The house will be clean and tidy for your arrival.
My housekeepers are set to do a quick linen changeover and check of the house after guest departure, not spend hours of work cleaning up.
In the spirit of 'self-catering' it will thus be greatly appreciated if you can leave the house as you found it and have a good clean and tidy of the place before you go.
It can all seem like a bit of a mad dash on morning of departure, so I'd recommend making an early start, and leaving yourself plenty of time get this done.
Bins
Do not put loose unbagged rubbish directly into the wheelie bin.
When tidying up on the morning of your departure, make emptying the kitchen bin and putting tied up bin liner in the outside wheelie bin one of your final tasks.
This will help avoid the temptation of throwing last minute found leftovers and scraps elsewhere, such as loose in the wheelie bin, or in the kitchen bin, which should otherwise be empty for next guests.
You should find the house clean and kitchen bin empty when you arrive. If you want residual waste taken away during your stay, note that the outside wheelie bins are collected every second Thursday morning. Check for the neighbours leaving similar bins out Wednesday night /Thursday morning, and leave the wheelie bin out by the roadside. Note that there is a separate organic waste collection, distinct from the residual waste collection, for which I do not have an appropriate bin.
Linen
Clean linen and towels will be provided, including all bedding, with spare duvets and extra blankets in the house if you need them.
Guests are kindly requested to put bed sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases in the machine and kick-off a 40C wash on morning of their departure.
Towels too, if space allows, or else left in laundry bags by the washing machine if no room.
There's a £50 discount for those who can and want to bring their own bed linen and towels.
Washing machine
The machine has a manual.
It's simple enough to use, but its a good idea to familiarise yourself with how it operates, prefarably before the morning of your departure for setting off a wash when leaving.
Common mistakes include putting powder in the pre-wash drawer, and not being able to figure out how to switch it on.
The main wash powder drawer is the larger of the two, marked as drawer II.
Check the machine is plugged in and switched on at the mains.
Double-check the water inlet tap is set horizontal before use.
Mix colours 40C wash cycle is recommended (Program 2).
Do not leave objects on top of the machine during its cycle.
Also, do not leave any crockery precariously balanced on the sink unit.
And, if using the machine during your stay, remember there's end of cycle wait for door timer lock release.
Rotary dryer
The photograph shows the old spot, to one side and 4m to the back of the house, which used to be the position for outdoor rotary dryer.
A fence has since been put up round the back, so this is no longer in use. The new position is close to the front path.
'Lift and lock' to extend the dryer's arms into position. Cover the hole in the ground when not in use. Check the weather forecast and use in light winds only.
Indoor dryer
If it's windy or it's wet outdoors then there's a clothes airer for indoor drying.
Dehumidifier
Use of the dehumidifier is always recommended for drying in damp conditions.
Hot water
Do not leave water on for too long. It takes about an hour and a half to heat fully from stone cold, less if already lukewarm, also less if you just want it warm enough for a shower rather than a bath (see next section).
Shower
The bath has a fitted mixer tap with adjustable shower attachment. Because of the difference in water pressure between hot and cold, you'll find it easier to get the temperature right when little or no cold needs to be added to the mix. In other words, it's easier when the water heater has not been left on too long. Not everyone gets the hang of this, thus use of the shower can't be guaranteed for all, but try heating the water from cold for about 45 minutes rather than over an hour.
Electric cooker
The cooker clock time needs reset if power switched off. The main oven won't work until this is done.
If you're not used to using an electric cooker, remember and take care, electric hobs will be fairly slow to heat up, and slow to cool down!
Heaters
Do not leave the electric convection heaters on continuously. Please unplug or switch them off at the socket when not in use.
Do not cover the heaters.
You may notice the thermostat cuts out after a while if you try to use the bedroom heater on max setting (both switches on) for a prolonged period.
You might not need to use it at all, but if you do want heating on for a while, then medium or minimum setting (just one or other of the two switches on) should be fine for the bedroom.
Door locks
The outer and inner halls are connected by a door which has a Yale lock. It's recommended that you leave this on the latch to avoid accidentally locking yourself out.
Don't panic if you do lock yourself out. It's easily sorted if you can give me a call.
Window locks
The windows should not be locked shut, but if you find they are, then small keys on the kitchen roll holder or windowsills are for the locks. To keep things nice and airy it's recommended that you keep the windows at least partly open, in their 'ventilation' mode, whenever the weather's not too bad.
Lounge sleeping
The house has a three-seater sofa which comfortably sleeps one person if required.
DVD / Blu-ray
The Blu-ray player plays a variety of advanced video formats (eg. mkv, mp4) either from disk or via USB.
For audio through the Hi-Fi press the amplifier's CD/aux button.
Films
I have some movies and TV shows on disc, any of which you are welcome to watch. Not all the discs have been tested for compatibility with the player. Please be aware feature films will be of various classification, including some certificate 18 films.
Music
Connect your personal player via the headphone jack plug. Press the tape button on the amplifier.
Telephone
4G mobile coverage is available from the house and most of the island on the EE network. Other mobile networks are available from some other locations on the island.
Parking
Roadside parking on the opposite side of the road to the house is recommended. There is plenty of room here, with the road being quite wide enough.
Electricity
Assuming fair useage, electricity use is included in the price.
Obligatory detail
The property has been granted a licence for short term holiday letting purposes from the Western Isles Council.
STL reference number: ES00427F (expires: 01 November 2026).
The property's Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating is level G.
Full EPC can be found on the Scottish Energy Performance Certificate Register.
Search via postcode (HS9 5XN), or report reference number (RRN: 5117-3621-3200-0443-4206).
Fire safety
Please familiarise yourself with details on the Fire safety page.
And finally...
These detail notes are included for the sake of completeness. They're not intended to sound like a long list of prescriptive rules or imply a lack of common sense. There will be a copy in the house for your reference if you find them useful. Other than that, relax, make yourselves at home, and enjoy your stay :)
