Updated: JAN 3rd – Patty
HOUSE NOTES:
ARRIVAL
Reminder to pro-actively text me within 15 minutes of arriving at a property and let me know the status of the house and spa and if anything is a problem.
PLANTS
All the house plants & patio plants need a little more water regularly they seem a bit dehydrated. Also make sure to water the plants on master balcony. It might be a good idea if we start marking on the calendar in garage when the plants were watered so we can keep better track of it. I removed plant on kitchen counter because it was not looking great.
+ If you think we need a second watering can to keep upstairs let me know.
FIREPLACE
The heat stove is not an optional thing for guests it is the MAIN way the SW is heated. So EVERY GUEST in the winter is going to use the fireplace. It’s imperative that they have all the supplies needed to do that.
+ To make a fire you need a long plastic disposable lighter. There should always be 2 or 3 of them in house. When we arrived for XMAS all three were dead and needed to be replaced. So test the long plastic lighters regularly and replace frequently. We have a box of them in garage.
+ Also critical to make sure we have about 10-14 pieces of fatwood in kindling box. It’s stored in bottom shelf of work bench of the garage.
WINDOWS
The windows in living room need to be cleaned for fingerprints etc. more frequently. They were really dirty with hand and face prints all over them. It’s hard to see in the middle of the day, but they looked pretty frightening in early morning light.
We have a window washer come out quarterly, but they need to be cleaned by hand on regular turnovers.
+ If they are looking particularly bad let me know. We have a squeegee and bucket especially for window washing.
PANTRY
clean and curate pantry regularly:
EXAMPLES:
Only need (1) red wine vinegars not (6) open ones – Get rid of duplicates
We don’t need coffee filters out coffee maker does not require them
Remove opened bags of flour, sugar etc guest leave. I don’t want to attract bugs or rodents with open things.
Guests leave a lot of random things in pantry that need to be removed.
Make sure green tea stocked as well as the black. The green is more popular and needs to be refreshed.
+ If you are not sure if something should be in the pantry ask me.
+ We should probably make a checklist of what goes in the pantry.
KITCHEN
Make sure scissors are in the knife block every turnover
A lot of empty slots in the knife blocks — are the knives missing? Knife blocks should be full.
Knives were extremely dull and hard to use. We need to get them sharpened ASAP.
We should always have a 1/2 dozen fresh sponges in kitchen under sink
Sponges should be thrown away after use. I keep finding sponges that look like they have been through washing machine. Guests should always have BRAND NEW sponges to use.
Should always be a 1/2 full container of dishwasher pods
The ketchup was almost empty — replace condiments when they are less than 1/2 full
Check for expired condiments regularly
Don’t unplug the coffee maker and tea pot, etc. – if you unplug them to clean plug them all back in
Lot of marks on cubby in kitchen wall – try to clean with magic eraser
Lower rack on dishwasher was broken and not rolling properly on track- if you notice things like this let me know so we can get it fixed. I put on Bill’s list.
We need to be careful not to leave poisonous things in cabinets under sinks — children play in the house. Most cleaning supplies should be stored in the garage and brought in each turnover by the housekeeper.
Don’t leave steel wool pads in house – we DO NOT want guests using them on anything
Over mitts should go in drawer directly below the cook top. On top of kitchen tools so easy to find.
LIVINGROOM
Corner of living room where big plant is by glass sliding door is chronically really dirty – need to get into that corner better to clean, if needed push plant out of the way to do it
The track to the big sliding door needs to be regularly vacuumed with a shop vac. Both indoors and outdoors. It’s full of sandy and sticky. This needs urgent attention.
OPIUM DEN
saucer under plant in Opium den needs to be washed and put through dishwasher regularly – looks crusty
Big beaded owl is missing? Where is it?
Hanging chair (Both SW & BT) – the big pink pillows always goes in front. The two rear pillows should not match. DO NOT use matching pillows behind the pink pillows. All three pillows should be different.
Magazines – do not push stacks of magazines up against outlets. Fire hazard.
Check wall by hanging chair regularly for marks. Frequently marks from chair banging into wall, show prints, etc. I I magic erased the wall.
FOYER / PORCH
Threshold (metal strip on floor) of main door to house chronically dirty looking. It needs to be wiped down with a wet sponge every turnover
The lanterns and flashlights on credenza in foyer need to be tested every turnover and charged when needed,