We always supply our own food ( although if owners say we can use perishables, that’s fine) and ensure owners return to a home with a few basics such as milk, butter, bread.
One thing we do notice though is the common absence of anywhere to hang or store our clothes. Of course, owners are not running a bed and breakfast so probably just don’t realise when a few empty hangers, and a smidgeon of drawer and hanging space would be appreciated.
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Hi,
this surprises me. I don’t think you need to run a B&B to realise that sitters need space for their stuff. What about when house-guests come to stay? I’m also pretty sure providing space for clothes is in the ‘getting ready for sitters’ guide. It is on Mindmyhouse and UKhousesitters anyhow.
What a great title. I love coat hangers and I do carry a couple of my own. I also wish that more HOs provided some. I now ask if we can have hanging space.
I recently spent 3 nights in an Airbnb apartment as our sitting was cancelled. One of the highlights was having about 20 coat hangers - heaven!!
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I travel very light, I only have 2 spare tops, a pair of shorts, and one dress with me on my current sit, but even I would appreciate a couple of coat hangers.
Absolutely, @Liffy99 Liffy99 ! I have just returned from a sit in a gorgeous home, but the spare room, I was in had a bed, bedside cabinets (full) and a chair. Fortunately, I had brought a few hangers of my own, so I ended up having to carefully hang them from a couple of picture frames.
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I have also had several sits with no closet or drawer space…if it’s a short sit, I don’t mind so much but for the longer sits, it’s a bit of a hassle. I did one sit that was 6 weeks long and there was not an ounce of room in any of the closets or drawers! I ended up using a clothes drying rack that I took from the laundry room and put in the office…not ideal but I made it work!
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I’ve learned the hard way, not from pet sits but from vacation rentals. Hubby and I travel fairly light, but often there just aren’t enough hangers even for our few things.
Recently I helped my mom clean out her closet, and I found a handful of very thin wire hangers that she was going to throw away. She prefers the big plastic ones. Now I keep some of her cast off’s in my roller bag, and they’ve come in handy on numerous occasions. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
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Thanks for raising this @Liffy99
I don’t mind hanging my clothes on the back of a chair for a few days but if the sit is for a few weeks it would be great if the HO could provide a bit of closet space and a few coat hangers.
When we arrived at our current sit, the first thing we said was “Wow, we have hanging space plus plenty of coat hangers!” Very considerate HO.
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We leave a desk with three drawers empty, half the shelves in a big dresser, one empty bedside table as well as plenty of closet space, with hangers of course.
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On a related note, at least in MY mind, I’ve started asking HO to leave me some space in their fridge/freezer. For sits over a few days, I’d like space to store my food!
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We have plenty of room in the sitter’s closet AND hangers! Lots! 
We’re sitters as well as HOs, so it’s helpful to have perspectives from both sides. Our home isn’t perfect, but we try!
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Good point - we try to use just one shelf for our own food to make things easier.
Totally agree. If we are expected to stay longer than a weekend, would be nice to have at least one drawer or hanger. Has happened more than once for longer stays (4 weeks)
With many sits under our belt now, there are a few things that would make life easier for both owners and sitters and could usefully be incorporated into your guides and household . . .
- Space for clothes. It’s OK to live out of a suitcase for short stays but beyond that it is really helpful to have a little hanging and drawer space.
- Basic foodstuffs. We do not touch owners food unless expressly permitted (eg perishables that would otherwise go to waste). But a few basics such as bread, milk and butter helps to get the first day or two sorted. We replace the same at the end of our stays so that the owner can have a cuppa and piece of toast if needs be on their return.
- Bed linen. For longer sits of over a week it would be nice to have a change of bed linen. No problem doing the laundry to wash the first set but, especially if a wet day, it can be difficult to wash and dry twixt morning and evening.
- WiFi code. A near essential in this modern age. We always make sure we ask but please include it in your guide or make sure sitters know how to find it.
- Local amenities. Where are the nearest or most useful shops, cafes etc. Preferably with opening times if known. You might also include recommendations for restaurants etc.
- OK, I fibbed - but don’t forget to explain rubbish ! What day do bins need to be put out, what goes in which for recycling as models of refuse collection can vary considerably.
Now I’ve started I can think of several more
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Hi @Liffy99 I see all the items on your list to be reasonable for any sitter…and we offered all this plus more when we still had our little girl. Sometimes new pet parents don’t really know what all they should include in the guide, or even on paperwork they leave for you in their home. That is why this forum is so great…all these questions, suggestions, etc., can be found right here.
Can I respectfully ask this thread to be closed down?
It has all been said before.
If you use the spyglass and key in wish list, there are hundreds of suggestions, which cover all of the listings above and more.
Although I am a sitter I really do feel for Home Owners when faced with all of these demands, some reasonable but some not required.
Hi @Liffy99 thank you for contributing to the Forum.
The one thing we been able to do as a forum community is share ideas, suggestions, experiences and much more enabling members to step into the shoes of sitters and owners and indeed the most important part of housesitting … the pets to better understand what this lifestyle means and looks like from both sides.
As @Itchyfeet says there are some topics which have been discussed a number of times and this is one. We also need to keep all similar subjects together, not start new or repetitive threads although we do understand that it’s sometimes difficult to find individual topics about specific subjects but do use the search function and simply ask via key words.
I am going to close your original thread and have merged here with one of the existing conversations, and please do as @Itchyfeet suggests and search the forum for other chats on this particular topic.
If your suggestions are not there perhaps add to that topic, always keeping in mind that we sit people’s homes, not 5 star hotels. What is most important is that homes are clean, tidy, comfortable and welcoming … which is exactly what I have found in my 12 years of sitting with TrustedHousesitters and if there is something missing, or that I simply cannot do without (the only thing I can think of is my tea) … I improvise, go without or simply buy it myself.
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I have completed 5 sits this year and haven’t had any space in a wardrobe, or and empty drawer in any of them. In two of them there wasn’t even any clear surface in the bedroom, other than the floor, to set anything. I’m pretty easy going and travel very light but even I would appreciate a bit of space.
Hi @Pet. Welcome to the community forum. I’ve only had that challenge a few times out of my >50 sits, but I always ask for a video tour of the home during our video chat. That has helped immensely.
When I have run into this issue, I selected the space or spaces that would work best for my few things and took pictures of how the host had everything arranged. Then I moved things about to make room for my things. At the end of the sit, as part of the cleaning routine, I went back to those pictures and arranged everything just the way they were when I arrived. That worked for both me and the host.
I see you’re not a member of TrustedHousesitters, and I do hope you’ll decide to join us. If you have any questions that need answering before joining, please feel free to reach out.