Locked up your liquor? As a Sitter I’d be offended if our Hosts did that! Trust! Just say, please don’t drink all our booze….if you joke, it sends the message to any Sitter that would even contemplate drinking your supplies!
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On the coffee question — if you have an espresso machine, it might be worth considering whether you’re comfortable with someone unfamiliar using it. They can be a bit tricky if you don’t know the routine, and they’re not cheap to repair or replace if something goes wrong.
You could always leave a cafetière with some ground coffee as an easy option. They’re simple, universally understood, and inexpensive to replace if accidentally dropped or damaged. Most sitters are very adaptable — some will happily use what’s there, others may bring their own preferences — but a straightforward option like a cafetière is hard to go wrong with.
You’re doing great — asking these questions is exactly what thoughtful hosts do.
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@Cuttlefish, we have not encountered that mindset. But some Pet Parents leave minimal, if any, coffee capsules. Probably same ones that leave minimal dishwasher tablets and other supplies. Some people surprise us with mindset.
That said, we rarely use Pet Parent coffee machines - we travel with aeropress, filters & coffee 
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Thank you - I’m going to follow your suggestion and leave a cafetière and ground coffee, as the sitters may not know how to work the Nespresso machine. I’ll leave a few capsules in case they do and prefer that! I write this as a total good coffee addict, and know how important it can be to some people!
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If this is taken literally, HOs may come back to an almost empty liquor cabinet. 
As a sitter, I am not offended if HOs lock up whatever they decide to. I understand there are all kinds of people, both hosts and sitters and although I do understand that these exchanges are based on trust by both parties, it’s also true that the level of communication previous to the sit is limited. The listing and welcome guide are usually prepared for total strangers.
On the other hand, I really don’t know if people lock things up because I only open doors and drawers that give access to essential stuff and the part of the house that I use.
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I do appreciate things like this, as they make communication straight forward. Do lock any cabin I might not need… However, often the locking up does carry a bit of mistrust feeling. One of my hosts kept their alcohol in a locked up cabin, and said “yeah that is because we have temporary foster kids, so we have to have certain safety measures”, and then left the key to the door of the cabin. They got it. They understood to get out of their way to make us feel appreciated and trusted. (The explaining part. The leaving the key was probably just as it is easier not to loose it when it is on the door. Or maybe they ment “have a taste, we love our hobby of collecting these alcohols”.)
I agree! I am not even going to use the coffee or the machines (I bring a cone for my decaf coffee) but it does sour the experience when HOs hide their coffee/pods.
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Same - as far as what I would help myself to. One welcoming host had just baked fresh bread recently and couldn’t take the rest of the loaf with her (which was most of it!), so I savored that yummy homemade bread. Another host left a bottle of wine and delicious biscotti as a welcome gift but also invited me to use whatever I wanted out of the pantry. I always bring lots of food with me, as I drive to every sit, so it’s only the occasional dab of olive oil or something like that that I “borrow” from a HO.
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I usually say “help yourself” when I do the tour through the kitchen meaning dry pasta, rice, flour, whatever and you don’t have to replace anything. Some sitters did use a bit without replacing, which is perfectly fine but most didn’t take anything except oil and spices.
But once we were away for 4 nights and the sitters were a young couple, probably playing house for the first time, because they told us they both still lived with their parents. They were doing a world trip for a year and probably didn’t have too much money to spend. Of course pet sitting was a great opportunity to do this…completely understandable.
I wouldn’t have chosen them had there been more applicants but for such a short sit I was happy to receive their application. I thought how much can two people eat in 5 days? Well, they used ALL our pots and pans to cook ALL of our pasta, probably as provisions on their next sit. They couldn’t remember where the pots came from and left them, half cleaned and dripping on the kitchen counter. We didn’t see them when we arrived, because they had to catch a train before we got back. So there was quite a surprise when we arrived home: empty glass jars where we put our pasta and rice into and all the tomato sauces were gone.
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/me shakes my dang head 
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That they still live with their parents did not help: of course the pantry is free shop and you’re the surrogates. At least pasta is cheap and you can be happy to know that they for once had full tummies.
It certainly didn’t ruin us and we found it rather funny.
Nevertheless I will be more careful with what I say next time.
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Our cheese sitters were very similar: young couple traveling the US before starting graduate school.
In addition to the cheese issue, we fired up our BBQ a few days after returning home and it burst into flames. Based on smell and appearance, I’m guessing they BBQed a large quantity of chicken for sustenance on the road. I had to roll the BBQ to a safe area and let it burn itself out. No lasting damage but I was a bit nervous about the fire department showing up uninvited; the smoke was thick and plentiful. Reminded me of the kinds of faux pax I committed when I was young, inexperienced and knew everything.
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Reminded me of the kinds of faux pax I committed when I was young, inexperienced and knew everything.
Yeah you don’t know what you don’t know
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I appreciate your comment. On most of my sits, hosts have been welcoming like you are. They have acknowledged that a sit is based on mutual care and generosity. I am generous with them by being there for their pets at no cost. They are generous towards me by welcoming me into their home at no cost.
With one exception (where the cupboards and fridge were empty), all hosts have encouraged me to make myself at home which includes helping myself to their food and drink. (That’s how they’d treat their friends and family too!). Hosts have almost always left me a bottle of wine, chocolates, or a gift certificate. It’s not transactional. It’s about generosity and mutuality. And I often re-stock their fridge and/or leave them something special — like a candle or fancy coffee or a book I was reading during the sit.
I would not sit for hosts who think sitters are benefiting more than they are or that the sit makes them vulnerable to being taken advantage of. Again, I’m baffled by such hosts — wondering why they don’t just pay for a sitter instead of participating in TrustedHousesitters.
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It sounds like a lot of good advice here. I just wanted to add that when I saw the post, the Nespresso stuff stood out to me. I am combined. When I travel as a sitter, I generally take my own coffee as it’s organic, low-acid coffee which I get in bulk because coffee is my drug of choice and this coffee works well for me. I also bring a collapsible cone that can balance on a cup or jar, and sufficient filters. This allows me to avoid using an expensive or complicated coffee maker. Personally, over time, I’ve started to avoid using homeowners’ coffee makers because I don’t want to take a chance on breaking them.
As a host, I offer that coffee along with several tea options to my sitter-guests.
If I came to a sit and saw a Nespresso machine, I wouldn’t use it, but if I saw some kind of hands-off warning for it and no alternative coffee maker offered for guests, that would slightly color my opinion of the homeowners regarding hosptiality. IMO, if you don’t want the sitters to use the expensive coffee maker or your precious pods, it would be best to place them out of sight and leave some alternative coffee maker such as pour over system (and electric kettle) along with filters. It would also be nice to have some teas available for the sitters. Just think of it more as what you’d want/expect in an Airbnb or what you’d offer a friend or relative who offered to petsit for you versus hired help – which sitters are not.
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It’s got to be a matter of trust as the whole thing is. As a sitter, I take all my own food consumables. I have used milk and butter but replace them. The only thing I don’t replace is small amounts of herbs or spices/ a small quantity of cooking oil. I wouldn’t dream of touching someone’s alcohol store!
I expect to be able to use toilet roll and cleaning products without having to replace them.
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