It depends what time your leaving for train flight etc if I can I do but always strip bed before I go.
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Thereâs so much information to communicate during a handoff, whether virtual or in-person, and no structured way of delivering it. I find the specific details of day-to-day management missing from the guide. Trash day, (if there is one) where to put the can, where to find the replacement bags⌠all stuff you take for granted when itâs your own home.
Sometimes homeowners have handwritten notes at the house, which is nice, but sometimes I feel like I have to give the homeowner the third degree just to find out how theyâd like me to take care of their home!
I wish there was a multiple choice style questionnaire, so that homeowners could say, in this case :
Bedding:
A. Leave the bed as is, when you leave
B. Strip the sheets It pillowcases, leave in the laundry room
C. Put used sheets in the washer, and run it, using the hot/linens setting and one scoop of detergent. Homeowner will put in the dryer upon return
D. Wash and dry sheets, but no need to remake bed
E. Wash and dry sheets, and remake the bed for the next guest.
The output format comes out like a paragraph, so it just reads as if the person wrote the instructions out.
When I was doing dog sitting on Rover.com, I made a page on my own website just for this, asking pet owners how to care for their pets, and Itâs a very efficient way of making preferences understood, while being pretty easy for them to fill out! Yes, It looks like a lot of reading but itâs pretty obvious that the more extreme, complete, finalized answers are always the last one.
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A trick is to not totally dry them! Iron while slightly damp and it is so much easier.
I guess thatâs why so many Airbnb hosts put polyester or poly-blend sheets on guest beds-- so they donât have to iron them. /eyeroll
Iâd rather sleep on wrinkled sheets than feel like Iâm suffocating and get poor sleep.
I just completed my first sit and I just tidied up where I was like the room I stayed in & the bathroom and toilet that I used. I had to leave at 10am so didnât put the washing on for the sheets and bedding but let them know they were used. I did wash the towels that were used and the hand towels.
There is a really long thread here on âsheets and towelsâ that shows a wide variety of preferences among HOs regarding washing sheets.
Iâve only done 3 sits and I washed the sheets and remade the bed each time. Some HOs donât want that, however. It is probably something to be discussed with a HO before the sit.
Your post has reminded me to make sire that my Welcome Guide (as HO) explains my preference.
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I offer my very clean Airbnb to sitters.
The bed is made up with clean sheets and blankets and a duvet.
Inevitably, I come back and either they didnât have time to wash the sheets or make up the bed and dirty sheets are left in front of the washing machine. Iâm not the maid.
Am I doing too much for my HouseSitters.???
I spend a day preparing the space and I expect to find it the way I left it.
Only one sitter made the bed and left it like I face except that . She did short out the electricity and the fridge full of bugs.!
With Airbnb none of these things happened.
There was a cleaning fee for the sheets and towels and a clean place.
Am I doing too much for the HouseSitters ?
What do other people do ?
Personally, I always try to wash and dry the bed linen and towels before I leave. Usually the bed is also made up. However, recently I looked after a wonderful dog in a sparkling clean house. The bed linen had obviously been ironed before put on the bed. I washed and dried them and left them neatly folded on the bed. I refuse to iron anything!
We actually travel with our own bed linen and towels. If we have an early start when leaving I change the bed to our own and wash and dry the owners sheets etc the day before we leave. It saves so much hassle.
I think most of the pet sitters wash and dry the linen they have used.
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We wash sheets and hang up for drying but donât make the bed. A lot of times weâre in a guest room or thereâs no time for the sheets etc. to dry (it usually does take a full day). We also know that a lot of HOs donât use the same sheets as their guests. Imagine coming home and the bed is made but now you need to strip everything and make the bed again.
I usually ask the homeowner what they want me to do about the bed linen. More often than not they tell me just to leave it and theyâll sort it out. I often think itâs probably because they will be wanting to get their holiday clothes straight into the machine and donât want wet sheets hanging on the line when they are wanting to get their own stuff dry.
Sometimes they will ask me to strip the bed and leave the sheets in the laundry basket. Sometimes they will have left a set of linen for me to make up their bed for them. Sometimes I do strip the bed, wash the sheets and hang them out to dry.
I donât think anyone has ever asked me to strip, wash, dry, iron, and remake the bed before I leave, in most cases that wouldnât even be possible. If someone is leaving early for a flight there simply wouldnât be time.
I know, in some countries people only dry their clothes in a dryer but in other places itâs not so common.
If itâs something that you really feel is an absolute necessity maybe add it to your listing, or discuss it prior to offering the sit to people. That way it is clear and if the sitters are not going to be able to do it then they can decline the sit.
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Communication definitely is key. If itâs important to you that the bed is made when you arrive, you can mention it in your listing (and provide fresh sheets, since there might not be time for the used ones to dry). We have also seen a listing recently that said that they very looking for an âexceptionally cleanâ sitter, but although we do our very best it would be make us uncomfortable to stay in a place where that seems to be the top priority (and the HO also gave a couple of bad reviews to previous sitters for minor things that they missed). Traveling with sheets is just impossible for us, we are already carrying all our possessions with us and donât have a car.
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Hi @MicheleM Iâm going to move your post to a thread about this topic ⌠having perspectives from both owners and sitters is such important content.
Are you providing a 2nd set of clean linens for them to put on the bed? If so, just say âThese are for you to put on when you leave and you can put the others in the wash.â
I am rarely around long enough for a wash and dry cycle and most HOs I know donât want me to start the wash because they want to be able to put their stuff in when they get home and prefer to just wash my linens when itâs convenient for them. Also with many places I stay Iâm in a guest room that isnât frequently used so they donât want fresh linens put on as theyâll just get dusty. Are you giving them instructions that theyâre not following or are you just expecting them to know your expectations? They should ask, ideally, but you should also tell people if there is something you want them to do, not just expect itâll get done.
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I have to look at the guidebook again to see where I can write this. They rarely remember what I tell them.
Ive decided to never fully make the bed up as i would hate the HO to unknowingly take the linen off & rewash it!
Always wash & either dry or leave out on a dryer. I try & put the bottom sheet on if its dry.
I often dont find there would be time to fully re make the bed.
Pet responsibilities & making sure house is at least as clean as you found it are more important to us.
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If you want the sitter to do that, then ask for it in advance. Usually I would just strip and make the bed and put the used linens in the laundry. Most HO are fine with this. I donât do any washing unless they ask me to and give me instructions. I donât try to wash the sheets as they might need to be washed with special care and I might have ruined it without knowing it.
**Admin notice post moderated
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I also recommend printing out instructions so theyâre handy vs having to dig up the guide online each time.
As always, the key is communication. Discuss your wishes with your sitters beforehand, leave the same instructions in your Welcome Guide, and be as polite as possible in your wording. Some sitters, especially if they are new at it, do not realize this is expected, but good sitters should try to leave the home as they found it.
I always ask the HO if they would like me to wash and dry my linens and remake the bed before I leave (when there are no time constraints, of course). Some people want this, some donât, and some have their own instructions that theyâd like you to follow.
AND, I leave a clear note on departure, so the HO knows what was washed, what if anything was not washed, if the linens on the bed have been washed, if the bed has been remade with them and if not, where the clean linens have been placed, etc. etc.
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I always leave a spare set of linen and towels.
I have absolutely no problem with washing linen and towels used by a sitter when they leave, because they have looked after my home and dog so lovingly.
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Now I will ask sitters how they would like their bed made up before their arrival so it will suit their preferences.
For me it would be no problem for sitters to leave sheets and towels by the washing machine in the laundry room.
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