Your Airbnb host is not your maid
From dog housesitting to vacationing, treat their home like your own
Whenever my family would go to someone’s house for dinner, I dreaded the end of the meal. I could see the wheels in my mother’s brain churning away. She was already plotting where the dish liquid was, how many cabinets there were, what rags were available and how quickly she could start washing dishes at someone else’s home. And I always got dragged into helping her clean up, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. It was the most annoying way to spend time as a guest when all I really wanted to do was lean my head back on the couch pillows.
Also, when I’d go hang out at my grandparents’ home, I always noticed fresh towels in their second-floor bathroom. There were little plastic bins for Q-tips, a new tube of toothpaste, a fresh box of facial tissue and paper towels, and plenty of blankets. The linen was clean, and the laundry always seemed to be done. Even after my paternal grandmother passed away, my grandfather was a stickler for keeping those second-floor bedrooms and bathroom in tip-top condition.
These habits from my grandfather and my mother are embedded in my own brain as an adult. I can’t stand clutter (like my grandfather) and I must never leave someone’s home less clean than when I got there (like my mother). I used to never humor the idea of being an Airbnb host or guest, but considering I spent a total of nine days in my own home for the month of August, I’m coming around. My only hesitation about being an Airbnb host is this: I would want someone to treat my home like they’d treat their own (or better) — and that means treating their homes like my mother and grandfather treat theirs. That is my motto as a dogsitter and housesitter.
The dog comes first. When you’re housesitting for someone’s pets, the main goal at the meet-n-greet is to see if the dog likes you. If (s)he is hostile or just doesn’t seem to be into you that much, it’s time to roll out. For some dogsitters, maybe it’s fun to get a dog to warm up to you. Not me. I believe a dog is a good judge of character, but I love me too. If I can’t get that dog to be calm and cool around me within the first hour I’m there, I’d highly recommend cancelling the dog housesitting job. Do not risk your safety trying to make a few hundred dollars you’ll end up using in the emergency room.
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But in addition to befriending the dog, warming up to the owner and taking a casual tour to see what’s what, pay attention to how the home is currently being treated.
Decide whether you can tolerate a messy host’s home. If it’s a mess when you get there and you’re hearing apologies about how it’ll be clean by the time you come back, don’t expect it to be clean. The owner invited you over for a meet-n-greet in the first place, knowing full well you’d see the place. Be prepared to be in a home that’s a bit messy.
Recommended Read: “Dogsitting 101: How to sift through dogsitting gigs”