Cleaning tips for families traveling with kids

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
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Our family just completed 2 back to back trips with 2 different amazing host families! I’m a bit addicted now and am always looking to learn from my experience so would appreciate your input about early departure protocols. We aim to leave zero trace of our presence, because there are so many of us and so far, so good. Here is my list:

•Next time I would bring my own cleaning and laundering supplies as I didn’t want to use up what the HO had on hand but also had my own way of getting rid of stains. For example, I would have brought my own supply of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, oxyclean powder and a Mr Clean Magic eraser. Maybe even vinegar or Bars Keepers Friend (cleanser & polish for pots/pans, etc).
•We launder towels the night before an early departure but strip & replace linens (per HO instructions).
•We also limit our usage to only a few rooms, and “close down” rooms (cleaned so nobody can use) the night before.

What has helped you (as a family or solo/couple) make the experience of caring for someone’s pet or home less stressful upon an early departure?

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I would not bring my own cleaning supplies, as they might damage the HOs counters, sinks, etc. Magic eraser, for example, takes the protective coating off certain counters, and leaves micro-scratches that will forever after collect dirt and stains.

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How old are your kids and how many do you have?

I only sit in homes which are well organised & free of junk etc…obviously you can never be sure but I get a good feel from photos. The same applies to cleanliness.

The reason why is because I find it much easier to clean up as I go and when you have a clean/tidy/free of junk canvas to work with, I find it much easier. It’s easier for me to spot bits that become messy or unclean. If a house was chaotic or junk, it wouldn’t be for us as I’d feel that I’d need to tidy it to make sure that it’s in great condition.

I do a nightly go over of kitchen/living room and then do thorough cleans of bathrooms/bedrooms the day before we leave. I would only ever use cleaning products provided by the host though so I know they’re safe to use on the surfaces.

My kids are 12 and 9 so they helpfully sit on an ipad whilst I do all of the above :rofl:

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My sons are 15 and 13 and know they need to help with the pre departure cleaning, but one is more proactive than the other!

We try to clean as we go, especially the kitchen and bathroom.

If hosts are returning in the morning, we will do a lot of the tasks the previous day, so we only need to do a quick once over in the morning. For example we will vacuum, mop and wipe down kitchen and bathroom. The boys are responsible for the vacuuming. We will also aim to wash towels if possible.

In the morning, everyone strips their beds if that is what has been agreed (some hosts prefer us to leave the bedding for them to deal with). I do offer to start washing bedding, but can’t promise to get all of it done as it usually involves 3 sets of bedding. I prioritise the beds the hosts will need to use - hosts children’s beds first if we used them, then the master bed. If we don’t have time to wash and dry all bedding, the guest room bedding is less of a priority as they won’t be using that room immediately on their return.

Younger son is responsible for packing the car and he has a good system. I always pack up any food we are taking with us (we sit mostly in UK and use our own car).

I try to do a sweep to make sure we haven’t left anything. Sometimes younger son also does this as he doesn’t trust his brother not to have overlooked something!

I prefer it when it is just myself and the boys, as my husband seems to think his role in “Operation Leave No Trace” is to drink tea and give orders from the sofa!

We always use the host’s cleaning products as we wouldn’t want to be responsible for any issue arising from using our own.

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As others have said - clean as you go. Haven’t been sitting with small children, but have been home exchanging, which is kind of the same thing, really. A lot has to do with what the children are used to from their everyday life, and good routines is a great asset. Travelling, they have been responsible for their own stuff from about 4-5 yrs. At first packing their little suitcase per drawings of :item: with nr. For instance drawing of two t-shirts, etc.

With early departure, home was cleaned the night before. Suitcases packed and clothes for departure day ready. Nighttime shower for the kids, no shower in the morning. Made «packed breakfast» for all, so could pack ready most of the food (and less mess in kitchen on departure day) and clean kitchen, run the dishwasher and put in cupboards.

I use the cleaning products of the host normally. It is a little risky to use things on some surfaces.

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This! I agree with sitting in a home where our things aren’t swallowed up as my kids like to leave things everywhere. My kids are old enough to help but require more direction since it’s a new home so I usually task them with cleaning the pet areas (which they prefer as they absolutely love anything animals). Thanks for your reply!

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Great tips! Thanks for your reply.

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not making a mess in the first place. :rofl:

I do this, I thoroughly clean a day or two prior to departure.

