Thanks for the suggestion. This was only my 3rd sit and im learning as I go along, both from experience and from fellow sitters.
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@DianeS when we accept a sit we ask directly that homeowners please leave us a clear shelf in the fridge, space in the freezer and a clear space to keep our groceries. A surprisingly number of Homeowners haven’t even thought about it until we mention it. ( and that’s people with clean, uncluttered and tidy homes ) .
We also ask for space in the bedroom to put our clothes away and space in the bathroom for our toiletries. As we work from home we ask for space to do that too. Sometimes you have to spell it out rather than drop hints which may or may not be picked up on .
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Thanks - I’m drafting a message that I’ll send before my next sit, and I’m being explicit about things. I’ve also added a link to the THS “how to prepare for the arrival of your sitter” in case they don’t receive/read the THS pre-sit email.
Honestly we shouldn’t have to ask this as the owners get an email asking them to have all these things available for the sitter……
…… or who actually reads them
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When ever we sit i treat the property as my own . I clean the cars , windows and tidy the garden all part of the service as this is what i would do at home also if there is anything else in the home that needs looking at i will ask if it’s ok to look at it. Only ever had good comments ,and must be doing something right as have been asked back on most sits
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My most recent sitter put some dishes away in a slightly different place and I realized that it made more sense that way 
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I’ll often do ironing/washing if it’s left, usually checking with the owner first. As you say, they are things you’d do at home and, having not been in my own home for some time I, surprisingly, find it’s nice to do some normal chores!
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What a fantastic post @Smiley - I’ve loved reading everyone’s replies!
You’ve all inspired me to see where I can add a little extra kindness into my day.
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Not sure that I’ve received one…I think it helps to say what one would like and expect, if that’s important (although overall tidiness, cleanliness and a fridge that doesn’t smell is a basic, I would say - although I don’t provide or expect AirBnb / hotel standards). I’ve evolved what information we put on our listing and how we prepare for sitters and have done sits ourselves from experience and reading the Forum.
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I have never done this to someone, but in a small way, 2 sitters have helped us and probably don’t realise it. Last year one sitter remarked that we had more measuring jugs in our kitchen than anyone they sat for had, so we had beaten their record. This made us all laugh. This year sitters who are due to sit for us, called for a couple of hours while they were sitting nearby. While showing her round she remarked that although she loved teapots, we had more than anyone she knew.
This has triggered us to do some clearing out, and after our first go yesterday, we now have two cupboards once overflowing now barely half full. I really feel relieved and as though a weight has lifted from my shoulders. I now feel that if we were to downsize it would be fairly easy instead of downright impossible. I must emphasise that everything was tidy, we just had too much. On to the next cupboards!!!
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As someone who has worked in Emergency Services and Home Health, I can tell you it is shocking the conditions people are willing to live in. There are many definitions of clean, not everybody is open to comment, suggestion, or criticism. Hoarding issues have become more common. The fire department often has to let these houses burn (with exception to life saving of course) when it is determined not safe to enter. As far as preventative screening with TH, as mentioned here, I always make sure there are several pictures of the inside or ask if there are not. If there is clutter in the pictures, it will probably be worse when you arrive. Of course, still no guarantees with pictures - sometimes it’s hard to know if those pictures are recent, or just taken at the time when the house was bought!
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I did a local petsit in 2022 for a couple that had just adopted a very sweet, but very “shut down” dog. I had referred them to TH when they were going on a trip but it was a bit last minute, and only men applied. We were concerned that the young dog had been physically abused in the past by a man so I agreed to do the sit even though it was 5 minutes from my house. The trade off was that my little dog could come along.
It turned out that their dog and mine became great friends during our stay and I got to watch their dog truly come out of her shell. After observing her for a week and a half I shared my thoughts with the owners about how they might help their dog adjust, and they were very appreciative.
These days, we arrange play dates and the owners and I have become friends as well. It’s truly amazing to see the difference in this young dog from the time they adopted her, to the charming, active little girl she is today. Her parents have told me on several occasions how grateful they are for the support and care that Shula and I gave them in the beginning when they first got her.
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That’s such a wonderful story, and both dogs and owners ending up friends. Lovely 
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That’s amazing @Smiley. We all want to think we have a positive effect on people but you really did. Well done you.
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Thank you. It’s even a little more interesting because we have discovered that we aren’t on the same page as far as politics go. These days it isn’t easy to have friends with different political opinions but because of the way we met, and the fact that our focus is on being wonderful pet owners, we’ve managed to eliminate politics as a barrier to friendship.
Years ago it was taken for granted that people with differing political views could get along but in the past 8 years, that has become more difficult. It’s because of the doggies that we could find our common bond and appreciation for each other.
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Good plan. I can’t discuss politics with my brother at all, so the minute it comes up I tell him we need to change the subject!
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Yes, I can relate.
There comes a time when the objects in your home go from lifting you up to weighing you down.
Then it’s time for the big clean-out.
Unfortunately, I’m at the second stage, my husband is still in the first. Sigh.
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