I dont expect them to do anything but whenever we have stayed somewhere and whenever we have had guests stay we/they have always washed before leaving the sit.
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Sheets tend to be easy. It’s the comforters, duvets, comforter covers, duvet covers and heavy blankets that take forever to dry especially. Even with a dryer, those can get bunched up and dry unevenly. Few homes have giant commercial dryers, which are best suited for drying bulky items.
It annoys me when sitters strip the bed, and leave the towels on the floor.
If there is a pile of sheets and towels on the laundry floor I have to deal with them immediately even if I’m exhausted, jetlagged, or travel sick, and the sheets have to be washed before I can do any laundry of my own. I ask if the bed can just be left tidy, and the towels hung to dry.
But as Cuttlefish said, my sitters will be in a spare room - not using the bed I’m hoping to tumble into immediately. It makes a difference.
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This thread (and many similar threads) just show how each and every sitter and home owner is different in what they expect.
COMMUNICATION.
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I have a guest bedroom for sitters & ask them to leave the bedding on. This is because I prefer to wash bedding the day before any guests arrive, so it’s nice and fresh. I have this in my welcome guide. Just put it in your welcome guide that you want the bedding washed & the bed made up again. But remember, the last day of the sit can be busy for the sitter, they have to clean the house and then often have early onward journeys. If they simply didn’t have time, is it any big deal for you to do?
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I take my own towels and tea towels etc with me, and then they come home with me to wash at my own home.
Regarding bedding, I will strip a bed and remake it with fresh beddding if it is left out.
I will not wash the bedding though if the drying facilities are not available, I will leave them neatly folded.
At my last sit in Spain, they had the facilities and I had the time so they were then washed and popped back on both beds.
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Nice reply 
Good reply
You chose them…your problem!
Be more careful in your interview and selection of sitters.
I don’t know about leaving the bed how they found it. I make up the bed but don’t want it made up with clean bedding for my return as the room is my spare bedroom and only get used for sitters and family. I would just have to strip it again.
As for the used bedding it depends on the weather. Mostly sitters wash everything and can get it out on the line to dry. In winter I tell them to just pile it neatly on the bed and I will do it when I get home.
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This topic has been discussed at great length in previous threads as well.
I think the consensus is that communication is key. If a homeowner does request that the beddings and towels be laundered then it will depend on the facilities and time available to the sitter.
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So they didn’t do a simple chore. What about the fact that your pets were taken care of? Isn’t that the main reason for this site?
Should they have made a better effort? Maybe. But it’s not a dealbreaker.
Edited to meet posting guidelines
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Another thought: This is a reason why there should be a simple Exit Checklist on the Welcome Guide that should cover stuff like this as it does vary a lot by homeowner preference. If it were written down and sitters could see it before a sit starts, they could discuss it with the homeowner. Easier for everyone.
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As a 5* sitter I’m really surprised by this post.
Sheets not dry and folded? How can they dry them if they are leaving the same day? Bed not made up for you? Really?
Most importantly was your pet happy and well cared for? Was your house as clean as you left it?
We are there to care primarily for your pets and leave your house as clean as we found it.
Unless an owner states that they want me to specifically do this then I would only strip the bed and put the sheets in the laundry. I wouldn’t rake through drawers looking for clean sheets. I also wouldn’t dream of washing someone’s sheets for all the reasons already spoken about in the comments.
All these petty complaints about sitters are making me anxious.
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@Savvysitter
Yes, some comments here make me anxious too… However there are some super picky comments from some sitters too… Lots of people have been using the forum to complain, however, in my experience most of us are easygoing and kind!
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As housesitters, we always ask the HO if they are happy for us to wash sheets and towels and either use dryer if available or hang on the line. Our practise to date has been to shower the night before we leave then wash towels. If a dryer is available we use it otherwise we hang towels on the line. We strip the bed and wash sheets the morning we leave and have hung on the line prior to departing. We have never had time to remake the bed and have never been asked to. In all our sits the HO have been happy with that process.
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I don’t see a way to edit my original post. Just want to clarify:
- The very first thing I said was that I should have been more clear. My fault.
- I had a second set of sheets they could have used. I did not intend for them to have to do laundry at all.
- I was annoyed about a bunch of things on the sit, and that irritation comes through in my original post, but it shouldn’t have. I really was looking for A read on the situation, which I got from many responses .
*I feel like this subject has been thoroughly covered now. It’s clear that I need to have a very clear check out guide. Thank you !
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@longhairlover - you can tag in @Carla to close the thread if you feel it has run it’s course.
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Hello @Carla and @Jenny I have been wanting to post as @Twitcher has but for your recent post of “we don’t close topics.”
So…is there an alternative for OP’s getting off the thread?
As you mentioned the Forum team won’t be closing discussions in most circumstances, linking our update here for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet.
We’d recommend that @longhairlover chooses the reply which best helped them, which they can do by clicking the tick box with “solution” beside it, which will show the chosen reply in a box on the original post.
In this case I’ll copy and paste their bullet points into the main post as well in case that helps save some time reading through the post as a whole.
Thanks for tagging us for more info!
Jenny
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