On long sits I supply my own clothes washing stuff but usually only use the house cleaning products that the host has on hand, just in case I get it wrong. Although on one sit there wasn’t proper cleaning supplies, so there’s that too I guess. In that case I purchased what I would use in my own home.

I think it’s wonderful families can travel like this using housesitting. The pets must love having all that extra attention. :cowboy_hat_face:

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I sit solo and use a checklist, so I don’t forget anything. Like it would be easy to forget stuff inside the fridge or freezer, or to clean inside the fridge or microwave, if you’re in a rush. I also want to make sure I don’t leave anything, like my chargers or house slippers.

I clean as I go, whether sitting or at home. When sitting, I limit my use of bathrooms, so I don’t have to clean multiples. I usually do as much cleaning as possible a day or two before leaving. I clean only what I’ve used, aiming to restore to how things were handed off.

If there’s time, I’ll restore the bed, if it was made fresh for me. There have been times when that wasn’t possible, like when my hosts didn’t have a dryer (London and Glasgow). In those cases, I’ve left linens hanging to dry on racks.

If there are spare sheets, I’ll remake the bed in such cases. Whenever I remake the bed, I tell my host, so they don’t have to wonder if things are clean. I discuss the linens ahead of time anyway, because different hosts want different things. Some just want the bed stripped.

I usually use the host’s cleaning supplies, but will buy if needed. No home I’ve sat has had surfaces that are so special that I couldn’t figure out what to use — marble, granite, Corian or laminate.

One had butcher block that was drying out around the sink, with repeated wiping of splashed water. I went to a hardware store and bought food-safe butcher block oil to wipe things down before leaving. Left the can and let my host know.

Oh, on my checklist, I also remind myself to switch my delivery addresses back to my home or next sit, because I use grocery and meal deliveries and occasionally Amazon when sitting.

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I think some pets really do benefit from the extra attention and others, like my own who always has kids on her, seems to prefer the quiet of a solo sitter :crazy_face:

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We sit as a family of 5 and most of the times, we drive our car to the sits. We bring:
-bedsheets & comforters-No sheets to wash at the end of the sit. The pet parents strip the bed before they leave for their trips
-bath & hand towels- same reason as above
-soap/shampoo/conditioners-Most pet parents do not leave full anything and I don’t want to go on a hunt to replace with the same products so we bring our own
-kettle, smoothie blender, pots/pans- I don’t care if I break my own stuff but I don’t want to cause any damage to theirs
-2 tablecloths (1 for dining table and 1 for coffee table) - don’t want to worry about causing scrathes
-I like to use their cleaning products because some people are really particular about what and how it’s used
-I take before and after photos of every room with particular emphasis on the kitchen. I open and take photos of every cabinet and drawer

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Hi again! Thx for the details - you’ve been so helpful with my previous questions about sitting with kids and I’ll add this to my list of things to do! We bought paper plates because I didn’t want to risk breaking dishes!

Question: 1) do you mention any of this (with less detail of course) in your application to bring assurance to an HO and if so, how do you word it? 2) do you ever bring your own paper towels/toilet paper? I felt bad on our last sit with the amount we used even though it was a reasonable amount for 5 people.

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I sit solo and always buy my own toilet paper, paper towels and tissues. That’s so I can use however much I want.

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Hi @ilovecheesenuggets I used to list a few things out but now I don’t as I cannot 100% commit to this. For example, we flew to Korea for a Dogsit and didn’t have anything with us. Now we’re in Australia dogsitting and happy to use stuff in the home as the hosts have been really gracious. Before the sits started, I did buy big bottles of shampoo conditioner and body wash. They purposely left a ton of toilet paper for us. And although they stated we didn’t have to replace anything, I will probably replace some of the toilet paper. This is the longest sit we’ve been on (5 weeks) but at least we got here with a $220/person flight ticket. I say that’s great ROI for over a month in Sydney. Did I mention we love pet sitting? :grin:

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I can appreciate this perspective as it also helps prevent any misunderstanding. Though as a HO, I would welcome a sitter to use these amenities at will because it feels part of the whole sitting package. I’d imagine not every HO feels the same hence erring on the safe side….

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Appreciate you sharing your variety of sits. Amazing deal on those tickets! :raised_hands:t3: Sydney is such an amazing place with incredible Aussies. Hope you all have a very memorable time!