it was through an agency, she could easily have asked for someone different. I hope I at least opened her eyes to how poor they were.
Thatās what I would have done but I honestly know people who are too embarrassed to even ask for a change of person. I think in some cultures people are just not good at being assertive.
I have a window cleaner who does ourside once a month; itās semi-rural where I live so I donāt get any city dirt/dust. I only very occasionally clean the inside of my windows.
Yes, we hire window cleaners, too. Our current house, as were ones before, run 5,000 square feet+. We hire out a lot of work. Not only do I not enjoy washing windows, mowing, landscaping and such, I wouldnāt do it as well. Plus, I can earn more money faster than I could do those chores.
Best for no one to assume that X is part of house sitting, because everyone comes from different backgrounds and life experiences. We all have different expectations. Communication is key.
Not really. Iām not cleaning a dirty stove or frig when I arrive. Just taking a spray bottle and wiping dust away to a washing machine is quite different at the end of the sit. A 5 second task. When I clean the stove at the end it will not take a long time if it started out clean. An already dirty stove
To clean is backbreaking work and can take a long time. Why professional cleaning people are popular to many.
Where I live I donāt think window cleaners even exist. I wish they did, my windows get very dusty.
@anon89364872 I generally avoid using an oven when on a sit, oven cleaning is probably my pet hate so even if it hasnāt been left clean I donāt care. If a grill is not clean Iāll avoid it too. Iām finding air fryers are great, they do the job of both and are so easy to clean.
I would love to sort out kitchen cupboards, I agree it is a very satisfying job but most of my food goes in a fridge and the rest I just clear a space for on a countertop somewhere. My current house sit I opened the cupboard doors 
and closed them again very quickly, they can stay shut for the rest of the sit! 
I wouldnāt be happy to find reorganised cupboards on my return.
Each to their own.
Iām annoyed even if my kid is home from uni and put the scissors in another drawer because it is Ā«more logicalĀ». No! The logical place is where I put it! 
Hi, I think I posted this in the wrong thread, so here goes again:I mean, if the homeowner has put in the effort to clean and has provided enough of the basics, Iām happy. But if the HO didnāt disclose pet behavior issues ( ie peeing/marking inside, pets not getting along, etc), then Iām annoyed. But itās all to be considered within context, no? I mean, Iām on a sit in a 100 year old plantation cottage in a perfect location on the big island of Hawaii now. And the house across the way is a sister cottage and rents out for $450/night. The cats are easy but the poor HO is oblivious to the state of the grime I see on the cabinets and window sills. Sheās lived here 27 years as a single mom and simply doesnāt notice what I consider gross caked on yuck! So I got some cleaning supplies and did a basic clean, and plan on hiring a cleaner before I leave so sheāll come home to a nice freshly cleaned house. The exchange, in my mind, is fair. The cats and house are well cared for and she did her best, I think, to prepare for my stay. No nit picking or toilet paper counting, just good vibes all around. And spending a month here ( car included, Iāll leave her $300 and clean it) is truly worth every second of cleaning and fretting.
So. Long story short, I feel itās really really an exchange, Iām not offering āfreeā service and she wasnāt trying to get anything out of it besides peace of mind. Everyoneās happy!
Right with you @Peonie19
This has only happened to me once but it was quite bad. Nobody would call me house proud but I even had to clean out the cutlery trays as the cutlery was sitting in crumbs and bits of ā¦ who knows what 
I dropped something on the bedroom floor and accidentally glanced under the bed - the fluff and dust of agesā¦
There was a pile of clean laundry in the living room (why?) and I decided the only way I could sit on the sofa was to cover it with a clean duvet cover. Which I folded carefully and put back on the pile when I left 
I could go onā¦ and onā¦
But the pets were lovely 
@sandydandy I LOVE your attitude. I wish there were more sitters who think like you. I hope the rest of your sit is fabulous and that you kindness and generosity is appreciated. Itās such a refreshing comment to read. 
Now Iām trying to restrain myself from going upstairs and looking under the beds.
Luckily most of the time I have very clean houses.
One time the house didnāt match letās say nicely āmy standard of cleanā.
So I took pictures and than did what you suggested @anon55123711: cleaned everything the first day.
And after three weeks I almost had nothing to do (just some usual things you do once a week). Whereas normally I spend the whole last day cleaning everything. It was kind of relaxing.
Got a review that I left the house so cleanā¦
Clean is a subjective concept, which cannot be measured. It is not a fixed fact, like 1+1 = 2
What is clean for one person may not be clean for another.
This makes a discussion or rules/ measurements about this topic very difficult.
In addition,
I notice in all the different homes I was, that there is always something that they overlook/find less important when cleaning. Or clean very accurately.
So hat kept me thinking. Although I think I am a perfect cleaner and never will forget something, probably I will also forget something.
I just can hope that a homeowner wonāt dock stars for forgetting something small*, as I would not dock stars for them for forgetting something small*.
- And yes āsmallā is also subjective and not a fixed fact
So live and let live is now my motto.
Have a good summer you all.
Yes, I often worry about getting everything done at the last minute so I often start two days before departure. Extremely clean houses make me even more nervous. So, in a weird way I prefer one that isnāt up to my standards and then, like I said in my post, if you get stuck in and clean at the beginning, itās much more relaxing at the end.
@1MA all very good points, we all have very different ideas on what is clean.
Before I became a house sitter I wouldnāt have classed myself as having a super clean house but now I have realised that very often, in the cleanest looking houses, there are surprises just below the surface.
I am exactly the sameā¦
In everything you wrote.
This would be my view. If Iām having a good experience in a nice place I donāt mind doing extra things and I donāt mind spending some time cleaning. Itās an exchange and I want to make sure itās fair for them.