While We're Away · A Tag For Every Task
House Care
Guide

Nine tags, in order. Tap the circle on each one to mark it done — your progress tracks at the top of the list on the left.

Before You Leave — Call Us
We want to help pick a wine from the stash for them — call before you go. Jump to Tag 09 →
On Your Way In
01  Sweet Welcome

Stop by the Russian store on the way home. Pick out a fresh box of zefir or Polish jelly candies. Leaving on the dining table beside the key and WIFI passoword

First Look
02  Walkthrough

Walk through the whole house and get a real sense of how clean and orderly it is — we'll want your honest read on it for our review.

Outside
03  Garden Drink-Up

Yes, it's been raining — do it anyway. Give the front pots a proper soak, and empty a few full watering cans into each vegetable bed. Don't hold back.

Laundry · Step 1
04  Strip & Sort
Beds — your room + Marfa's room
Strip the beds
  • Take the sheets off, if that hasn't already been done — duvet covers too, if they used them.
  • Pillows only need the outer pillowcase removed — some are double-cased to keep them clean underneath.
Check for stains first

Lay each sheet flat on the floor under good light and look it over. Anything stained gets pretreated with grandma's secret stain remover.

Sort the load

Sheets from your room and from Marfa's room are a small enough pile to wash together — one load covers both.

Laundry · Step 2
05  Wash Cycle
Detergent — settings — towels
2
Blue scoops liquid detergent
4
Scoops powder stain remover

Both go straight into the bottom of the drum, not the dispenser drawer.

Washer settings
  • Hot water
  • Regular cycle
  • Fine to load it full — just don't pack it tight
Towels & kitchen towels
  • Same settings as above
  • Adjust the water level if it's a smaller load
  • Dry on high heat until fully dry
Don't know the count

No telling how many towels they went through — the load may not be full, and that's fine. Just match the water level to what's actually in the drum.

Laundry · Step 3
06  Dry & Press
Two ways to finish the sheets
Option A

Dry the sheets fully in the machine, then run an iron over whatever came out very wrinkled.

Option B — preferred

Dry for just 10–15 minutes, then hang on the rack and smooth flat by hand, the way we do. Straightened this way, they dry flat — no iron needed.

If you do iron
  • Pillowcases, always
  • Maybe the edge of the flat sheet that folds over the blanket
  • Iron setting: cotton
Laundry · Step 4
07  Set The Beds
Fresh queen set — white cloth box under our bed
Find the clean set

It's in the white cloth box under our bed, at the foot end — pull the box out and take the set out of it.

Dirty Queen sheets fold into a laundry busket.

fold flat sheet over throw
white → wall
colour → front
throw
1

Fitted sheet on first, pulled tight at every corner.

2

Flat sheet on top — fold the foot end under the mattress.

3

White pillows go against the wall; colour pillows sit in front of them.

4

Lay the throw over the top of the flat sheet.

5

Fold the top edge of the flat sheet back down over the throw.

Before They Arrive
08  Final Sweep
Tap each item as you check it
Bins — lined and empty
Your bathroom
Our bathroom
Kitchen
Your room
Marfa's room
Everywhere else
FridgeWiped down and clean
RecyclingNothing left behind
Keys + instructionsBoth out on the dining table
Kitchen & dining tablesClear and clean
Tablecloth

If it's marked or dirty, swap it for a fresh one.

On Your Way Out
09  Lock Up
Last two things
Call before you leave
We want to help pick a wine from the stash for them — nothing that stands out in memory, just something decent that isn't overpriced. Call us first.
Then, heading out
  • Roll the garbage can out to the curb.
  • Leave it unlocked when you go.