I wouldn’t iron sheets if you paid me!
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This is not at you, just in general…
The site is called
Trusted house sitters
Not
Trusted house servants
I say this because I’ve seen sits that pretty much sound like an ad for multiple things in one very free and unevenly exchanged footing such as:
Groundskeeper
Gardener (not talking about light work either…)
Pool maintenance
Pet walker/groomer
Airbnb host
Snow removal service
Farmhand
Etcetcetc.
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You can ask but you will be eliminating a huge portion of reliable great sitters who will consider those asks red flags and pass on your sit. I have never ironed sheets in my life, We always wash and replace linen and many times I’ve heard such appreciation from homeowners for doing that. I am also not a gardener, I am there for the animals, we would certainly Not mind watering a few things but being asked to prune etc. I believe for most of us would be over the top.
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This is the way it’s going in many sitters’ responsibilities .. and it makes the sit a tightrope experience where the pets get much less attention and the sitter is a nervous wreck rather than a relaxed dog or cat uncle or auntie!
I said to someone not a pet sitter, I think I’m turning into Victor Meldrew or maybe the female equivalent Victoria Meldrew! I’m expecting to be thrown out of the forum shortly for my acidic comments! But really I wonder what planet some Home Owners live on!
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The last time I used one of those things was practicing the hammer throw for the olympics,nearly got it across the lake.
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I don’t beliiieeeve it! 
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Hello! Personally I’d be very happily to do the garden bits. We have often mowed and strimmed at our sits. My husband and I have been sitting for about seven years and I’m very house proud myself. However I would not want to iron sheets! We always strip them and put them in the wash before we leave the house. I think the ironing part would put lots of folks off tbh…
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If these were your expectations, we would not apply to your sit. If you had it listed on your ad, we would not apply. If you told us in person, day of the sit, we would grudgingly do it, but would not be happy and definitely mention it in your review.
THAT being said, IF we take care of a house with plants and a garden, I always go overboard and prune/deadhead whatever is necessary. Being told to do something is completely different than wanting to do it.
If you want sitters to iron the sheets after they stay, THS might not be for you…this sounds like you would appreciate a paid sitter more.
Now if you don’t have any animals to tend to, then yes, we would probably still take you sit if you mention the gardening tasks…but the ironing of sheets is VERY off-putting.
,
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Probably. I just think the people I sit for would never ask a family member or friend to wash and remake the bed and they treat their sitters the same way.
I have sat in both Canada and the US.
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Newspapers used to be ironed to stop the black printing ink rubbing off on posh people’s hands….apparently poor people didn’t mind inky fingers 
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Yup, they mentioned that on “Downton Abbey.”
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No, I’ve only been on the site as of this year, so must have been someone else who also folds fitted sheets. I just thought your comment was funny, as I had a HO once who was very vocal about how impressed she was with my fitted-sheet-folding technique 
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I’m thinking of opening a finishing school for wantabe Pet Sitters .. obviously gardening, chauffeuring, ironing, pet food cooking from scratch, DIY skills course would all be on the curriculum. Life saving skills, pill administration, infected ear ointment application, grooming and washing of pets…
.Can anyone suggest other areas of expertise I need to cover to produce a highly desirable sitter as the end product?
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Literally - I was just on the internet yesterday trying to look up schools that teach how to become a certified dog trainer. I thought how useful it could be on my sits…and I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to list on my profile, for those highly competitive applications! 
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Following I’d love to know what I’m doing! Seriously I think that should have been my career and not teaching English at Secondary Level!
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We have done both sides of THS. We have no pets so we specifically advertise for someone to look after our garden (we open it for the National Garden Scheme) so our need is for someone to water and brush up outside paths and sonme deadheading approx 90 minutes a day. Our gardener would still come in to do the serious gardening. We would never ask anyone to use power tools. We specifically ask for people experienced in these tasks.
On the other side when we are doing a sit, I am happy to water house plants and bits around the garden but given I spend most of my time not sitting gardening it’s nice to have a break from serious gardening and to spend time with furry creatures.
Re the sheets I like crisp ironed cotton bedlinen but we send ours to the laundry. I always take bedlinen with us on sits and use our own so I put the owners back on before we leave. Would THS / or home owners house insurance even cover sitters using power tools.
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You are expecting far too much. A petsitter isn’t a gardener or ironing lady. At best expect plants to be watered, bed stripped and put in washer, and house left clean and tidy with happy pets. If you want ironing done and full on gardening, you should pay for someone to do this but I doubt if many sitters on THS would apply. The fact that you want your bed linen ironed would imply that you’re going to be over fussy about other things too and best suited to a paid sitter.
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I always strip the bed but never wash the sheets, partly because there isn’t time to dry them on the day I leave and partly because I assume the HO will have their own washing to do when they get home and will want the washer/dryer. It is also better to air the bed for a few hours.
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People have their own ideas on the best wash programme etc so I only risk my own stuff in the washer..
as a guest at friends’ places I wouldn’t wash the sheets either!
Please get a grip ! Or use a laundry service!
Maybe I will be bringing my sleeping bag next so I can be totally footprint free!
Don’t sitters have a right to be happy and relaxed at your place or is it just you?
I could just sleep in my Campervan as the last option before I QUIT!
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Exactly! Post must be 10 characters