Hi @Stmarys
This is a genuine post from a real member of the community, who has come here for some advice 
anything posted by the Forum team is posted under our own names.
The Forum brings in a wide variety of owners and sitters from all walks of life, and I think itâs good that OP has asked the question, rather than just assuming. Hopefully theyâll have a look at everyoneâs replies and put the feedback to good use.
Jenny
I will happily water plants, but all the other jobs that you require are a no from me.
It would also be great @Jenny if more owner OPs in particular actually responded to advice given after posting a question which sadly doesnât always occur.
Thanks @Jenny for your input.
I realise that my replies were probably less than helpful. I can get triggered by some posts and respond in a sarcastic way. Better to stay silent sometimes, I know.
Anyway, I hope that the OP got the information she was looking for, even if it was not always worded politely.
Hi @temba
I hear you - hopefully OP will pop back when they can - itâs always great to see when people pop back to acknowledge any replies 
No worries @andrealovesanimals - we know that the Forum has more sitters than owners and youâre all passionate about what you do - so naturally, you want to make sure that other sitters are treated well. Sharing all that knowledge with owners helps them get things right 
I really hope @Dolly will pop back and let us know if the advice was useful, and it also looks like they did choose a âbest answerâ to the question
Hi everyone and thank you for all your comments, including those from the lynch mob 
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There has obviously been some misunderstanding regarding my post as we would never expect sitters to wash and iron their sheets on their day of departure nor remake the bed. It was just a question if they used spare ones from the linen cupboard that perhaps they could replace them as found.
As for the garden, it was just maybe 15 minutes every few days I was talking about, not hours of slave labour. Something perhaps to do on a summers evening with a glass of wine in hand 
.
The reason I first asked these questions is because we had some sitters who said to us we should ask sitters to do moreâŚSo there it is. I hope I havenât offended any of you.
My ironing with a glass of wine would be a very interesting experiment.. (Hope youâve got a large cupboard of spare bedding lol! )
Oh and a big fire blanket!
Please mention ironing in your requests up front.
Any old iron is my motto!
Crease is the word!
Loved your post ! So much kind hearted fun in the comments too! What a great bunch of sitters we are!
Thatâs great youâve responded @Dolly and clarified your original post as it certainly read that you expected sheets washed and ironed. Perhaps have another read of it, considering the number of responses you received as we all havenât misinterpreted it 
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If there was miscommunication here, then that points to another reason to avoid this sit, because good sits require good communications.
I think itâs been ironed out now Maggie8K
But I agree
Nothing can be too clear for me! Spell it out.
Nothing worse than getting the wrong end of the stick.. ask any Lab!
I think you may be better off getting a paid sitter, you have very high expectations, or consider a gardener and taking the bedding to a laundry.
I have watered and deadheaded plants, and picked fruit and veg in a garden. Iâve even cut up some of those veg and put them in the freezer for the host to enjoy. All of this took just a few minutes each day and I was happy to do it.
I once sat for a woman in England who ironed her sheets. She did not ask me to do so, and I did not do so. I draw the line at ironing sheets. My sister loves ironing. She would have been happy to do that. Not me.
Everyone is different. If itâs important to you, ask. There may be someone out there who enjoys doing it. Then again, when it comes to the ironing of linens, you could probably do it for yourself when you get back. You would still be getting wonderful pet care.
OhâŚI may have been your sitter!
I love your sense of humour! Hope we can meet one day - and hopefully when Iâm back at Cheltenham!
Read the latest response from @Dolly as she has clarified a few things
Absolutely Smiley! My humour is what I use when I need to let off some steam⌠sorry for the ironing pun! Itâs important to know exactly what is expected and required.. thatâs why I like the Welcome Guide to be detailed and up front. It saves so many problems later as Maggie8K says Communication is key!
Iâve got a sit to look forward to where the detail includes itâs my job to make a cup of tea shortly after the gardener arrives. He takes milk and one sugar.. this I totally accept as vital information as a British Sitter in the United Kingdom! The cleaner will also be visiting whilst I am in the establishment.. I havenât yet asked how many sugars she requires but itâs always good to have the odd question to show I have read about the minutiae.. no mention of what and how much to feed the animals ⌠but tea ceremony is up there with the Japanese.
âNowt like a good cuppa to settle the nerves of a swift handover! â
Not sure I will be asking where the iron is kept!
I think this thread should be entitled
Great Expectations or considering my ironing skills perhaps Bleak House
Looking forward to meeting my tribe in Cheltenham. You are loved! Please come in well ironed clothes.. I have my standards!
(Edited to meet posting guidelines)
The thing with any garden related tasks beyond watering the plants is, you probably want someone who knowâs what theyâre doing if youâre particular about your plants. If someone isnât used to gardening what if they do it wrong?
Iâd prioritise attracting applicants whoâll love and care for your pets, and anything thatâs additional to watering the plants get a gardener for. This is a petsitting website, not a garden sitting website
Absolutely true! I had the most stressful time when a huge palm in the conservatory got an infestation of aphid. I had to bathe the leaves individually and wipe each frond several times to eradicate the plague. I had to cut some very badly affected areas and I worried excessively about it. When the owner returned they hardly glanced at it as we had been in charge of 20 dogs in a large estate for several weeks.
My advice is keep the pets and house central.. plants are low on the list of priorities.
I do have green fingers but I keep them modestly in my pockets on housesits lol
It sounds like a job to me and i would not do a sit that i had to do work that a landscaping company would do for pay. And since we cant accept pay for house sitting you would have to ask the sitter if she would be interested in some extra work for pay. But dont tell anyone. That would be something between you and the sitter. Ive come across many posts that offer money for extra work on the platform. Some offers are to clean an Airbnbs.
Did you sit for me in April 2024?