Nope. Have never cleaned the inside of a fridge at a sit unless I spilled something in it. Why would I? And I’d have to move all their stored food out. Not a sitter’s job.
At home, we have a monthly house cleaner and we clean as needed in between. I only clean the entire inside of the fridge every month or two. I think that’s fairly normal. Inside windows as needed but outside windows maybe twice a year. Everyone tells us our house is clean and tidy. (We have no clutter.)
Yeah, I try to be careful about that as people don’t like it when you move things around.
I’m with you @anon55123711 Obviously I prefer not to have to clean on arrival but I’d rather do that than leave, or complain to the HO and have the disruption of a cleaner coming in! I’ve never usually spent more than an hour or so doing the necessary cleaning to feel at home. And most homes don’t need that much. Then I can settle in and enjoy the sit. Its also an energetic thing. Especially cleaning toilets. We always give them a spray with a disinfectant before use-(wherever we stay) even if it looks clean. That’s just us.
Re- fridges If they are dirty (occasionally) on arrival I would clean inside before putting my in stuff. Simple. I don’t do it for the HO. I do it for us! And if their stuff is spread over several shelves with no clear allocation for us I will put all their stuff together in one place so we can keep our stuff separate.
And re-windows. On a recent month long sit I cleaned all the living room windows inside and out! They were pristine when we arrived but fly poop messed them up during our stay and I wanted to return them as found. I actually like window cleaning anyway. The hosts did not mention it, or anything else, about how clean we left their home, but they were clean freaks and obviously had high expectations.
My attitude is that I am not their cleaner but I will clean up after myself and the pets and I will clean what’s necessary on arrival - for our enjoyment now and for theirs later. It often means I have less to clean at the end. If I found the level of cleanliness on arrival below normal (acceptable) standards I’d knock a star off on cleanliness. I have only done that on 3 occasions but still given 5* overall.
I agree, I don’t want to spend a month in a house trying to ignore, out of principle, something that the owner should have cleaned. That’s a typical example of ‘cutting off your nose to spite to your face’.
Is this a loaf of bread, or smoked tofu? Give us a clue 
One swipe of the floor - I used up almost a whole container of pads, both sides of each pad just getting the common areas I’d be using clean.
Thank you @Jenny It might be thoughtful to include a note that the home’s cleanliness, tidiness, amenities, and functionality should be in the same physical and working condition as listed and advertised.
Is this checklist automatically sent to hosts once a housesit is confirmed, or a certain number of days before it begins?
@NCSitterPD walk around barefoot in a house for five minutes and your feet tell the full story. 
So much for home owners sweeping and mopping floors, some floors haven’t seen a mop in months.
I’m also on this site both as a sitter and as a home-owner. Both sides now! And my expectations are the same. Leave the home at least as good as you found it. Better than you found it if you’re feeling kindly.
If you’re not fully comfortable with the level of cleanliness when you arrive, then do what you need to do when you’re there. If it’s truly unsanitary or dangerous, contact the home owner and if you’re still concerned then contact TH support.
And please do be honest in reviews - remembering that shades of cleanliness are a personal matter, so calibrate accordingly.
@JoWales A very sensible attitude. Reviews can be difficult to word kindly, it can take quite a bit of skill to get the point across to other sitters without insulting the owners but I think sitters are very good at reading between the lines.
I’m sorry but that’s a HARD NO from me- there’s nothing more depressing than cleaning up and cleaning another person’s mess/dirt. It’s why I include a statement about ‘yukkiness’ in our profile. If I arrived to a kitchen/bathroom that made me want to shout out loud “YUK!”, I’m afraid the HO would immediately get bombarded with messages…. if they’re ok ruining my stay then it’d come right back at them…..NO NO and thrice NO from me.
What would you be asking of the homeowner?
To find another sitter/ arrange a deep clean/come home and clean whilst I wait in a hotel…. I’m sorry but I’m pretty clear about what I’ll accept. Life’s too short to not have a comfortable place to stay.
@BonnyinBrighton thank you, it helps others to have suggestions.
