Love an international supermarket and all its wonders @Newpetlover #brilliantbrowsing
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That just doesn’t happen in the UK @Crookie 
I always remember my old Perth pal who’d have a cold shower wearing his jammies and then go to bed in them wet in summer to effectively steam. Seemed gross but he liked it. #hotsummerstuff
I don’t think you should feel obligated to do this. You’re not a hotel. A huge part of travel is learning about and accepting that people do things differently around the world.
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@crookie It’s never too hot for a duvet here!! Actually what happens generally, is that we use different ‘weights’/Togs of duvets, a summer one and a heavier winter one and throw everything off if we are too hot!
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sometimes it doesn’t feel like that but I agree with you travel is about different experiences!
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@avidtraveler
I think this is more cultural and by country than generation. Fitted and top sheets are the norm in the US but I’ve seen non US folks on here asking what a top sheet even was! There was a whole discussion on this somewhere on the forum.
Our girls are in their 20s and they use a fitted and top sheet.
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You can identify the cleanliness issues without going into detail by the star rating now that there are categories to rate. You can put 2 stars for cleanliness and that might say enough. If the HO asks why you gave such a low rating for that, you can detail your experience.
We don’t travel by car so dragging extra sheets around with us is not an option. I’d be very annoyed not to have clean sheets.
I did once have to strip a bed and wash everything including pillow covers bc when I arrived ALL the bedding, sheets, pillow covers were COVERED in cat fur. Clean or not, I was washing everything.
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The problem with star rating is that it’s not specific or objective; what may be a problem for some people may be OK for others.
By writing a factual description of the issues you help everyone; other sitters can decide if they are OK with that or not and owners can address the problems referred to in the review. If they write a nice reply, acknowledging they are willing to improve, it would increase their chances of getting applications.
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This is true. It is all subjective.
Even comments like “dirty mirror” or “dirty sink/tub/fridge” is subjective.
I agree there is a way to write it that is more factual, but even then, there is an element of it being subjective.
I had a sit that was way below my cleanliness standards but to write every element factually would have been a long paragraph and not very nice to read.
I simply gave 4 stars for cleanliness (deserved 3) and mentioned that “if neat and tidy is a high priority to you, this might not be the ideal sit for you” after I said lots and lots of wonderful things about the pets and location.
The HO went BALLISTIC - got nasty, really nasty texting my husband and insulting us and accusing us of all kinds of ridiculous things.
If I had listed everything that was subpar about the home who knows how much crazier he’d have gone!
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That’s what we find in the UK @largo that some of the duvets are still the winter weight ones, even though it is your summer, and they are too heavy/warm for us. We also take the duvet (doona in Australia) out of its cover and use the cover as the top sheet. Nothing weird about what we all do; it’s just adapting to the climate and conditions where we all live.
Here is my breakdown of the top sheet situation based on my own travel and personal experiences.
Most countries that do not use a top sheet also use duvets that have a removable cover that can be easily washed. In this scenario I don’t see the top sheet being necessary.
In the US, cheap comforters that do not have a removable cover and are simply stuffed with cotton are quite common. When these are in use, a top sheet is necessary because the bulky comforter is hard to wash or may not fit in a washing machine. This logic also applies when it’s too hot for a duvet/comforter and maybe you only use a blanket. The top sheet keeps the bed clean without having to wash the blanket as frequently.
In my current scenario, the host has a comforter that is simply stuffed, no removable cover. It also is so dingy and stained, it’s clearly very old and I doubt it’s washed frequently (if ever, I stuck it in the wash and I swear it turned two shades lighter). The combo of these two and the lack of top sheet was pretty grim to walk into.
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At home, we never use a top sheet and a duvet. If it is hot then we just use a top sheet.
If there is a top sheet and duvet on housesits, then Mr Itchyfeet gets in a right mess.
He ends up sandwiched between the top sheet and duvet and wonders where I am
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As the OP has said on numerous occasions they are young and inexperienced.
Now for my next comment please do not jump on me, I’m speaking from experience from my own extended family and using this as an example. I am definitely not labelling all young people.
Some young people do not have the experience of preparing their homes for visitors. These youngsters have been brought up as privileged children who had parents at their beck and call from dawn to dusk everyday of their lives. They do not know or understand the etiquette of welcoming visitors into their homes.
To most of us, clean bedding for guests is normal. Having loo roll in the bathroom and clean towels is just something we do.
Obviously these people have never welcomed people to their home. I go into great detail in video calls about what I expect of a sit and listen carefully to what the host expects of me. I would never, ever even think about requesting clean bed linen and towels! It’s just not on my radar. It’s just something a host does for any guest.
I think you have dealt with it well. As for the other things, would you really expect anything less from a host who doesn’t know to provide clean bed linen? The review should be factual and unemotional. Say what you arrived to and leave it at that. Personally, I would leave a written note stating how i felt when faced with these issues and give some suggestions to them on how to welcome guests in the future.
This is not an excuse but a statement of how some people live.
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In the US, it is common to have a top sheet even if the duvet has a removable cover. It would definitely be needed (although not in your scenario, apparently 
) if the HO just had a comforter.
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You may have invented a new birth control method 
@Itchyfeet
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known as the bush aircon, I use a wet sarong. Works a treat.
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This informative post from @Silversitters explains the top sheet versus duvet controversy.
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At home I use a top sheet with one of the patchwork quilts that I’ve made, to reduce how often I need to wash the quilt. Sometimes, if I remember, I take both sheet & quilt with me to a sit because I usually find that the continental quilt/duvet is much too hot for me.
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No extra sheets? Wow
Well I have learnt what a top sheet thing is. Never heard this before. I’ve done sits all over Europe as well as in my home country of the UK and duvets in various togs are normal.