I would second not cleaning the disgusting areas that they have left for you.
I have done this before, specifically during a repeat house sit which was great, but the house was filthy. The first time, I deep cleaned the place and spent days on it. Evidently, the fridge hadn’t been cleaned in years. The HO was thrilled. Each subsequent time, I arrived to a filthy house that, by my standards, was uninhabitable. Flies in the bath, dirty tissues on the floor, mouldy food in the fridge and a stench in the air. I cleaned the place, but not to the same standard as the first time. It really bothered me that the HO wouldn’t do even a surface clean for my arrival, yet I had set my own standard of cleaning everything thoroughly. Now, I am a proponent of leaving the place as you find it.
@strawberryjen I sincerely hope you rate this host down on cleaning each time you review them, though I’m amazed you do repeat sits for them when they take such advantage of you and that you allow yourself to take on the role of unpaid cleaner!! That is not your job! You are a house & pet sitter not a cleaning service. Don’t make yourself small by condoning such behaviour from a host.
I recently completed a sit that was absolutely filthy upon arrival. I literally didn’t take my shoes off for about 2 hours and filled a dyson cleaner (like completely packed it to the brim) 3 times before I was willing to switch to house shoes - and this was in a one bedroom apartment. The HO had not only not made an effort especially in the bathroom but it seemed like they didn’t realise that surfaces can and should be cleaned. Anyway after some hard work I felt comfortable enough and otherwise it was a good sit with a lovely shy cat. What baffled me the most (after the how do people live like this question) was that in the (postive) review the HO simply said they found the house as they left it. For me that really highlighted that some people just don’t see what others see, whether that is the “clean” or the “unclean” or the somewhere in inbetween. We are and will always continue to be different with different standards.
I have deep-cleaned a kitchen with a cockroach infestation out of concern for my health, but I resented it. The sink drain was DISGUSTING. Before I cleaned it, I showed it to my (18-year-old) son so he understands what happens without routine maintenance. When kids live at home, they don’t realize that what’s not dirty is like that because their parents constantly clean it! My son said it looked like someone took a dump in the sink, and as vulgar as it sounds, it was true!!!
But here is something I did that I am upset that most sitters do not do: I ADDRESSED IT IN MY REVIEW. I wrote that one issue prevented it from being a 5-star stay. That despite what seemed like an honest effort by the HOs to clean the house, some areas were dirty; the biggest issue was in the kitchen, which had severe hygiene problems, so I had to clean some parts thoroughly just to feel comfortable using the kitchen safely. I also wrote that it was beyond the scope of what’s expected from a house/pet sitter. I addressed the issue with HOs, and they apologized, mentioning they hadn’t realized the extent of the problem earlier. I wrote that I’m confident the HOs will take the necessary steps before the next sitting to address the problem, ensuring future sitters won’t have to deal with it.
Other than that, I wrote that the cat was sweet, the house was cozy, and the neighborhood was great.
I really think there are ways to give honest criticism without being mean, and we sitters owe it to each other.
Have you mentioned any of that in your review?
You don’t have to say it was filthy, but you can say that upon arrival, you had to put in a few hours of cleaning to get the house in a condition you felt comfortable with.
Otherwise, we can’t make informed choices.
Most of the sits were arranged privately, so no review/ rating system. However, I have long since stopped sitting for this person. At the time, it suited me time and location-wise but there were several elements of the sit (not just in relation to cleanliness) that resulted in the decision not to do it again. I agree, we are not cleaners and I do wish I hadn’t condoned such behaviour and gone so ‘above and beyond’ for someone who clearly didn’t reciprocate but I wouldn’t nowadays!
I can’t remember, it was at least 3 sits ago. It was also on a different platform (that quite a few people on here use) where the categories are slightly different. If i had just a cleanliness category I think I would have dropped it to 1 (can we give 0?)
Thanks for clarifying it was on another platform @B1anca. Hopefully your comment and whatever rating you gave it had an impact on the owner to lift their game! No, think 1* is the lowest we can give.
I’m grateful to the folks leaving honest reviews. I just suggest you take photos before you start cleaning to protect yourself. I was recently in a similar situation and when I left an honest but kind review, they retaliated. Even though they’d left me a 5* review, within a couple days of them having access to my review they’d opened a complaint with MS about a bunch of damage they said I’d caused. None of which apparently existed before they read my review. Thankfully I had photos of how gross it was that I could display and I’d started a thread discussing the situation that I could forward to MS. I was cleared with no repercussions, but people can be vindictive, so protect yourselves.
I meant in my post that as a HO I leave my home for Housesitters in the same state of cleanliness as I would if I was renting my home out as an Airbnb… not how I would leave an Airbnb if I was a guest in one!
House sitting cannot be likened to an Airbnb experience, which carries no similar responsibilities or constraints. Such a statement simply illustrates a lack of understanding - or appreciation - of the mutual exchange ethos of THS. It’s rather patronising, IMHO.
I have to agree with this comment, though. Nobody forces us to house sit, and if some sitters cannot accommodate the reasonable requirement to leave homes as we find them - or better - then maybe this is not the lifestyle for them.
Responses on here surely go to prove the vast majority of sitters are conscientious regarding levels of cleanliness.
I tend to agree with Diane, if I leave the house as a HO in a perfect state to my sitter, I expect the same when i return and it’s mostly been the case. Recently I returned to a floor with crumbs all over the place and mud traces and I hesitated to put a 5 star. I still did because the sitters were really nice but then i thought that next time I won’t.
There is no end to cleaning. One last walk in the rain, and the sitter can start all over. Then the owner sees the mud. And not how happy the dog was on the walk.
“there is no end to cleaning” I think the dog was just an example for the point being cleaning up at the end involves a lot (bins, bathroom clean, bed sheets, clear out fridge etc) it’s probably easy to miss something.
@VanIsle that type of pettiness drives me nuts! So unreasonable & we’ve experienced ut too. I’d have been inclined to mention those reasons in a response to the review just to show them up!
