When you start housesitting you need to remember you are staying in someone’s home. With that in mind we have prepared a short article with some tidying up tips for house sitters. Read on to learn more.

Tidying up tips for house sitters

You’re watching a home for a homeowner host, and you are worried that it’s untidy. However, you should leave i as neat as possible before they come back. Whether you’re working professionally or as an exchange of services through a platform like Housesitmatch, try to leave a good impression. But how do you make sure that everything is up to par in the house before handing it back over?

Here are some tips for house sitters to help you think about keeping the house is in order. Keep a record of how you found the home. This will help you return the home to the standards of the homeowner.

Take out the trash

Even if the trash only has a little garbage in it, you will need to empty it. Pull the bags out of each trash can, making sure you are not forgetting any of the bins in the home. This way, you avoid leaving behind any unpleasant rubbish or smells. What smells okay today may not smell so good tomorrow, so it is better to be safe than sorry. No one likes to see anyone else’s trash in their home. Remove all the rubbish to ensure a clean and tidy home.

When you empty the trash, be sure to check for anything that needs to be wiped down ore recycled. Some of the garbage may have spilled out when you put it into the bin so wipe around the bins. 

Check curtains and furniture for movement

What did you move out of place that should be put back before you leave? You probably picked up all the items that belonged to you and took care of the dirty dishes, but did you forget about any furniture that you might have moved? What about the curtains- did you put them back just the way you found them? Everything should be as it was left before you go there, so look at each curtain and each piece of furniture carefully. Decide if they need to be moved back or if they are still in the right position. It’s the little things that make a big difference on people’s comfort and happiness levels.

Consider a professional cleaning

If there is too much to tidy up, you may want to have the professionals come in and clean for you. They can clean much faster and better than you and having them handle this part of the tidying can leave you to sort out other tasks that need to get done before the owners return. Just be sure to check the house after the cleaners from Las Vegas or wherever you live are done with their work. They might have moved some things out of their original location that should be moved back in place. This is a great option if you are in a time crunch or you don’t feel up to the task of cleaning everything yourself.

Make the dishes shine

One of the most important clean-up tasks you can do before you leave is to ensure that all of the dishes are cleaned up. You might have used paper plates and plastic forks while you were sitting for the owners, and in that case, there should not be much to tidy up in the kitchen. Make sure the counter and sink are perfectly spotless before you head out. If you did use their dishes, though, you should clean them well and then dry them too so there isn’t any work for the owners to do. Even if they have a dishwasher you can use, you still ought to put the dishes in their assigned locations to make things easier on the owners.

Check for security and safety

One of your responsibilities as a house sitter is to make sure that the home stays secure while you are there. If you won’t be handing the house back over to the owners directly, then make sure you lock up everything before you leave out. Check doors and windows with care, making sure you don’t miss any. Even check the ones you didn’t use while you were there, as the owners might not have secured them properly.

Also check for any safety or tripping hazards. Any cleaning tools that are out of place or toys that are not put away can cause tripsand falls. Take this part of your job seriously, since falls are the leading cause of death for the elderly.

Make sure there is enough space to walk between items of furniture. Plus clean up any spills that you find. Ensure every item is stored away neatly, even if it wasn’t that way when you came to the house. The owners will expect that their home will be tidy and safe for them when they get back, so be sure to meet and even exceed that expectation.

Launder bedding and towels

Did you use and dirty any towels or bedding while you were watching the house? Well you will need to clean these as well. It’s only polite. In fact this is one of the most important tidying up tips for house sitters.

Remember, no one wants to sleep on the used linen or to find used towels strewn around the house. Just as you would expect clean towels and bedsheets on your arrival at a housesit or hotel so you should prepare the home. The homeowners expect their bedding and bathroom laundry to be clean on their return. It’s not a bad idea to clean all of the linen and towels in the house before they return. This is whether you used them all or not. This will give the owners a clean-smelling, fresh home to welcome them.

Welcome gift of flowers or groceries

Always ensure you leave a token of thanks for the homeowner. If they left you milk, fruit and bread in the fridge return the favour. Some housesitters like to leave a bouquet of flowers, it’s a wonderful welcome home gesture.

Tips for house sitters in summary

Think about how you would like to be treated as a host. That will help you organise the home nicely for the owners. What touches would they appreciate? And what would make them want to ask you to come back and offer your services again? Preparing for the homeowne’s return you go through the house making a detailed list.  Look at what needs to be done before they return.Time your preparation so that that home is ready in time.

Further reading about housesitting and housesitters

At Housesitmatch.com we like to share useful blogs and practical advice about housesitters, housesitting and pet sitting. We hope you find this small selection of our blogs on house sitters useful.

Housesitters keep pets safe at home and save money

What a housesitter does – Top 10 responsibilities

Preparing a home for a house or pet sitter