Text sent to House Sitter

Hi Housesitter,

I’d like to start by saying thank you for caring for our cat. He was a happy camper when we arrived home, and the chickens seem to be doing fine.

However, there are many things I am disappointed by and perplexed to discover upon our return home. Some are clearly differences in each of our personal cleanliness styles (We did not expect to have to spend an entire day cleaning our house upon our return), and others are what I can only call oversteps, on your part, of what a paid housesitter reasonably should/shouldn’t  be doing:

I left a puzzle on the table whose edges were complete. Why are the edges no longer complete? Who does that? And why?

The kitchen counters and stovetop look like you wiped them down with a dirty sponge. The sink was filthy, and had dirty dishes in it despite the dishwasher being inches to its left. The fridge, dishwasher and microwave faces needed cleaning. The inside of the microwave was full of spills.The kitchen floor had spills left on it, as well as a green candy and food under the island and sink cabinet. We have discovered, today, that two fry pans and one pot were put away dirty with crusted food on them. The dishes were put away without a thought to where you found them. The pendants over the kitchen island were ‘turned.’ Why? When I clean them I leave them lined up with each other. This is not how they were when we returned. The Apple charger was moved from the island outlet  to the bathroom, and not returned. A cleaver was taken out of its sheath and forced into a place in the knife drawer where it didn’t fit. The handle of my big serrated knife, which I’ve had for 45-years, is cracked as if it was dropped on the floor. It will cost $110 – $120 to replace as it’s no longer safe to use.

The guest bedroom’s door was left ajar, but locked. When we closed the door, it therefore locked. Good thing we had a key to it. You did not put a fan away… a burled wood bowl with an antique Native American basket were placed on the floor, and I get to reprogram the clock radio as you unplugged it.

The guest bathroom’s glass sink is gross.

A pink pipe of some sort was left on the BBQ, with an orange lighter. Sloppy. The dining room door to the deck was left unlocked. 

Throw blankets in the dining room were moved. Yeah, it’s ok to use them elsewhere, but return them to where you found them.

I found a Navajo rug on the floor of the billiard room. This is a valuable textile. Fine for the back of the couch, but not to be walked on by humans. 

The downstairs bathroom has pee dribbles in front of the toilet and the tub is full of hair. 

The fabric dust cover for my sound board, which lives in the closet off my office (what the hell were either of you doing in there?) was removed, and it is clear that other components of my PA gear were moved. A Mac trackball was left on Gordon’s desk, moved from the pile of his folks’ computer stuff where it was behind his chair. There’s no harm in looking around, or using Gordon’s desk, but why wouldn’t you put things back where they came from?

Two windows were opened in the atrium. This is a space we keep heated this time of year. So, this leaves the house unsecure, and we’re paying to heat Mukilteo. And why is there what appears to be a pizza box on the ground outside the chicken’s enclosure? Was it too much trouble to throw it in the recycle bin? The bird seed and suet were empty upon our return.

Something was spilled on the top or the dryer (coffee? Tea?) and across its knobs, and left. The dryer lint trap looked as though it wasn’t cleaned in four loads ~a  fire hazard. 

Housekeeper, some of these issues are relatively minor, and taken by themselves would be no big deal.  But the cumulative effect demonstrates a startling lack of respect for our home and belongings.