I’m not afraid of insects or spiders, but tarantulas do freak me out. My first encounter with one was shortly after I had my house here in Mexico built. I was lying in bed at night reading when out of the corner of my eye I saw something on the wall next to me. It was a tarantula the size of my fist (and I have big hands) and was 4 inches from my face. I don’t think I’ve ever jumped out of bed that fast.
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The joke’s on me!
The guests had left early morning, the shades were closed and it was still dark when I entered their room to clean. Out of the corner of my eye I spied a creepy crawler and rushed off to get a newspaper. It looked like a CENTIPEDE ! and it was on the desk! I swatted the bejesus out of it, all the while thinking, “I’m glad the guests didn’t see this.” The creature still seemed to be stirring and hopping when I turned on the light to get a good look. OMG, it was a huge false eyelash—dead as a doornail!
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The real joke about my location is that there’s nothing funny about it. I live in an ordinary Midwestern Ohio suburban neighborhood. The only funny thing lately are the squirrels and chipmunks in our yard. At least the greyhound and I think they’re funny.
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Winston Salem, NC
Routinely a black bear wanders into a residential or commercial area. Not common but not uncommon.
I often hear coyotes (coy wolf kind) yipping. I live in a densely populated area
They’ve found evidence mountain lions have returned to the uwarrie mountains (1 hour drive)
Even in my neighborhood , I carry pepper spray when walking dogs. When dad had his farm, I carried a pistol.
I do too! We are in a neighborhood of 14 houses, out in the middle of nowhere. Hiking =s walking deer trails and forestry roads. We love it but you gotta be smart. There is definitely something bigger than you in the woods at all times.
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I was in bed in Yelapa, Mexico and there was a small white scorpion within inches! They say those are the ones with the most strong sting!
This reminds me of our honeymoon in Ireland. Traffic jam = sheep in the road. Adorable 
A few years ago, two vultures took up residence on K Street in Washington, DC – the address of choice for high-priced lobbyists.
. Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)
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I get what you’re saying, but I still think they should be told and given a opportunity to address it. There might be situations where the host had a new cleaner who was lax (and the host could be one of those people who aren’t detail oriented and wouldn’t even notice the dirty bits if they did an inspection). Or if they are an off-site host with self check-in I could imagine a scenario where the cleaner never showed up and they were unaware of that.
YES! I had the same reaction. Ewwww—I was also more freaked out that it was a false eyelash than a centipede! Terrifically thankful that I found it and not the next guest.
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LOL LOL! I hit that “centipede” (ahem, fake eyelash) so hard it was hopping across the desk! So funny what we do in that brief second of time. 
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Oh, I wasn’t specifically referring to the disgusting toilet, but in general about the type of people who don’t even seem to notice if something isn’t clean. In this particular case, I totally understand and agree that since he was a onsite host who actually lives in the house himself, he should be on top of the cleaning and shouldn’t need to be told that a filthy toilet, bathtub or hot tub are unacceptable to present to guests, regardless of whether those things are immaterial to him when he is there alone.
I share my kitchen with guests and when I don’t have guests, I can be a bit lax about letting dirty dishes pile up, or not wiping a greasy stovetop right away, but I make sure it’s spotless when I have a guest arriving. Guests will overlook a lot of things that aren’t perfect, but grunginess isn’t one of them.
I actually only make sure the kitchen is spotless when guests are due to arrive. First impressions and all. Once they’re in residence, I tell them I’m not the kind of person who jumps up and washes the dishes immediately after I eat- I basically let a sink full pile up on the counter and wash them all at once (I don’t have a dishwasher). And I’ll often tell a guest, if I already have a pile there, to just leave their dirty coffee cup with the rest, one more thing isn’t any big deal. Sometimes guests will wash mine if they’re washing a meal’s worth of their own. I get pretty relaxed guests who tend to behave more like good roommates.
I stay more on top of it if I have a guest who likes to cook a lot, so they have a clean kitchen to work in, than if it’s a guest who eats out all the time and only uses the kitchen to keep some beer in the fridge, make coffee, or get some water.
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I was in the ASU infirmary for over a week after being bitten by one near Scottsdale. It was not pleasant. I was told I could have died.
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Yes, those little almost transparent ones pack a big wallop. There are those type and larger brown ones where I live. I got stung on the base of my thumb by a little one a couple years ago and it took 4 months for the feeling to work its way back up to the tip of my thumb. It was totally numb for about 2 months.
Spot on. My slogan for cleaining is “Clean like new”.
Does it look new? No? Then its not clean.
Particularly something like a toilet. Most are very easy to clean like new. Porcelain ones anyway.
But I also have to say, there are some people that simply cannot see dirt. They will clean a bathroom and leave toothpaste droppings on the chromework, spider webs around the cieling and mold in the shower.
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Mine is “if it can shine, it should shine”. I polish everything within an inch of its life. 
