@lou28 Member services will not be interested unless it’s so disgusting that it’s unsanitary and unliveable and you are going to leave the sit and/or raise a member dispute .
You could chose to discuss the issues with the homeowner and if it’s really bad /unsanitary and going to take hours to clean to a liveable standard request that they arrange a cleaner come and do a deep clean .
Otherwise if it’s something you can clean yourself , you may decide to take before and after photos ( to show the homeowner) either now or after they have written their review of you .
Either way you can deduct stars in the cleanliness section of the review as a warning to future sitters. Include a factual comment about the issues in your review . THS don’t inspect the homes so it is up to sitters to warn/protect fellow sitters by writing honest fair reviews.
If you read this thread from the start you will see how other sitters have dealt with similar disappointing issues.
This checklist for owners preparing for a sitter says simply
“7. Clean the bathrooms “
Interestingly the sitters checklist on departure specifically says they should clean the toilets
“5.Clean the bathroom, including the shower/bath and toilet”
I believe there is also an e-mail with a checklist that supposedly gets sent out before a sit - although we are sitters who have done 11 sits and we haven’t received it ( except on one random sit )- so I suspect many homeowners also don’t receive the owners cleaning checklist before a sit .
I agree with @Silversitters but would suggest you should think carefully before raising this with absent pet parents, since if their response is hostile or in denial of your claims, they may very well refuse to appoint cleaners and simply leave you a poor review.
Once you’re at a sit, there’s very little you can do unless circumstances are so bad that you really feel you cannot stay. In our experience, it’s about deciding how things can work best for you, then leaving a fair and balanced review (which can benefit other sitters and educate the pet parent).
It’s really not. Can I survive in it? Sure, but someone shouldn’t be put in survival mode, particularly if they aren’t being compensated. A home should be left clean; If there’s mold and putrid smells, it’s not clean. And now finding out appliances were a part of the agreement are broken but they decided not to tell me before they left. Just not ok. I have zero problem implementing this into the review.
As a homeowner I have no expectations or desire for the sitter to clean my home. I always hope that they find it clean to their standards when they arrive, but I do worry about it because everyone’s standards are different
Yes, that would be an advantage, if they’re not high end, you would feel less obligated to clean more than the mess you made.
I have been in the cleaning biz for many years, so I’m curious how this will go for me. I don’t want to be known as the “cleaner” I’ve played this role well & hoping this will be a new role for me. Great house sitter & pet lover is my new gig. lol. However, I do end up cleaning in my family & friends house sometimes. Time will tell.
The Microwave, We always give them a Wipe out with Vinegar, even if a bit rusty like this one, we always cover anything we microwave so if we need to use a HS microwave we know it’s safe.
Washing Machine detergent draws, in over 85+ sits, we have been to possibly 12 that the draw is clean, along with the water jets inside it and the rubber seal is clean and doesn’t have mould spores built up on it. I usually put the draw in some hot water to give it a clean and get an old toothbrush and give the jets a scrub down, wipe out the rubber seal with Vinegar and then run the washing machine on a cycle with a cup of vinegar and vinegar in the conditioner compartment.
I do this with the Dishwasher, take out the filter and give it a good soak in hot water and then run the dishwasher on a short cycle with ramekins of vinegar. I spray down the inside of the Dishwasher with Vinegar and wipe the seals too, I usually fill the salt compartment and fill the rinse aid compartment with vinegar.
(I always carry Vinegar and a small spray bottle with us, if not there’s usually always a near empty one at a HS that you can find, even the recycling bin often has one in it)
I use Vinegar to clean the tops of the Cookers, Shower Doors/Screens especially in the UK where there is hard water limescale.
Yes, I am OCD and I deep clean our Dishwasher, Washing Machine, Air Fryer, Microwave every week, It’s mostly Vinegar so quick and easy, our Washing Machine and Dishwasher packed it in last year, when pulled apart the comments were made that there was no fabric conditioner build up on pipes, no limescale, the seals were like new, It was suggested that the Washing machine rubber seal must have been replaced in the 9yrs we had the machine, no, I just wipe them after every use, leave the door open a jar along with the detergent draw and this stops mould from building up and I deep cleaned them every week. The Parts that failed were the electronics of the machines and sadly it cost more to replace the boards, so the machines got stripped down and everything that could go to scrap did, everything that could be re purposed we used (cutlery baskets make great small utensil holders or pen/pencil holders)
The roller heads of Hoovers are usually full of hair making the job difficult to do properly, we put some marigolds on and cut the hair out and usually the Hoover is full (drum/bag) HO are busy getting ready they just forget that’s all.
Some people don’t think about Mould spores on/in washing machines as a problem or Fridge seals, unless the Cheese has started to double in size from Mould, most people just get on with their lives.
Being a Trained Chef, I am very OCD about Kitchen/Laundry/Bathroom cleanliness as I know how easy cross contamination can happen.
