surfaces on arrival…therefore the host undoubtedly returns to a home cleaner than they left it! My personal pet hate is smudgy finger prints on fridges & kitchen cupboard doors so I have to clean them all immediately! Would be great if everyone had high cleaning standards especially so soon after Covid-sterilising mania! But we have to accept that’s not so and just go with the flow.
@ken I’m so glad you clean your toilets at least every 2 months 
Seriously, I love your attitude- to leave a super clean house for your sitters- that is so respectful. It also makes it easier for us to maintain those standards when we leave. You are right- the sitter is there to care for the home and pets. They are not the cleaner! Cleaning up after oneself is the norm but having to clean on arrival as well is not so nice.
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All my reviews have been 5 stars, and every one of them has mentioned how clean/immaculate I have left the property. My personal rule/boundary with this would always be to leave the home at least as clean as I found it - just as a simple matter of respect. I would always clean the bathroom and kitchen because I will, of course, have used them during my stay. I also strip the bed and, if I have time, launder the sheets and remake the bed. . . . . However, you do not have to go looking for dirt that isn’t yours - unless that’s your thing! You’re there on a mutual exchange as a pet-sitter, not as a maid. I am surprised that the home-owner dug you up about the oversight of leaving crumbs on the floor, unless it was particularly bad. Mentioning it appears rather petty to me - especially if everything else was left clean as found. If it were me, I would be much more concerned about whether my pets looked well cared for and happy, upon my return.
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I leave things as good as (or better than) I found them.
In my reviews, HOs have described conditions as “clean and tidy” and “immaculate.”
One wrote: “the house was honestly in tidier shape when I came back than when I left!”
I don’t clean rooms I don’t use.
Unless there are instructions otherwise, I also wash linens and towels before leaving, if there’s time.
Otherwise, I strip the bedding and linens and put them in the washer with detergent. In those cases, I don’t start the wash, in case the owner is delayed, because damp laundry can smell if it sits. If I left a load of laundry ready to start, I let the HO know.
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That’s totally out of line.