Totally agree with this. Listing photos are like a first date. That’s likely the best it’s going to be. If they can’t bother to pick up things off the floor, dump overflowing trash cans, remove personal items off bathroom counters etc to take listing photos, in my experience that’s a warning sign of what’s to come. I haven’t found a home yet that’s more tidy when I arrive than the pics, so I study them very carefully now.
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Love my USB fan and little USB camping light with remote. Using both every day on my current sit. Thanks for this list - helpful!
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In Mexico most people don’t own a vacuum either. And with dogs we need to clean the day before the sitter arrives. We do our best and our home is very clean when a sitter arrives. But I’m now wondering what sitters are expecting.
Ah yes, but… luggage charges are less expensive than a hotel or Airbnb. My last trip to the UK cost USD $250+ a night and that was a room in someone’s home. Plus the kennel was USD $70 a day for my pups as I hadn’t found a sitter myself.
Another thought along these lines is thrifting needed supplies upon arrival at a sit (rather than packing everything from home) then donating it all back to the thrift store upon departure. Win win! 
We have a guest room and bathroom dedicated to the sitter. Maybe this helps us.
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As a sitter, I don’t expect perfection but it is yucky to arrive at a sit and see poop all over the yard, dirty tables/counters, some gunk on the kitchen hand towel, dirty bathroom. And yes, some HO’s leave a house like this as if we’re “the help”. Doesn’t happen often but when it does, I want to walk right back out the door.
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I am new to this. I believe hosts are getting a wonderful experience by keeping our pets in loving surroundings so I clean for company,assure that there is a new sponge and sufficient cleaning materials. I do not expect to return to a spotless home and was surprised when I did.So no, I am not doing this to get my home cleaned. Just leave it as close to what it was when sitters arrive.
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In my opinion, I think what people are referring to is, when a sitter gets to a place and finds that the toilet is super gross, and maybe that shower hasn’t at least had the hair rinsed out of it. Or, there are absolutely no towels or bedding available. (Yes, this is happened to me. I had to go to a store and buy towels and sheets. 
)
I also travel with a couple of cleaning supplies. Mostly it’s because I have a preference as to which dish soap I use and I don’t like using the homeowners laundry detergent unless it’s to wash their items that I have used.
In the rare instance, when this happened, I did not leave a review. And that bothers me because I think we need a better way to let future sitters know what your honest experience was.
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Absolutely not, but I would hope to find a dining table not caked with dried food/dust/pet hair, a clean kitchen counter and a fridge handle without dried food.
It would be helpful to mention in listings that there isn’t a vacuum, floors are cleaned by…whatever the chosen method is, along with other preferred routines.
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If people don’t have a functioning vacuum, what are they cleaning the floors with? A broom or Swiffer would work with hard flooring, but not carpets or rugs.
I’ll use what’s at hand and working so I can clean. If a place lacks that, I’d figure the HO (or their service) will take care of what I couldn’t clean, because I’m not buying mops and such to clean their place. I’m not a paid cleaning service that’s supposed to be providing equipment.
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Yes! It would be nice to be be able to contact previous sitters to see what their opinion is - especially when there isn’t a review 
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We’ve done exactly this too 
While we very much appreciate a clean home we try not to let it stress us if it’s not the standard we would keep. On the other end of the scale an immaculate home stresses me out because I feel like I can’t use anything 
We often get ‘cleaner than we left it’ on reviews but certainly don’t go overboard to do this, I agree it could be embarrassing for the HO to do so. I think it’s more a way of showing appreciation from the HO than actual fact 
And I don’t really want that expectation!
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I agree this is worse , too much pressure
I don’t think any of us is going around with a white glove inspecting for dust, whether it’s a sitter at the start of a sit, or a homeowner after a sit.
I’m not looking under your fridge or inspecting the toekick at the sink. We just want clean places to cook, eat and sleep.
I also don’t want to come out of the shower feeling more icky than went I went in. I’m totally grossed out by mold stained shower curtains and I’m shocked at how often they’re dotted with mildew or some kind of pink slime.
Maybe next time you shower, take a look at the bottom “hem” of the inner curtain. Is it a different color than the rest of the curtain?
If it’s cloth and you’re in a pinch, you can run it through the laundry (only thing in the washer, ok?) OR soak it in a bucket of diluted bleach, OR if it’s just a little bit at the bottom edge, trim it off with scissors.
The plastic ones, though, that’s one of those things that should be replaced regularly. I mean, you don’t need a fancy one, usually they are very thin plastic. What are they, $5 or $6?
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Thank you!
Wow that’s really bad. We’re you able to resolve w the host? Hope it was a short sit. So sorry.
It is appreciated but doesn’t make up for a dirty kitchen and bathroom.
Agree and I’m sorry you’ve had that experience.
Thank you.
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