I will be honest there’s been a few Sits that the Washing machine was so bad, even after cleaning, I was not comfortable using it, we hand washed our smalls and aired our clothes (we only have 2-3 sets of clothing that we own for daily wear along with 1-2 sets of dress clothes, 1 x trainers, 1 x crocs, 1 x dress shoes, 1 x boots for Dog Walking/Outdoors) so we have to wash every other day. Thank fully they were only short sits.
Quite often we get to a sit and the HO has been busy getting ready the Washing Machine is full of Dog/Cat Hair as they have washed all their Bedding, Towels etc in preparation for us, which is lovely we start out with clean Dog/Cat Bedding and Towels, they just forget, it’s their last load usually before they leave and they forget to clean it out. The Lint filter on the Dryer too. They are just busy trying to get everything done in time and worrying about their Pets being happy and healthy while they are away.
Happy Sitting.
This summer/fall has had it’s ups and downs. But the cleanliness thing is really bothering me. Think I need to ask some more questions during interview.
Currently in a home
Bathroom was sort of cleaned - mirror full of spittle, sink wiped but left schmutz everywhere.
Kitchen there wasn’t even an attempt to wipe down or clean any surface. NO room in the fridge and clearly stuff that needs to go.
Now that host has left I can turn the heat off. It was sweltering.
The neighbors letting their dog out at midnight where they continuously bark for 20 minutes. Host is aware and offered another bedroom - but knows it’s an issue.
There were a number of really great sitter reviews. But equal number of blanks. I should have known better AND asked why during the interview. Now I know why.
This not being able to leave honest reviews continues to be an issue. I would not recommend this sit. Can I say that in an review - no.
I am staying as it is only a week and THS insurance will not apply if I leave - and I would never leave a host without animal care. But it’s gonna be a tough week.
I have seen cleanliness in general decline over the years as new hosts join the platform and former travelers get back in the game. Also aging hosts and homes that are not taking care of their properties as well as they should for whatever reason. I am not a germophobe or neatnick but the rooms that count kitchens and bathrooms should be CLEAN. I guess that’s my standard when I hosted people, guests, friends.
I am rethinking my travel strategy…or how to mitigate against this. It’s been hit or miss this round and as I posted before a 3 weeks sit I did leave because it was baaad. Lost money on that one big time and learned an expensive lesson on the uselessness of THS insurance if you are the sitter in a bad situation. NOTHING they will do to help.
I had one sit early on that was dirty in the kitchen and dining area, but not elsewhere. I was able to make do, since I live on meals out, takeout or pre-prepped food.
That experience made me realize, if I want a clean sit home, I should look for specific references in previous sitters’ reviews, saying that the home is clean. Did that. I’ve not had anything but clean sit homes since.
I don’t ask any Qs about cleanliness — I look at review wording and photos. And I don’t think you can necessarily see that a home is dirty in photos; it’s easier to see if it’s cluttered.
The secret handshake is not to leave a review at all. Rumor is if you’re honest even nice and honest, hosts read a bad review and won’t want you to sit for them.
Other reviews were excellent tho did not mention cleanliness. Unlike you and especially on long sits I use the kitchen. Rarely order out. I should have asked why the lack of reviews from sitters.
I haven’t had a problem getting sits after I’ve been clear about issues in reviews:
• Like a recent sit had a dog with allergies and she woke before dawn nearly every day, scratching wildly. (I didn’t mind, because I normally wake early, but many sitters probably would.)
• At another sit, the hosts didn’t tell me till they were leaving that one of their cats would scratch and bite unpredictably. I took precautions and didn’t get hurt, but it wasn’t cool that they didn’t mention such at the outset.
• At yet another sit, the year-old rescue dog was intensely jealous of the cats and would chase and try to tackle them at every opportunity, so the cats ended up shortchanged on attention. I noted that the sit would better suit couples, because of the amount of attention needed.
I enjoyed all the sits a lot and loved the pets. But I didn’t hold back on reviews, because I don’t want to contribute to other sitters’ problems.
Since each of those reviews, I’ve continued to get sits. And if I didn’t, that’s just as well, because I’m not going to be complicit and help hosts hide things that sitters should know about, so they can make informed choices.
It is so many ways to word a review. If something needs saying, I feel that I’m doing them a favor, letting them be able to get better matches when things are disclosed. This goes both ways for sure, but in the case you mention - host get the opportunity to be aware how it looks and take better measures next time (clean more or hire someone to clean) and/ or sitter is aware and will not be disappointed. Bottom line - what would I have wanted to know before I took a sit?
I think the no review-approach isn’t doing anyone a favor. Just say it in a factual manner. You can wrap it up and put a bow on it if it feels better. «I settled in nicely, the cute pet greeted me, I gave the bath and kitchen a scrub and we went for a walk exploring the neighborhood».
Oh ok, I guess that depends on the host. As a HO, I prefer honest sitters over those not leaving reviews. A balanced, fact based review is not a problem.
