How to Prepare for Your First Home Swap

Are you getting ready for your first Kindred home swap? To support first-time hosts, we've created a step-by-step guide on how to prep your home for a smooth swapping experience.

Things to keep in mind

Before we jump into our prep checklist, we have a few tips.

Don't stress!

Kindred members know this is your home, not a vacation rental. Don't worry about having clothes in your closets, pictures on your walls, or stuff in your drawers.

Start getting ready the day before you leave to avoid feeling rushed. Give yourself ample time to decide what you'll leave out or put away. Once you get the hang of it, prepping for guests should take less than an hour, depending on the size of your home.

Focus on de-cluttering, not cleaning

It's tempting to start cleaning as you prep, but resist the urge! Focus on tucking away any unnecessary clutter and personal items. Our cleaners will leave your home spotless before your guests' arrival and after their departure.

Use your Kindred Host Kit

Before your guests arrive, you'll receive a Kindred Host Kit from us with the following:

• A lockbox for your house keys
• Toiletries, towels, bathmats, sheets, and duvet covers for your guests
• A new sponge for the kitchen
• Sticky notes for guest communication, including privacy stickers for off-limits drawers, cabinets, and closets

Room-by-room prep guide

Here's a helpful checklist to prepare each room in your home for guests. You can use our "Privacy Please" stickers and sticky notes throughout your home to provide guidance for guests as needed.

Bathroom

Clear the bathroom counter of any personal items, including toothbrushes, floss, medications, and mouthwash. Leave out hand soap. Hand lotion and decorative items are fine to leave, too.

• Remove everything from the shower. We provide toiletries!
• Store your towels and bathmat. We also provide these items for your guests.
• Please check to make sure there's a full roll of toilet paper, and a backup roll easily available.

Bedroom

• Put away clothes and shoes in dressers or closets.
• It's okay to keep decorative items or photos on your dressers or tabletops.
• If you're able, we recommend providing a drawer or some hanging space in your closet for your guests, particularly for stays longer than a week. Use a Kindred sticky note to tell guests what they can use.

Kitchen

• Remove perishable food from the refrigerator that could spoil while you're away.
• Put our "Privacy Please" stickers on cabinets containing items you don't want your guests to use (e.g., your liquor cabinet).
• Use Kindred sticky notes to share any non-obvious instructions (e.g., "Please hand wash these glasses" or "Garbage disposal is broken").
• Place the fresh sponge from your Host Kit by the sink.

Living spaces

• Put any personal items and clutter away in closets or drawers (e.g., computer chargers, papers, packages, children's toys). It's okay to leave out decorative items.
• Use the Kindred sticky notes to share any non-obvious instructions (e.g. "Gas key for fireplace is in top drawer").

It's normal to have questions when embarking on your first home exchange, and we're here to help every step of the way. Every Kindred member is assigned a dedicated concierge to answer all your questions about home swapping. We're committed to ensuring your home exchange experience is magical!

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